Compare Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Howard, Calvert, and Queen Anne's counties: annual property taxes, transfer and recordation taxes, and the costs buyers and sellers need to plan for.
Reviewed October 18, 2026. Property tax benchmarks cover FY 2027 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027). Closing-tax rates reflect the official sources linked below. This guide compares ordinary residential resales; exemptions, financing, municipal boundaries, and your contract can change the result. Ask your title company and lender for a property-specific estimate before signing.
What changes when you cross a county line?
The same purchase price can produce different closing costs and monthly ownership expenses. Property tax is an ongoing cost based on taxable assessment. Transfer and recordation taxes generally arise when documents are recorded. Neither is the same as your down payment, mortgage payoff, or negotiated real estate compensation.
Scott and The Smolen Team help buyers and sellers compare the full picture: the property, the county, the financing, and the contract terms. Start with the benchmarks below, then review the actual address and transaction.
How do annual property taxes compare?
These examples apply each benchmark to the same $600,000 taxable assessment, with no credits. Assessed value can differ from purchase price. The county/service column follows Maryland's FY 2027 comparison; Howard includes its countywide fire levy, and Prince George's includes service levies in the benchmark described below. Each combined rate adds the $0.112 state property tax rate per $100.
FY 2027 benchmark rates per $100 of taxable assessment; examples use a $600,000 taxable assessment.
Anne Arundel: Annapolis and Highland Beach use different county/municipal combinations. Special districts, including the Crofton Special Taxing District, can add charges.
Prince George's: the $1.486 example matches tax class 8: county $1.000 + state $0.112 + M-NCPPC $0.294 + stormwater $0.054 + WSTC $0.026. Other classes and municipal properties differ; fixed charges can also apply.
Howard: $1.044 county + $0.206 fire + $0.112 state = $1.362. Metropolitan District properties can add $0.080 per $100, or $480 on this example. Trash, front-foot, and community assessments can be separate.
Calvert and Queen Anne's: municipal properties can have a reduced county component plus town taxes. Check the actual tax district; do not simply add town taxes to the countywide example.
Why the seller's bill may not be your bill
A current owner may receive Homestead or other credits that do not carry over to a new buyer in the same way. Review the SDAT assessment, the county tax account, and any municipal or district charges. Do not budget solely from an old MLS tax figure.
HOA and condominium dues, Columbia-area association charges, water/sewer assessments, insurance, and maintenance belong in the ownership budget too.
For a standard deed, add the county transfer tax, recordation tax, and Maryland state transfer tax. These are transaction taxes before allocation between buyer and seller, not each party's individual rate. Statutory exemptions and local reductions must be checked separately.
Standard deed taxes before exemptions, reductions, or special transactions. Recordation is rounded up by $500 increments.
County
County transfer
Recordation per $500
State transfer
Combined deed rate
Anne Arundel
County transfer1.00% / 1.50%*
Recordation per $500$3.50
State transfer0.50%
Combined deed rate2.20%*
Prince George's
County transfer1.40%
Recordation per $500$2.75
State transfer0.50%
Combined deed rate2.45%
Howard
County transfer1.25%
Recordation per $500$2.50
State transfer0.50%
Combined deed rate2.25%
Calvert
County transfer0.00%
Recordation per $500$5
State transfer0.50%
Combined deed rate1.50%
Queen Anne's
County transfer0.50%
Recordation per $500$4.95
State transfer0.50%
Combined deed rate1.99%
*Anne Arundel's $1 million threshold: county transfer tax is 1.00% below $1 million and 1.50% for transactions of $1 million or more. With 0.70% recordation and 0.50% state transfer tax, the standard combined deed rate becomes 2.70% at $1 million. The higher county rate applies to the transaction, not just the dollars above $1 million. A $1 million standard deed example therefore produces $27,000 of combined taxes before exemptions or allocation.
$600,000 resale example: standard rates, no exemptions, and a 50/50 deed-tax allocation.
County
Total deed taxes
Buyer: 50% share
Seller: 50% share
Anne Arundel
Total deed taxes$13,200.00
Buyer: 50% share$6,600.00
Seller: 50% share$6,600.00
Prince George's
Total deed taxes$14,700.00
Buyer: 50% share$7,350.00
Seller: 50% share$7,350.00
Howard
Total deed taxes$13,500
Buyer: 50% share$6,750
Seller: 50% share$6,750
Calvert
Total deed taxes$9,000
Buyer: 50% share$4,500
Seller: 50% share$4,500
Queen Anne's
Total deed taxes$11,940
Buyer: 50% share$5,970
Seller: 50% share$5,970
The 50/50 split is an example and the general statutory presumption where neither the agreement nor applicable law says otherwise. Your signed contract controls permitted changes to allocation. First-time Maryland buyer transactions have different rules, explained below.
Scope: these tables show deed taxes only. They exclude recording fees, loan-instrument taxes if applicable, financing fees, title charges, and prepaids. Purchase-money, refinance, and supplemental-document exemptions require title review. Prince George's county transfer tax can apply to financing documents as well; ask the settlement company to identify any applicable exemption or additional tax rather than assuming this deed table is your entire tax bill. See the county Finance Affidavit guidance.
What else do buyers and sellers pay at closing?
Buyer budget
Allocated transfer/recordation taxes and recording fees.
Lender origination charges, appraisal, credit services, and any chosen discount points.
Title search, settlement services, lender's title insurance if required, and optional owner's title insurance.
Prepaid interest, insurance, tax adjustments, and initial escrow deposits.
Inspections and other due-diligence costs, sometimes paid before closing.
Any buyer-broker compensation owed under the buyer agreement after amounts paid by others.
Cash to close also accounts for your down payment, deposits already paid, and approved seller/lender credits. Do not confuse it with closing costs alone.
Seller budget and net proceeds
Allocated transfer/recordation taxes, settlement/deed preparation charges, and lien-release or recording fees.
Negotiated brokerage compensation under the agreements.
Any agreed buyer credits, repairs, HOA/condo resale documents, or other contract obligations.
Property-tax, HOA/condo, utility, and other prorations.
Mortgage and other lien payoffs, including interest through payoff, to calculate net proceeds.
Loan payoff reduces the seller's proceeds; it is not a county closing-tax rate. Brokerage compensation is negotiable and is not a county tax or a government-set fee.
An illustrative closing budget, beyond taxes
To show how the pieces fit, assume the 50/50 deed-tax shares above and add $5,000 of buyer lender/title/recording and other charges, $4,500 of buyer prepaids/initial escrow/prorations, and $1,500 of seller settlement/release charges. These are deliberately fixed teaching assumptions, not average fees, local quotes, or a promise of actual cost.
Illustration only: deed-tax share plus the fixed assumptions below. These are not county fee quotes or complete cash-to-close / seller-net figures.
County
Buyer costs + prepaids
Seller subtotal
Anne Arundel
Buyer costs + prepaids$16,100
Seller subtotal$8,100.00
Prince George's
Buyer costs + prepaids$16,850
Seller subtotal$8,850
Howard
Buyer costs + prepaids$16,250
Seller subtotal$8,250
Calvert
Buyer costs + prepaids$14,000
Seller subtotal$6,000
Queen Anne's
Buyer costs + prepaids$15,470
Seller subtotal$7,470
Buyer column excludes down payment, buyer-broker compensation, any additional loan-instrument tax, and unusual loan/program costs; credits and costs paid earlier are not applied. Seller subtotal excludes brokerage compensation, loan/lien payoffs, credits, repairs, and property-specific prorations or assessments. Replace every assumption with your lender and title company's figures. Prepaids and escrow depend on the closing date, insurance, and actual tax bill, so they will not necessarily match across counties.
How do first-time Maryland buyer rules change the costs?
For qualifying improved residential property purchased as the buyer's principal residence, Maryland's state transfer tax falls from 0.50% to 0.25%, paid entirely by the seller. On a $600,000 sale, that state tax is $1,500. The seller's obligation for this state tax is not shifted to the qualifying buyer by a contrary contract provision.
For the same qualifying transaction, recordation and local transfer taxes are paid by the seller unless the parties expressly agree otherwise. That local/recordation allocation rule is different from the state-transfer rule. It does not make all of a buyer's other closing costs disappear.
Queen Anne's also reduces its county transfer rate to 0.25% for qualifying first-time Maryland homebuyers, instead of the standard 0.50%. Local employment-based and other exemptions may exist elsewhere; have the title company check the actual eligibility rather than automatically subtracting them.
For these state rules, a first-time Maryland homebuyer generally has never owned Maryland residential property used as that person's principal residence. Required sworn statements, principal-residence use, and all-grantee/co-maker conditions matter. Owning in another state does not by itself resolve eligibility. Sources: Real Property §14-104, Tax-Property §13-203, and Queen Anne's Land Records.
Questions to ask before you compare two homes
If you are buying
Request the actual tax account and assessment, a lender Loan Estimate, and a title estimate showing deed taxes, any loan-document taxes, first-time buyer treatment, title charges, recording fees, and prorations. Add HOA/condo, district, utility, and insurance costs to the monthly budget.
If you are selling
Request a seller net sheet using your expected price, actual payoff statements, negotiated compensation, contract tax allocation, concessions, and the likely closing date. If the buyer qualifies for first-time Maryland treatment, recalculate the seller tax share before agreeing to the terms.
County cost comparison FAQs
Which county has the lowest property tax in this comparison?
Queen Anne's has the lowest combined benchmark shown here, at $0.912 per $100. That is not a promise of the lowest actual ownership cost: assessment, municipal taxes, special charges, insurance, and community fees still matter.
Which county has the lowest standard deed taxes?
Calvert has the lowest combined standard deed-tax rate in this five-county comparison: 1.50%, made up of 1.00% recordation and 0.50% state transfer tax, with no county transfer tax. Exemptions and financing can change the final bill.
Are property taxes calculated from the purchase price?
The recurring tax calculation uses taxable assessed value and the applicable rates, adjusted for credits and charges. The $600,000 property-tax example assumes a $600,000 taxable assessment; it does not predict the assessment of a $600,000 purchase.
Does a first-time Maryland buyer pay no closing costs?
No. Tax reductions and allocation rules affect specific items. Lender charges, title services, insurance, escrow deposits, inspections, the down payment, and other agreed costs can still be payable.
Can the buyer and seller negotiate who pays closing costs?
Many charges and concessions can be negotiated, subject to law, loan-program limits, and the signed agreements. For qualifying first-time Maryland transactions, the reduced state transfer tax remains entirely the seller's responsibility.
Compare the home and the full cost of the move
Scott and The Smolen Team can help you review the property, request a closing estimate, and build a practical buying or selling plan.
Prepared as a consumer planning guide, not a tax bill, title opinion, lender quote, or legal determination. Rates and eligibility can change. Confirm the rules in force on your settlement date and the property's exact tax district. Dollar examples are calculated from the stated assumptions.
