On this page
  1. The conveyance tax: the one fixed line
  2. The mortgage payoff and liens
  3. Broker commission
  4. Prorations
  5. The seller’s attorney fee
  6. What a seller does not get
  7. What to take from this

A buyer brings money to a closing. A seller usually does not. Seller closing costs are deductions: the sale price goes in at the top, each line comes off, and what is left is the net proceeds. That changes the question from “what will I have to pay?” to “what will I actually walk away with?”

This guide lists the lines in the order they tend to matter, says which one is fixed by law, and says plainly where this site has no figure to give.

Connecticut closing costs are two separate lists Buyer and seller closing costs are two lists that barely overlap. The buyer pays lender charges, title search and a lender's title policy, recording fees, prepaids and escrow, and an attorney fee. The seller pays off the existing mortgage, the state and municipal conveyance taxes, the broker commission, a property tax proration and an attorney fee. The conveyance taxes are marked because they are the one Connecticut-specific line set by rule rather than negotiated or quoted. Who pays what, on a Connecticut sale The buyer pays Mostly the cost of the loan and the title Lender charges Title search and lender's policy Recording the deed and mortgage Prepaids and escrow Attorney fee The seller pays Out of the proceeds, not in addition to the price Payoff of the existing mortgage Conveyance taxes Broker commission Property tax proration Attorney fee Open circle: varies by lender, broker or provider. Filled: set by statute.
Two lists, not one number. Most of the confusion about Connecticut closing costs comes from reading the other side's list. The marked line is the only one set by statute rather than quoted or negotiated — which is why it is the only one this site can price. Run it here.

The conveyance tax: the one fixed line

Connecticut charges two conveyance taxes on a sale, a state tax and a municipal tax, and calculates them separately.

The state tax on a residential dwelling is marginal: 0.75% on the first $800,000, 1.25% from there to $2,500,000, and 2.25% above that. The municipal tax is 0.25% in most towns and 0.50% in sixteen of them, with Stamford stepping from 0.35% to 0.50% at $1,000,000. Together they come to about 1% of the price on a typical residential sale.

On a $450,000 sale in a base-rate town, the state portion is $3,375 and the municipal portion is $1,125, for a total of $4,500.

In most residential sales the seller pays it, unless an exemption, a special rule or a negotiated contract term applies. The filing assumes it: DRS Form OP-236 is filed by the grantor, and the Fairfield County Bar and Greater Danbury form purchase agreements assign the taxes to the seller. The exceptions are covered in who pays the conveyance tax, and the transfers that owe nothing are listed in the conveyance tax exemptions guide, and the calculator runs the figure for a specific price and town.

It is the only line on this list that is not negotiable and not shoppable. The town does not bargain over a statutory rate.

The mortgage payoff and liens

If the seller still owes on the property, the lender is paid from the sale before the seller sees anything. The same goes for any lien recorded against it. This is not a cost in the sense of money lost, because it retires a debt the seller already had. It is still the largest deduction on most statements, and it is the reason a seller with little equity can find that net proceeds are far below what they expected.

The amount is on the lender’s payoff statement, which is good only through a stated date. A closing that slips can change it.

Broker commission

Commission is a term of the listing agreement between the seller and the broker. It is negotiated, so no figure here would be a rule, and this guide does not print one. The practical point is that it is fixed before the closing: find the clause in the listing agreement that sets it and any clause about how it is split, rather than discovering it on the statement.

Prorations

Property tax and certain other charges are divided between buyer and seller as of the closing date. A seller who has prepaid a period past the closing gets credit for it, and a seller who has not prepaid owes the buyer for the days of ownership. Whether this line helps or hurts depends entirely on the date and on what has already been paid, so it can move proceeds in either direction. A separate guide on how tax proration works is on the queue.

The seller’s attorney fee

Connecticut residential closings are conducted with a lawyer on each side, and the seller’s fee is its own line, quoted separately from the buyer’s. Unlike the conveyance tax, it can be compared. The attorney cost guide covers what a quote should include.

What a seller does not get

The Closing Disclosure is a document for buyers with a mortgage. Lenders are required to provide it three business days before the scheduled closing, and it is built around the buyer’s loan. A seller does not receive one. A seller receives a settlement statement that lists the seller’s side, and it arrives on whatever schedule the closing attorney keeps. That is the reason to ask for a net proceeds estimate early. The buyer closing costs guide shows the buyer’s side of the same table, which is useful for seeing which lines do not appear on yours.

What to take from this

  • Treat every seller cost as a subtraction from the price, and work toward the net proceeds figure.
  • Separate the fixed line (the conveyance tax) from the negotiated ones (commission, attorney fee) and the date-dependent ones (payoff, prorations).
  • Ask for a written net proceeds estimate before the closing, and compare the settlement statement against it line by line.
  • Where this guide gives no dollar figure, that is because no primary source has been checked for it. The full buyer and seller lists say the same.

Common questions

What closing costs does a seller pay in Connecticut?
The usual lines are the payoff of any mortgage or lien, the conveyance taxes, the broker commission, prorated property tax and similar charges up to the closing date, and the seller's own attorney fee. All of them come out of the proceeds.
How much is the conveyance tax when selling a house in Connecticut?
It is about 1% of the price on a typical residential sale, made up of a state tax and a municipal tax. On a $450,000 sale in a base-rate town the total is $4,500.
Does the seller or the buyer pay the conveyance tax in Connecticut?
In most residential sales the seller, unless an exemption, a special rule or a negotiated contract term applies. The standard form purchase agreements assign it to the seller.
Do sellers get a Closing Disclosure?
No. The Closing Disclosure is the buyer's document. A seller receives a settlement statement that itemizes the same kind of charges from the seller's side.

Sources

  • Primary sourceReal Estate Conveyance TaxConnecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research
  • Attorney-confirmedWho pays the Connecticut real estate conveyance taxesAttorney-confirmed (firm fact bank)
  • Primary sourceForm OP-236, Connecticut Real Estate Conveyance Tax ReturnConnecticut Department of Revenue Services
  • Secondary sourceFairfield County Bar and Greater Danbury form purchase contractsCounty bar associations (Connecticut)

Every figure in this guide is checked against these sources before it publishes. Where a figure has no source, the guide leaves it out rather than estimating.

General information about Connecticut real estate transactions, not legal advice. Every transaction is different.