What a New Jersey buyer does not pay at closing under State law
Start with what is absent. New Jersey has no State-level transfer charge on the buyer of a residential home. The Realty Transfer Fee falls on the grantor: N.J.S.A. 46:15-7 says a grantor "shall pay to the county recording officer at the time the deed is offered for recording" the fees it lists, and the Division of Taxation's page states that the State imposes the fee "on the seller of real property for recording a deed for the sale."
The second absent item is the one that changed. P.L. 2004, c. 66, §8 created N.J.S.A. 46:15-7.2 and placed a fee "upon the grantee of a deed" for residential property "for consideration in excess of $1,000,000 recited in the deed" in "an amount equal to 1 percent of the entire amount of such consideration," applying to transfers on or after August 1, 2004. That grantee fee stood until July 9, 2025; the Division of Taxation's FAQ still carries that era's sentence, "the grantees or buyers must remit the 1% fee," now out of date. P.L. 2025, c. 69, approved June 30, 2025, rewrote the section so that "there is imposed a fee upon the grantor of a deed" in "an amount equal to the following percentage of the entire amount of consideration recited in the deed," graduated from 1% above $1,000,000 to 3.5% above $3,500,000. Section 5 of the chapter law makes it apply "to transfers of real property or controlling interests occurring on or after July 10, 2025." The Division of Taxation's July 2, 2025 memorandum to county clerks, attorneys and title officers puts it in one sentence: the fee "is legally imposed on the grantor instead of the grantee," and the Division's page now states that "the seller is statutorily responsible for the RTF and the Graduated Percent Fee."
The third absent item is a percentage charge on the mortgage. New Jersey records a mortgage for a flat per-page fee under N.J.S.A. 22A:4-4.1 ("First page $30.00, Each additional page or part thereof $10.00"), plus a county surcharge of three or five dollars per document under N.J.S.A. 22A:4-17, measured by page count rather than loan amount.
| Charge | Paid by | Authority | Buyer's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realty Transfer Fee (per $500 of consideration) | Grantor (seller) | N.J.S.A. 46:15-7(a); Division of Taxation RTF page | $0 |
| Graduated Percent Fee on consideration over $1,000,000 (1% to 3.5% of the entire consideration) | Grantor (seller), for transfers on or after July 10, 2025 | N.J.S.A. 46:15-7.2 as amended by P.L. 2025, c. 69, §§1 and 5 | $0 |
| Former grantee (buyer) 1% fee on consideration over $1,000,000 | No longer a grantee charge. Transition rule in §2: for a deed under a contract fully executed before July 10, 2025 and recorded by November 15, 2025, the grantor's fee is capped at 1%, with the excess refunded to the grantor | P.L. 2004, c. 66, §8 (former rule); P.L. 2025, c. 69, §2; Division of Taxation memorandum, July 2, 2025 | $0 |
Sources: P.L. 2025, c. 69; P.L. 2004, c. 66; NJ Division of Taxation, Realty Transfer Fee; Division of Taxation memorandum, July 2, 2025; Division of Taxation RTF FAQ; N.J.S.A. 46:15-7, 22A:4-4.1 and 22A:4-17 (2025 Revised Statutes). The seller's side of the same ledger is on New Jersey closing costs for a seller.
County recording fees on the buyer's side: the Bergen County Clerk's schedule
The base recording fee is statutory for every county: N.J.S.A. 22A:4-4.1 fixes $30.00 for the first page of any instrument and $10.00 for each additional page, $10.00 for the tax abstract, $20.00 for a notice of settlement, $20.00 for cancellation of a mortgage and $10.00 for the marginal notation of a discharge. N.J.S.A. 22A:4-17(b) lets a county add a surcharge of "three dollars; or five dollars" per document. Each clerk publishes the combined figure; Bergen County's schedule, fetched September 13, 2026, reads as follows.
| Document | Bergen fee as published | Usually on |
|---|---|---|
| Deed (includes $10 tax abstract fee) | $45 first page + $10 each additional page | Buyer's side (the deed is recorded in the buyer's favor) |
| Mortgage | $35 first page + $10 each additional page | Buyer's side (the borrower's mortgage) |
| Notice of Settlement | $20 | Buyer's side, one per notice |
| Notice of Settlements: Contract and Mortgage Commitment | $40 | Buyer's side, when both notices are filed together |
| Missing Cover Sheet Fee | $20 | Whoever submits a document without the county cover sheet |
| Satisfaction, Discharge or Assignment of Mortgage or Tax Sale Certificate | $45 first page + $10 each additional page, includes $10 marginal notation | Seller's side (discharging the seller's existing mortgage) |
| Cancellation of Mortgage or Tax Sale Certificate | $25 | Seller's side |
The figures are consistent with a $5 surcharge, an election this page has not confirmed from a county resolution: on that reading a $45 deed is the $30 first page, the $10 tax abstract and $5; a $35 mortgage is $30 plus $5; a $45 discharge is $30 plus $5 plus the $10 marginal notation. Which side carries which document is custom and contract, not statute, but the ordinary pattern is the one shown. Other counties may elect a different surcharge, so a Passaic or Essex closing may not match Bergen to the dollar.
Sources: Bergen County Clerk, Document Directory and Recording Fees; N.J.S.A. 22A:4-4.1 and 22A:4-17 (2025 Revised Statutes).
Title insurance at the filed rate
New Jersey title insurance is a filed-rate product. The New Jersey Land Title Insurance Rating Bureau's Manual of Rates and Charges, effective for orders received on or after November 1, 2023, permits no charge for title insurance "except those contained or authorized in this Manual or contained in deviation filings" approved by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. Five sections do the work for a residential purchase.
Section 3.1.1 bases the owner's policy on "an amount not less than the full consideration." Section 4.1 sets the floor: "The minimum Underwriting Charge in any transaction shall be $200.00." Section 4.2 is the rate schedule per $1,000 of liability or fraction thereof, reproduced below, and §3.1.4 rounds to the nearest whole dollar. Section 3.4 covers the lender's policy: when a loan policy is issued simultaneously with the owner's policy on the same estate, the rate is paid once on the greatest amount of insurance and "the charge for each simultaneously-issued Policy ... shall be $25.00."
| Policy liability | Rate per $1,000 |
|---|---|
| $0 to $100,000 | $5.25 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | add $4.25 |
| $500,001 to $2 million | add $2.75 |
| Over $2 million | add $2.00 |
| Tier | $850,000 purchase | $1,500,000 purchase | $3,000,000 purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| First $100,000 at $5.25 × 100 | $525.00 | $525.00 | $525.00 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 at $4.25 × 400 | $1,700.00 | $1,700.00 | $1,700.00 |
| $500,001 to $2 million at $2.75 | × 350 = $962.50 | × 1,000 = $2,750.00 | × 1,500 = $4,125.00 |
| Over $2 million at $2.00 | — | — | × 1,000 = $2,000.00 |
| Owner's policy, filed underwriting rate | $3,187.50 → $3,188 | $4,975 | $8,350 |
| Simultaneously issued loan policy, §3.4 | $25 | $25 | $25 |
| Filed underwriting total, owner's plus loan policy | $3,213 | $5,000 | $8,375 |
The manual's own Appendix example states the Standard rate on $3,000,000 as $8,350.00, matching the last column. Those are underwriting rates only; the title agent's service charges are listed separately and are filed rates too: a settlement with disbursements is $300.00 for a settlement not exceeding 60 minutes (§6.1), a closing protection letter $75.00 (§6.6), "$5.00 for each instrument to be recorded" (§7.1(a)), and "$75.00 for each mortgage to be satisfied" where the title agent arranges a payoff (§7.1(b)). Endorsements, searches and examination charges have their own sections; enhanced-coverage policies under §4.8 carry "120% of the otherwise applicable Underwriting Charge" and are not modeled here. A title quote that departs from the schedule should be able to point to the section that authorizes it.
Source: NJLTA, Rate Manual (canonical page; verified in a browser on September 13, 2026, since the site returns a Cloudflare challenge to automated fetches) and the Manual of Rates and Charges, effective November 1, 2023, §§3.1.1, 3.1.4, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 6.1, 6.6 and 7.1.
Lender, attorney, inspection, survey and flood: custom charges with statutory anchors
Everything in this section is priced by the provider, not by a schedule. This page prints no attorney, inspection, survey or lender fee because none is set by statute or filed rate; they vary by firm, property and loan, and a "typical" figure would be an invention. What the law does fix is when several of these steps happen.
| Item | Amount | Statutory or regulatory anchor |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney's fee | Custom, by engagement | N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.2(g): a broker-prepared residential contract must state that it "will become final within three business days" and that "the Buyer or the Seller may choose to have an attorney study this contract"; the days are counted from delivery of the signed contract, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays |
| Home inspection, radon, termite, oil-tank sweep | Custom, by inspector and scope | Contract contingency; no statute prices it |
| Lead-based paint risk assessment or inspection (target housing under 40 C.F.R. § 745.103) | Custom, by assessor | 40 C.F.R. § 745.110(a): before the buyer is obligated, the seller "shall permit the purchaser a 10-day period" to conduct a risk assessment or inspection, unless the parties agree in writing on a different period; §745.110(b) lets the buyer waive it in writing |
| Lender charges: application, appraisal, credit report, underwriting, points, prepaid interest | Custom, by lender and loan program | No State schedule |
| Survey | Custom, by surveyor | Rate manual §10.5 prices the survey endorsement to the policy at $25.00; the survey itself is not a filed rate |
| Flood determination and flood insurance | Custom, by lender and insurer | N.J.S.A. 56:8-19.2 (P.L. 2023, c. 93): the seller must disclose whether the property "is located in the FEMA Special or Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area" and any actual knowledge of flood risk "before the purchaser becomes obligated under any contract" |
Two anchors deserve a sentence each. The lead-paint window is a federal rule for target housing, which 40 C.F.R. § 745.103 defines as "any housing constructed prior to 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities or any 0-bedroom dwelling" (with a further exception where a child under six resides); the ten days run before the buyer is bound, so the decision to spend on a risk assessment is made inside the contract timeline. The flood disclosure arrived with P.L. 2023, c. 93 and rides on the property condition disclosure statement, delivered before the buyer is obligated. The attorney-review clause is covered on attorney review in New Jersey, and the disclosure form on the New Jersey seller's disclosure.
Sources: N.J.A.C. 11:5-6.2; 40 C.F.R. § 745.110; 40 C.F.R. § 745.103; P.L. 2023, c. 93; NJLTA Manual of Rates and Charges, §10.5.
Who pays the brokerage
Since August 1, 2024, the question has a statutory answer. P.L. 2024, c. 32, §11 (N.J.S.A. 45:15-16.96) provides that in any real estate transaction a brokerage firm's compensation may be paid by one or more of the seller, the buyer, a third party, or by sharing the compensation between brokerage firms, and that agreements on compensation must be in writing, signed by the seller or buyer as applicable. Subsection e. allows a firm to be compensated by more than one party regardless of the working relationship it has with them, and subsection f. permits a flat fee, a percentage of the purchase price or another method permitted by law.
Section 3 of the same chapter law (C.45:15-16.88) requires, at subsection b.(1), that in a residential transaction a brokerage firm enter into a brokerage services agreement with the buyer "before, or as soon as reasonably practical after, the firm commences rendering real estate brokerage services." Its required contents include, at (2)(f), the firm's compensation and how it is calculated, including whether it will be shared with another firm, and, at (2)(g), "a disclosure expressly stating that broker compensation is fully negotiable and not set by law." Section 9 (C.45:15-16.94) makes performing the terms of that agreement a duty of a transaction broker. Section 18 fixes the effective date: "This act shall take effect on August 1, 2024. Approved July 10, 2024."
The brokerage line on a buyer's settlement statement is therefore whatever the buyer's written agreement says, offset by whatever the seller has agreed in writing to contribute; it is neither a State charge nor a filed rate. B&Co. Realty works as a New Jersey transaction broker; its compensation is agreed in writing at the outset, and this page states no figure because the statute says there is none to state.
Source: P.L. 2024, c. 32, §3 (C.45:15-16.88), §9 (C.45:15-16.94), §11 (C.45:15-16.96) and §18.
Prorations and adjustments
The last group of buyer-side entries is not a fee; it is an accounting between the parties so that each pays for the period it owns the home. Calendar-year municipalities collect property tax in installments due February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 under N.J.S.A. 54:4-66, so the seller will usually have paid the installment covering the closing date and the buyer reimburses the days from closing to the end of that period. Water and sewer, fuel left in a tank and association charges paid in advance are adjusted the same way. None of these has a figure that belongs on a reference page; the mechanism is the contract's adjustment clause, not statute. The assessment behind the tax line is explained in how a New Jersey home is valued.
Source for the installment dates: N.J.S.A. 54:4-66 (2025 Revised Statutes). No primary source states a proration figure; the mechanism is contractual.
Two worked examples: Closter at $1,500,000 and Alpine at $3,000,000
Both examples list only the items a statute or a filed rate fixes. Assumptions, so the arithmetic can be checked: a three-page deed, a twenty-page mortgage, a loan not exceeding the purchase price, both notices of settlement filed, the county cover sheet attached, an owner's policy at the purchase price with a simultaneously issued loan policy, and a transfer on or after July 10, 2025.
| Item | Arithmetic | Buyer pays |
|---|---|---|
| Realty Transfer Fee | Imposed on the grantor, N.J.S.A. 46:15-7 | $0 |
| Graduated Percent Fee | 1% × $1,500,000 = $15,000, imposed on the grantor, N.J.S.A. 46:15-7.2 as amended | $0 |
| Deed recording, Bergen | $45 + 2 × $10 | $65 |
| Mortgage recording, Bergen | $35 + 19 × $10 | $225 |
| Notices of settlement, contract and mortgage commitment | As published | $40 |
| Owner's title policy, filed rate | $525 + $1,700 + $2,750 | $4,975 |
| Loan policy, simultaneous issue | §3.4 | $25 |
| Subtotal of statutory and filed items | $5,330 | |
| Title agent service charges, if the title agent conducts the closing | §6.1 settlement $300; §6.6 closing protection letter $75; §7.1(a) $5 per instrument recorded | Per the engagement |
| Custom items, no figure | Attorney, inspections, lead-paint assessment in target housing, survey, lender charges, insurance, brokerage per written agreement, prorations | Per the contract |
| Item | Arithmetic | Buyer pays |
|---|---|---|
| Realty Transfer Fee | Imposed on the grantor, N.J.S.A. 46:15-7 | $0 |
| Graduated Percent Fee | 2.5% × $3,000,000 = $75,000 (the bracket is "in excess of $2,500,000 but not in excess of $3,000,000"), imposed on the grantor | $0 |
| Deed recording, Bergen | $45 + 2 × $10 | $65 |
| Mortgage recording, Bergen | $35 + 19 × $10 | $225 |
| Notices of settlement, contract and mortgage commitment | As published | $40 |
| Owner's title policy, filed rate | $525 + $1,700 + $4,125 + $2,000 | $8,350 |
| Loan policy, simultaneous issue | §3.4 | $25 |
| Subtotal of statutory and filed items | $8,705 | |
| Title agent service charges, if the title agent conducts the closing | §6.1 settlement $300; §6.6 closing protection letter $75; §7.1(a) $5 per instrument recorded | Per the engagement |
| Custom items, no figure | Attorney, inspections, lead-paint assessment in target housing, survey, lender charges, insurance, brokerage per written agreement, prorations | Per the contract |
Before July 10, 2025 the Closter buyer would have paid $15,000 at recording and the Alpine buyer $30,000, each at the former flat 1% under P.L. 2004, c. 66. Today the buyer pays neither; the grantor pays $15,000 and $75,000 respectively under the graduated schedule. For an all-cash purchase, strike the mortgage recording and loan policy lines and file a single $20 notice for the contract; the buyer-side statutory and filed items at $3,000,000 then total $8,435.
Sources: Bergen County Clerk fee schedule; NJLTA Manual of Rates and Charges; P.L. 2025, c. 69; P.L. 2004, c. 66; Division of Taxation memorandum, July 2, 2025.
What this page is not
This page is a reference to the public schedules, not legal or tax advice, and not a closing statement. The contract of sale governs which party bears which charge. The Bergen County Clerk's current schedule controls the recording figures; the Rating Bureau's current manual, and any approved deviation filing by an individual underwriter, controls the title figures, and the November 1, 2023 edition is quoted here. The Division of Taxation's older guidance, including the "Buying or Selling a Home in New Jersey" guide and one FAQ answer, still describes the pre-July-2025 buyer's fee; where guidance and chapter law disagree, the chapter law controls. A buyer's own attorney and title agent produce the numbers for a specific closing; this page lets the statutory and filed portion be checked line by line. Beyder&Co. publishes it as part of the firm's New Jersey reference set.
Sources: as cited in each section above. The Division of Taxation guide that still describes the former buyer's fee is Buying or Selling a Home in New Jersey (fetched September 13, 2026), cited here only as an example of superseded guidance.