How Much Is the Real Estate Transfer Tax in Yorkville, Oswego, and the Fox Valley?
Every real estate sale in Illinois pays a state transfer tax of $0.50 per $500 of the sale price (about $1 per $1,000), plus a county transfer tax where the county has adopted one. On top of that, some towns add their own municipal transfer tax and some don’t. Yorkville and Montgomery currently charge none. Oswego charges the buyer 0.3% of the sale price. Aurora and Naperville charge $3 per $1,000. Which tax applies, and who pays it, depends entirely on which town the property sits in.
By Kealan O’Neil | September 18, 2026
Most buyers and sellers in the Fox Valley budget for the state transfer tax because it’s the one every closing attorney mentions early. It’s the municipal transfer tax that catches people off guard, because it doesn’t exist everywhere, and where it does exist, the rate and who pays it changes from one village to the next.
I’ve had buyers moving from Yorkville to Oswego assume the closing costs would look the same in both towns. They don’t. Here’s how it actually breaks down.
The State and County Transfer Tax Every Illinois Sale Pays
Two layers of transfer tax apply no matter where you buy or sell in Illinois:
- State transfer tax: $0.50 per $500 of the sale price, or roughly $1 per $1,000. On a $350,000 home, that’s about $350.
- County transfer tax: up to $0.25 per $500 of the sale price, or roughly $0.50 per $1,000, in counties that have adopted it. Kane County imposes this tax, with the seller liable for it under the county code. Kendall County’s current practice should be confirmed with your closing attorney or title company at contract time, since I couldn’t verify a published county rate as of this writing.
By custom in most of Illinois, the seller pays the state and county portions and purchases the transfer stamp before the deed is recorded. Your attorney or title company handles the actual filing, but it comes out of your net proceeds as the seller, so it belongs in your closing cost math from day one.
Municipal Transfer Tax: It Depends Entirely on the Town
This is the layer that varies the most, and it’s the one worth checking before you assume anything. Only home-rule municipalities can adopt a local transfer tax, so it’s not universal, even among neighboring towns.
Here’s what applies across the core Fox Valley market as of this writing:
- Yorkville: No municipal transfer tax. If you’re buying or selling in the Yorkville market, the state and county layers are all you’re working with.
- Oswego: 0.3% of the sale price ($3 per $1,000), paid by the buyer. On a $350,000 home, that’s $1,050. The village adopted this by referendum in 2022, and the revenue is dedicated to the water fund covering Oswego’s connection to a Lake Michigan water source. Residents who’ve owned and lived in an Oswego home for at least 12 months and are buying another primary residence in the village qualify for an exemption, so if that’s your situation, ask your attorney to confirm it before closing. This is a real line item to plan for if you’re buying in Oswego.
- Montgomery: No municipal transfer tax found in current village ordinances. If you’re selling in Montgomery, your closing costs stop at the state and county layers, same as Yorkville.
- Aurora: $3 per $1,000 of the sale price, historically billed to the seller.
- Naperville: $3 per $1,000 of the sale price, billed to the buyer. If you’re weighing Aurora against Naperville, the transfer tax difference in who pays and how much is worth adding to that comparison.
- Batavia and DeKalb: No municipal transfer tax.
- Plainfield, St. Charles, Geneva, North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Plano, and Sandwich: No municipal transfer tax ordinance turned up in any source I checked for this post. Roughly a dozen and a half Illinois municipalities have one at all, and most towns in this list simply don’t.
Municipal rates and ordinances can change, and villages occasionally put new ones on the ballot the way Oswego did. If you’re closing soon, confirm the current rate with your attorney or title company rather than relying on last year’s number.
Who Actually Pays It, and What It Costs on a Real Sale
“Who pays” is a matter of local custom and, in some towns, ordinance, not just negotiation. It’s still negotiable in your contract, but it helps to know the default before you get to the table.
Take a $350,000 home as an example:
- Sold in Yorkville: roughly $350 state tax, seller-paid. No municipal tax on either side.
- Sold in Oswego: roughly $350 state tax (seller), plus $1,050 municipal tax (buyer). The buyer’s total transfer tax bill is over three times the seller’s.
- Sold in Naperville: roughly $350 state tax (seller), plus $1,050 municipal tax (buyer, at $3 per $1,000).
- Sold in Aurora: roughly $350 state tax (seller) plus $1,050 municipal tax, both customarily billed to the seller, meaning the seller’s side carries more of the total in this scenario than in Oswego or Naperville.
None of these numbers include the county portion, agent commissions, attorney fees, title insurance, or the property tax proration you’ll also see on the closing statement. Transfer tax is one line among several, but it’s the one people are most often surprised by, because it isn’t something you pay monthly or think about until the closing disclosure lands in your inbox.
This is exactly the kind of number I walk sellers through before we even settle on a list price, and buyers through before they write an offer, because it changes what you actually need to bring to closing or what you’ll actually net. Your specific number depends on your sale price, your town, and any exemptions that might apply, and that’s where running the real math with someone who knows this market makes the difference between a number you guessed and a number you can plan around.
Common Questions About Transfer Taxes in the Fox Valley
These are the questions I hear most from buyers and sellers once they realize transfer tax isn’t a flat, statewide number.
Does Yorkville have a real estate transfer tax?
Who pays the transfer tax in Illinois, the buyer or the seller?
Why does Oswego charge a transfer tax when Yorkville doesn’t?
Is the transfer tax the same as property tax proration at closing?
Can I get an exemption from a municipal transfer tax?
If you’re working through a purchase or sale anywhere in Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, or elsewhere in the Fox Valley and want the real closing cost math for your specific transaction, I’m happy to run it with you. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
About Kealan O’Neil
Kealan O’Neil is the Designated Managing Broker and founder of O’Neil Property Group, an independent real estate brokerage serving Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, and the surrounding Kendall and Kane County communities of the Fox Valley. He and his team, including partner Ryan Ivemeyer, guide buyers and sellers through pricing, financing, and closing decisions, and Kealan also self-manages a local rental portfolio, so he approaches every transaction as both a broker and an investor. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
This post is general information about real estate in the Fox Valley, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate laws, tax rules, and municipal ordinances change, and how they apply depends on your specific situation. Talk with a licensed attorney, CPA, or lender before making decisions about a purchase, sale, or tax matter. O’Neil Property Group is a licensed Illinois real estate brokerage.