Does Wisconsin have a real estate transfer tax?
Yes, though the statute calls it a fee. Wis. Stat. § 77.22 imposes a real estate transfer fee on the grantor at 30 cents for each $100 of value or fraction of $100. That is $3 per $1,000, a flat 0.3% with no tiers and no cap.
The rate has been the same since September 1, 1981. The Department of Revenue’s current transfer return overview, revised May 2026, still lists 30 cents per $100. Older land contracts dated December 17, 1971 through August 31, 1981 are the only deeds taxed at a different rate, 10 cents per $100, when the deed satisfying the contract is recorded.
Before multiplying, round the value up to the next $100. A sale at $2,000,050 is taxed on $2,000,100.
No local transfer tax in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is simple on this point. Counties and cities do not levy their own transfer taxes, so the 0.3% state fee is the whole tax. The register of deeds in each county collects it, but the rate is the same everywhere.
That sets Wisconsin apart from Illinois and Michigan, where counties and some cities add their own taxes on top of a state rate. For an investor comparing markets around Lake Michigan, Wisconsin is the easy one to model.
Who pays the transfer fee, and how it is filed
The seller. Section 77.22 imposes the fee on the grantor, and the Department of Revenue confirms that the grantor pays. A purchase contract can still shift some or all of the cost to the buyer, and on a negotiated apartment sale that is sometimes part of the price discussion.
Every taxable or exempt conveyance needs an electronic real estate transfer return, known as the eRETR. You complete it online, print the receipt and bring it to the register of deeds with the deed and payment. Some counties accept electronic recording. The register of deeds should not record a conveyance unless the transfer return is complete.
On an exempt transfer you still file the return. You enter the exemption number from § 77.25 instead of paying a fee.
What counts as value
Value is the sale price, meaning the amount paid or to be paid for the real estate, including liens such as mortgages. A buyer who assumes your loan doesn’t reduce the fee.
When there is no sale price, such as a transfer between entities, use the estimated market value. If the property wasn’t appraised, use the estimated full value from the most recent property tax bill. For a partial interest, value is the share actually conveyed.
Personal property isn’t part of real estate value. On an apartment sale with significant furniture and appliances, allocate a reasonable amount to personal property in the purchase agreement and report the real estate value on the return.
Exemptions that matter to apartment owners
Section 77.25 lists the exempt conveyances by number, and you cite the number on the eRETR. These are the ones investors use most.
- (6) Mergers of business entities, and (6m) conversions where ownership stays identical.
- (7) Subsidiary to parent corporation for no or nominal consideration.
- (15) Between a corporation and its shareholders when all stock is held by related persons and the corporation has held the property for at least three years.
- (15m) Between a partnership and its partners when all partners are related.
- (15s) Between an LLC and its members when all members are related.
- (8) and (8m) Between parent and child, grandparent and grandchild and similar relatives for nominal or no consideration, and between spouses.
- (11) By will, descent or survivorship, and (11m) nonprobate transfers on death.
- (14) Foreclosure, or a deed in lieu of foreclosure, to the mortgage holder or land contract vendor.
- (16) Transfers to a trust, if a transfer from the grantor to the beneficiary would be exempt.
LLC transfers, foreclosures and 1031 exchanges
Deeding a building into an LLC isn’t automatically exempt in Wisconsin. The entity exemptions are narrow: identical ownership after a conversion, or members, partners or shareholders who are all related to each other. Two unrelated partners moving a building into a new LLC should expect to pay the fee on its value.
The fee is tied to conveyances of real estate recorded with the register of deeds. If you plan to sell membership interests in the LLC instead of the building, have your title company or tax adviser confirm how Wisconsin treats that transfer before you price the deal.
Exemption (14) covers foreclosures and deeds in lieu only when the property goes to the mortgage holder or land contract vendor. A sheriff’s sale to a third-party bidder is a taxable conveyance.
There is no exemption for a 1031 exchange. The relinquished property is taxed on its sale, and a Wisconsin replacement property is taxed again when the seller conveys it to you.
Worked example: a $2,000,000 and a $5,000,000 Wisconsin apartment sale
Take a 30-unit building in Milwaukee selling for $2,000,000. The value is already a round $100, so divide by $100 to get 20,000 units and multiply by 30 cents. The transfer fee is $6,000, paid by the seller. There is no local line to add.
At $5,000,000 the fee is 50,000 × $0.30 = $15,000. If the buyer assumes a $3,000,000 loan as part of that price, the fee is still $15,000, because value includes mortgages.
Now suppose the contract allocates $100,000 of the $2,000,000 price to furniture, fixtures and equipment the buyer supports in its appraisal. The real estate value becomes $1,900,000 and the fee falls to $5,700. Have your title company confirm the figure on the eRETR before closing.
Because the rate is flat, the effective rate never changes with price. A $350,000 six-unit building and a $3,500,000 garden complex both pay exactly 0.3%, or $1,050 and $10,500. States with graduated taxes, such as Washington, can’t say the same.
| Scenario | Real estate value | Transfer fee (0.3%) |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000,000 sale, Milwaukee | $2,000,000 | $6,000 |
| $2,000,000 sale with $100,000 personal property | $1,900,000 | $5,700 |
| $5,000,000 sale, Madison | $5,000,000 | $15,000 |
| $5,000,000 sale with $3,000,000 assumed loan | $5,000,000 | $15,000 |
| Local add-on, any Wisconsin county | n/a | $0 |
Wisconsin compared with neighboring states
Wisconsin’s 0.3% is close to Minnesota’s 0.33% deed tax, higher than Iowa’s and Illinois’s state rates and well below Michigan’s state tax. The table uses state-level rates only on a $2,000,000 sale. Illinois and Michigan counties add their own taxes, and Chicago adds a city tax.
Minnesota figures its deed tax on net consideration, excluding liens that remain on the property, so an assumed loan lowers the Minnesota tax but not Wisconsin’s. Iowa taxes only the amount above the first $500.
| State | State-level rate | On a $2,000,000 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $3.75 per $500 (0.75%) | $15,000 |
| Minnesota | 0.33% of net consideration | $6,600 |
| Wisconsin | $3 per $1,000 (0.3%) | $6,000 |
| Iowa | $0.80 per $500 above $500 | $3,199.20 |
| Illinois | $0.50 per $500 (0.1%) | $2,000 |
How the transfer fee fits into your total selling costs
The fee is predictable, which makes it the easy part of a Wisconsin sale. The larger numbers are on the income tax side: federal long-term capital gains tax, depreciation recapture on the unrecaptured section 1250 gain at up to 25%, the 3.8% net investment income tax for many owners, and Wisconsin income tax on the gain.
A 1031 exchange can defer the federal and state income tax. It won’t defer the transfer fee, which is due when the deed is recorded. On a $5,000,000 sale, the $15,000 fee usually sits next to brokerage, title and closing costs on the seller’s statement.
Where the fee can move is in negotiation. A buyer who wants a quick close may agree to split it, and a seller who is carrying part of the price may trade the fee for better note terms. Settle it in the purchase agreement, not at the closing table, so the eRETR and the settlement statement match.
Selling your Wisconsin apartment building to Skyline
Skyline Capital Investments buys apartment buildings with five or more units throughout Wisconsin. We buy directly, can offer seller-carry terms, and work within 1031 exchange deadlines. We are glad to walk through how the transfer fee and other closing costs are expected to land in the contract.
Send the address and unit count through the form on this page, or call (469) 660-2977. We typically respond within 48 hours.
