Calculator
What will you actually walk away with?
Every cost of selling a home in South Africa, in one place, with the arithmetic visible. Nothing is gated and nothing is rounded in anyone’s favour — change any assumption you disagree with and watch the number move.
- Agent commissionYour rate, with the 15% VAT put back on
- Bond settlementIncluding notice-period interest if you have not given 90 days
- Compliance certificatesAll five, at Cape Town inspection rates
- Rates & levy clearanceShown separately — most of it comes back
- Capital gains taxWith the R2 000 000 primary residence exclusion
In your pocket on transfer
R 1 442 125
57.7% of a R 2 500 000 sale · plus up to R 4 800 refunded later
- Sale price
- R 2 500 000
- Agent commission (5% + VAT)Negotiable, and only payable on a successful sale.
- – R 143 750
- Compliance certificatesInspection fees plus any repair allowance you entered.
- – R 3 825
- Bond settlementPaid to your bank out of the proceeds before anything reaches you.
- – R 900 000
- Bond cancellation attorneyAppointed by your bank, not by you.
- – R 5 500
- Rates & levy clearance advancerefundablePaid up front to get the clearance certificate. Anything unused is refunded after transfer.
- – R 4 800
- Net proceeds
- R 1 442 125
How the capital gains tax was worked out
- Proceeds after selling costs
- R 2 352 425
- Less base cost
- – R 1 460 000
- Capital gain
- R 892 425
- Less primary residence exclusion
- – R 892 425
- Less annual exclusion
- R 0
- Included at 40%
- R 0
- Taxed at 36%
- R 0
On these figures you would owe no capital gains tax. That is the usual outcome for an ordinary family home — the R2 000 000 primary residence exclusion covers most sales in this area.
These are estimates for planning, not a quotation. Certificate pricing varies by inspector, attorney fees vary by firm, and your tax position depends on facts only your accountant has. Confirm before you rely on any of it.
What’s included, and what isn’t
Included
- Agent commission at your chosen rate, with 15% VAT added — because that is how it is actually invoiced.
- Bond settlement, the cancellation attorney’s fee, and interest for any unserved part of the 90-day notice period.
- Compliance certificates at typical Cape Town inspection rates, plus whatever repair allowance you enter.
- Rates and levy clearance advances, shown separately because most of that money comes back to you.
- A capital gains tax estimate, including the R2 000 000 primary residence exclusion and the R40 000 annual exclusion.
Not included
- Transfer duty and the buyer’s conveyancing costs — those are the buyer’s, not yours.
- Moving costs, storage, and any bridging finance you take against the proceeds.
- Repairs a buyer negotiates after their own inspection.
- Anything unusual: a body corporate special levy, an outstanding municipal dispute, a servitude problem.
How current is this?
Tax constants were last checked on 28 August 2026. Capital gains tax figures change with the February Budget, so if you are reading this long after that date, treat the tax line as indicative and check it with your accountant.