This Tennessee closing cost calculator computes the two closing costs the state sets by law: the realty transfer tax and the mortgage tax. Enter the price and the loan amount. On Franklin's typical $913,277 home with 20% down, the two come to $4,217.04; every other closing cost depends on your lender, title company and contract, so get those in writing.
For buyers pricing a home purchase in Franklin or elsewhere in Tennessee who want the state's closing taxes exact and know which other costs to get quoted.
Tennessee closing cost calculator
Tennessee Code Annotated 67-4-409. Title insurance, lender fees, recording, prepaid taxes and HOA transfer fees vary by deal: ask your lender and title company for a written estimate. Who pays each tax is set by statute and the contract; see the closing costs guide.
What the closing cost calculator gets exact, and what it leaves to quotes
National calculators estimate closing costs as a percentage of the price. In Tennessee two lines are pure formula, so this calculator does those to the cent and leaves the rest to the people who'll charge you.
The plan: run your price and loan here, ask your lender for a Loan Estimate, and ask the title company for a written quote on title insurance and its fees. Put the three side by side and you have the buyer's closing costs before you write an offer.
If the total is more than you planned, the place to fix it is the contract. The statute names who owes each tax, but a purchase agreement can shift costs between buyer and seller, so ask before you sign.
How the Tennessee closing cost calculator works
Two fields, two formulas. The calculator prefills Franklin's typical value of $913,277 and a 20% down payment, which makes the loan $730,622. Change either field and both taxes update.
Tennessee transfer tax in the calculator
The realty transfer tax is $0.37 per $100 of the property's value or the price paid, whichever is greater (TCA 67-4-409(a)). The grantee, meaning the buyer, owes it by statute, and the value is sworn on the deed in an oath of consideration. On the typical Franklin home it adds $3,379.12.
Tennessee mortgage tax in the calculator
The mortgage, or indebtedness, tax is $0.115 per $100 of the loan, and the first $2,000 of the debt is exempt (TCA 67-4-409(b)). The borrower owes it. On a $730,622 loan it adds $837.92; a cash buyer pays none of it.
The formulas, if you'd like to check the output by hand: transfer tax = price × 0.0037; mortgage tax = (loan − $2,000) × 0.00115. Both are collected when the deed and deed of trust are recorded, so the title company collects them at closing.
Closing cost calculator examples for Tennessee prices
The table runs common prices and Zillow's September 2026 typical values for Franklin, Spring Hill and Brentwood. On a $300,000 house, the two taxes are about $1,384 with 20% down; on a $250,000 house, about $1,153.
| Price | Down payment | Loan | Transfer tax | Mortgage tax | Both state taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 20% | $200,000 | $925.00 | $227.70 | $1,152.70 |
| $300,000 | 3.5% | $289,500 | $1,110.00 | $330.63 | $1,440.63 |
| $300,000 | 20% | $240,000 | $1,110.00 | $273.70 | $1,383.70 |
| $400,000 | 20% | $320,000 | $1,480.00 | $365.70 | $1,845.70 |
| $518,832 (Spring Hill typical) | 20% | $415,066 | $1,919.68 | $475.03 | $2,394.71 |
| $913,277 (Franklin typical) | 20% | $730,622 | $3,379.12 | $837.92 | $4,217.04 |
| $913,277 (Franklin typical) | Cash | $0 | $3,379.12 | $0 | $3,379.12 |
| $1,388,985 (Brentwood typical) | 20% | $1,111,188 | $5,139.24 | $1,275.57 | $6,414.81 |
A smaller down payment raises only the mortgage tax: on $300,000, going from 20% down to 3.5% down adds $56.93. The transfer tax follows the price alone, so it's the same whatever you borrow. These are the only closing costs that are identical for every buyer at a given price and loan.
Costs the closing cost calculator leaves to your quotes
Everything below varies by lender, title company, home and contract. The calculator doesn't guess them.
Title insurance in Tennessee
Title insurance rates in Tennessee are filed by each underwriter rather than set by the state, so premiums differ between companies. Ask the title company for a written quote on the owner's and lender's policies before you choose one.
Lender fees on your Tennessee Loan Estimate
Origination charges, discount points, appraisal and credit report fees all appear on the lender's Loan Estimate. One discount point on a $730,622 loan is $7,306, so compare two or three lenders' estimates for the same loan amount and term.
Williamson County Register of Deeds recording fees
Recording the deed and deed of trust carries fees set by page and document. The Williamson County Register of Deeds publishes a fee calculator; your title company will include the figure in its quote.
Williamson County property tax at closing
Williamson County taxes are paid in arrears: bills go out in October and are due by February 28. How the current year is split between buyer and seller is a contract term, and a lender may also collect several months of tax up front for escrow. The Williamson County property tax calculator gives the yearly bill to prorate.
HOA transfer fees and dues in Franklin
If the home is in an HOA, ask whether it charges a transfer or capital contribution fee at sale. Get the fee schedule and the current dues from the HOA, or through the listing agent, before the offer.
Who pays closing costs in Tennessee, buyer or seller?
By statute, the buyer owes the transfer tax and the borrower owes the mortgage tax. Your purchase agreement can move either one, or any other cost, between the parties, and seller concessions toward a buyer's costs are negotiated the same way. Ask a Tennessee real estate attorney what's customary before you sign.
Sellers have their own costs: the payoff of any loan, their share of the year's property tax, any agent compensation they've agreed to, and whatever the contract assigns them. This tool is buyer-side; for the seller's view and the rest of the rules, read the guide to Tennessee closing costs.
Tennessee closing cost mistakes, priced on a Franklin home
- Budgeting a percentage instead of the formula. A flat percentage hides the fact that the transfer tax, $3,379 on a $913,277 home, is fixed by the price while everything else can be shopped.
- Accepting the transfer tax without asking. The statute puts it on the buyer, but it's negotiable in the contract. On a home that has sat on the market, asking the seller to cover it is a $3,379 request.
- Escrowing on the wrong tax line. A lender that estimates escrow at the Franklin rate outside FSSD, $298 a month, when the parcel is inside FSSD, $427 a month, leaves you with a shortage of about $1,546 at the first escrow review.
- Skipping the proration math. If a contract prorates the calendar-year tax and you close on November 1, the seller's share of a $3,575 bill is about $2,978. Check that the credit appears on the settlement statement, because the bill itself arrives in your name.
- Taking the first title quote. Premiums are filed by each underwriter, so a second quote is the only way to know if the first is competitive.
Using the closing cost calculator before an offer in Franklin
Run it on each home on your shortlist, then add the property tax line, because the two together decide the cash you need at closing and the monthly cost after it. A $913,277 Franklin home needs about $4,217 in state taxes at closing, and $3,575 or $5,122 a year in property tax depending on the Franklin Special School District line.
If you're buying from out of state, ask the title company early how it handles remote signing. For the full picture on prices and towns, see the Franklin relocation guide, or start a private home search for Franklin and get these numbers worked out for each home you're sent.
Sources (6)
Reviewed by Bill Diebenow
Bill reviewed this page for accuracy on November 3, 2026. Figures come from the sources listed above. Our research process.
Bill Diebenow is a Franklin, Tennessee Realtor® and LeadingRE Relocation Specialist with Compass, helping families and executives relocate to Franklin and Williamson County.
- $26M+Career sales volume, as reported by Bill
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Career figures as published on billdiebenow.com (About), read November 2026.