TL;DR: When you sell a house in Arkansas, you walk away with the sale price minus your mortgage payoff, commission, title and settlement fees, prorated property tax, and your half of the state deed tax of $3.30 per $1,000, the split Arkansas law sets unless your contract says otherwise (Ark. Code 26-60-106). On Benton County's first-half 2026 average sale price of $465,888, your half is $768.90; on Washington County's $423,750, it is $699.60 (Talk Business & Politics, August 21, 2026).
How much money will I walk away with when I sell my house in Arkansas?
Your net is one subtraction: the contract price, minus five lines. Those lines are the payoff on your mortgage, the commission you agreed to in your listing agreement, the owner's title policy and settlement fee, your share of property tax through the closing date, and your half of the state deed tax, unless your contract splits it differently. Any repairs or credits you negotiated come off the same total.
The deed tax is set by the state at $3.30 per $1,000 of price (Arkansas DFA, accessed October 23, 2026). Property tax follows a formula shown below. The payoff and commission are specific to your loan and your listing agreement, and this article does not include a title premium; a title company's written quote settles that line. Here is the net sheet to fill in, with only the deed tax pre-filled:
- Contract price $____
- minus payoff (from your lender's letter) $____
- minus commission (from your listing agreement) $____
- minus title and settlement fees (from the title quote) $____
- minus property tax proration (from the settlement statement) $____
- minus your half of the deed tax (price rounded up to the next $1,000, divided by 1,000, times $1.65): $768.90 at Benton County's $465,888 average, or $699.60 at Washington County's $423,750 average (first half of 2026)
- equals your net $____
Three documents fill every blank: a payoff letter, a listing agreement with the commission written out, and a title quote. Request them this week and the sheet is finished.
How much is the Arkansas deed tax on a Benton or Washington County sale?
Arkansas charges $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration on transfers above $100 (Arkansas DFA, accessed October 23, 2026). The tax applies to each $1,000 "or fractional part thereof" (Ark. Code 26-60-105), so round the price up to the next $1,000, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 3.30.
Benton County, home to Bentonville (Walmart's headquarters) and Rogers, had an average sale price of $465,888 in the first half of 2026, down 1.2% from a year earlier (Talk Business & Politics, Skyline Report coverage, August 21, 2026). 466 x $3.30 = $1,537.80 in deed tax, of which the seller's default half is $768.90.
Washington County, home to Fayetteville, had an average sale price of $423,750 in the first half of 2026, up 1.5% from $417,489 a year earlier. 424 x $3.30 = $1,399.20, of which the seller's half is $699.60.
These are averages, not medians, so your own price will differ. Apply the same arithmetic to your contract price. The DFA page does not say whether the buyer or seller customarily pays; DFA sends that question to its Miscellaneous Tax Section at 501-682-7187. Your purchase contract decides it.
At these county averages the seller's half runs from $699.60 to $768.90. It is small next to your payoff, but read the contract clause on how it is split before you sign.
How is property tax handled at closing, and what does it cost me?
The closing agent or title company shows your property tax proration on the settlement statement, so ask for that line in the title quote. To estimate the year's bill, start from the rule that Arkansas assesses real property at 20% of true market value and applies the millage rate to that assessed value (Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division, August 19, 2026). One mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value (University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, October 23, 2026).
Using the county averages: $423,750 x 20% = $84,750 assessed in Washington County, so each mill adds $84.75 a year. In Benton County, $465,888 x 20% = $93,178 assessed, so each mill adds $93.18. Add the school, city and county mills on your own tax bill, multiply by that per-mill figure, and you have a full-value estimate of the year's bill.
Your actual bill may be lower. Under Amendment 79, a homestead's taxable value can rise only 5% a year after a county-wide reappraisal, so use the assessed value printed on your current bill.
The homestead credit is up to $600 on a homestead for bills collected in 2026. Act 174 of 2026 sets it at $675 on a homestead for assessment year 2026 and later, first reflected on bills collected in 2027. It applies to a principal residence only. Ask the title company which bill year its proration draws on, and check that your credit appears on that bill. Pull the bill before you list, because the proration line starts from it.
How much of my sale price goes to the mortgage payoff?
For the roughly two-thirds of Benton County owner-occupied homes carrying a mortgage, the payoff is usually a major line, and only the lender can state it. In Benton County, 54,123 of 81,629 owner-occupied homes have a mortgage, which is 54,123 / 81,629 = 66.3%. In Washington County, 33,152 of 54,566 do, which is 33,152 / 54,566 = 60.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimate).
The rest own free and clear: 27,506 / 81,629 = 33.7% in Benton County and 21,414 / 54,566 = 39.2% in Washington County. If you are in that group, your payoff line is zero and the sheet above shrinks to four lines.
If you do have a loan, the payoff is the principal balance plus interest accrued through the closing date, so it is not the number on your last statement. Ask your lender for a payoff letter, which states the figure to the day and a per-day amount if closing shifts.
If a buyer asks you to cover costs, add the request to your net sheet before you answer, because any concession comes straight off your net.
Subtract the payoff from the price first, then take the other lines from what is left.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
- Request a written payoff letter from your lender. It replaces the largest guess on your net sheet.
- Calculate your half of the deed tax by rounding your expected price up to the next $1,000, dividing by 1,000 and multiplying by $1.65, as worked through in the deed tax section above.
- Pull your current property tax bill and multiply your assessed value by your total school, city and county mills divided by 1,000. If the home is your principal residence, check that the homestead credit of up to $600 (bills collected in 2026) appears on the bill; the $675 credit under Act 174 of 2026 first reflects on bills collected in 2027.
- Get the commission in writing from each agent you interview, along with a title quote showing the owner's policy, the settlement fee and the tax proration line.
- Call the DFA Miscellaneous Tax Section at 501-682-7187 if you want the deed tax question answered by the state, and make sure your contract says how it is split.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays the Arkansas deed tax when a house sells?
Arkansas law splits the deed tax half and half between seller and buyer unless the contract says otherwise (Ark. Code 26-60-106). DFA refers deed tax questions to its Miscellaneous Tax Section at 501-682-7187. Read the clause before you accept an offer, and confirm the answer with your closing agent.
What is the Arkansas deed tax rate?
Arkansas charges $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration on transfers above $100 (Arkansas DFA, accessed October 23, 2026). To estimate your own tax, round your price up to the next $1,000, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 3.30, as worked through in the deed tax section above. The rate also applies to transfers of mineral rights, so tell your closing agent about any mineral interest.
Does the homestead credit change what I net?
The credit can lower the property tax bill your proration draws on, but only on a principal residence. It is up to $600 on a homestead for bills collected in 2026, and $675 on a homestead for assessment year 2026 and later, first reflected on bills collected in 2027 (Act 174 of 2026). A rental does not qualify. Ask your title company which bill year it uses.
How many Benton and Washington County homeowners have a mortgage?
In Benton County, 66.3% of owner-occupied homes have a mortgage, and in Washington County it is 60.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimate). The remaining 33.7% and 39.2% own free and clear. If your home has a loan, a lender payoff letter is the first document your net sheet needs.
If you are weighing a sale in Benton or Washington County, call Mason Capital Group at 479-925-3333 and we will prepare a pricing and net-proceeds estimate for your property, built from your payoff letter, your tax bill and a title quote, so each line is documented before you list.
About the author: Cameron Torabi, Principal Broker — Mason Capital Group. 30+ years of Northwest Arkansas real estate expertise; $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity.
Figures in this article are drawn from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Real Property Transfer (accessed October 23, 2026); Ark. Code 26-60-105 and 26-60-106; Talk Business & Politics, Skyline Report coverage (first half of 2026, article dated August 21, 2026); the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, tables B25081 and B25003 (2024 1-year estimate); the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division (August 19, 2026); the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (October 23, 2026); the Arkansas DFA Property Tax Relief page (October 23, 2026); and Act 174 of 2026 (October 23, 2026).