Cost Guide

1031 Exchange Fees: What Qualified Intermediaries Charge in 2026

The fee on your invoice is the smaller number. The larger one is the interest your sale proceeds earn while the intermediary holds them — and where that money ends up.

The short answer

A standard forward 1031 exchange costs $800 to $1,500 in qualified intermediary fees, and $1,200 to $2,500 once wire, extra-property and rush fees are counted. Reverse and improvement exchanges start near $4,000. Separately, the interest earned on your held funds — often tens of thousands of dollars — is typically kept by the intermediary rather than paid to you.

The Easy1031 Exchange DeskLast reviewed September 1, 2026

What a 1031 exchange costs, by exchange type

Fees scale with structural complexity, not with the value of your property. A forward exchange is the standard case: you sell, the intermediary holds the proceeds, you buy. Reverse and improvement exchanges cost several times more because the intermediary has to form and operate a separate holding entity — an Exchange Accommodation Titleholder — to park title while the transaction plays out.

Typical 1031 exchange fees by exchange type in 2026
Exchange type	Typical industry fee	Easy1031
Forward (delayed) exchange	$800 – $1,500	$0
Reverse exchange	$4,000 – $7,500+	From $4,999
Improvement / construction exchange	$4,000 – $7,500+	From $4,999
Each additional replacement property	$300 – $500	$0
Outgoing wire transfer	$30 – $75 each	$0
Rush / expedited setup	$250 – $500	$0

Third-party figures are typical ranges compiled from publicly discussed pricing, not quotes. Most intermediaries price per transaction — always request written pricing.

The fees that show up after you have signed

The quoted setup fee is rarely the whole invoice. These are the line items that appear later, and each one is worth asking about in writing before you commit:

Per-property fees. The base fee usually covers one relinquished and one replacement property. Identify three replacements under the three-property rule and you may be billed for two extras.
Wire fees. Charged per outbound transfer. A multi-property exchange can involve half a dozen.
Rush fees. Triggered when the exchange is opened close to closing — which is exactly when most investors discover they need an intermediary.
Document and amendment fees. For revised identification notices or changes to the exchange agreement.
Entity formation and carrying costs. On reverse and improvement exchanges, the holding entity has its own setup, filing and sometimes monthly carrying cost.

The cost nobody puts on the invoice

Between your sale closing and your replacement purchase, your proceeds sit in an account controlled by the intermediary for up to 180 days. That balance earns interest. At most qualified intermediaries, the intermediary keeps it.

This is not a rounding error. It is frequently the largest economic term in the entire relationship, and it is almost never quoted:

Estimated interest earned on 1031 exchange funds at a 4% annual yield
Exchange size	Held 90 days	Held 180 days
$1,000,000	~$9,900	~$19,700
$2,000,000	~$19,700	~$39,500
$5,000,000	~$49,300	~$98,600
$10,000,000	~$98,600	~$197,300

Illustrative only, at a 4.0% annual yield. Actual yields move with short-term rates.

Set against that, arguing over a $1,200 setup fee is the wrong fight. The question to put to any intermediary is simple: what happens to the interest earned on my funds while you hold them? If the answer is vague, you have learned something important.

How Easy1031 prices an exchange

Easy1031 inverts the model. There is no fee on a standard forward exchange, and a share of the interest earned on your funds is paid to you, tiered by the size of the exchange:

Easy1031 interest share rates by net proceeds
Net proceeds from sale	Interest share paid to you
Under $1,000,000	—
$1,000,000 – $1,499,999	0.50%
$1,500,000 – $1,999,999	0.75%
$2,000,000 – $2,999,999	1.00%
$3,000,000 – $3,999,999	1.25%
$4,000,000 – $4,999,999	1.50%
$5,000,000 and above	2.00%

Below $1,000,000 in net proceeds the benefit is the $0 fee alone; interest sharing begins at the $1M tier. Reverse and improvement exchanges are priced separately, starting at $4,999, because they require a holding entity and materially more work.

Five pricing questions to ask before you sign

What is the all-in fee for my exchange, including wires, additional properties and any rush charge?
What happens to the interest earned on my funds while you hold them, and is that stated in the exchange agreement?
Are my funds held in a segregated account or commingled with other clients’ funds?
Which bank holds the funds, and how much FDIC insurance applies to my balance?
What are your fidelity bond and errors & omissions limits?

Get the answers in writing. An intermediary that will not put the interest treatment in the exchange agreement is telling you where its revenue comes from.

Fees at a glance

Forward exchange (industry): $800 – $1,500
Forward exchange (Easy1031): $0
Reverse / improvement: From $4,999
Wire fee: $30 – $75 each
Extra property fee: $300 – $500
Interest on your funds: 0.50% – 2.00% shared

What your exchange really costs

Net proceeds from your sale$3,500,000

Days funds are held60 days

A forward exchange runs up to 180 days from your closing.

A conventional QI

−$1,999

Typical fee paid, and the interest on your funds kept by the intermediary.

Easy1031

+$7,192

$0 fee, plus a 1.25% interest share on funds held.

Difference on this exchange$9,191

Start Your Exchange

Estimate only. Assumes a standard forward exchange, the $1,999 figure representing a typical intermediary fee, and Easy1031’s published interest-share tiers. Your actual figures depend on rates at the time of your exchange.

Cost Questions

1031 exchange fee FAQs

How much does a 1031 exchange cost in 2026?

A standard forward 1031 exchange typically costs $800 to $1,500 in qualified intermediary fees. Add-on charges commonly push the total to $1,200–$2,500: wire fees of $30–$75 per transfer, $300–$500 for each replacement property beyond the first, and rush fees when an exchange opens within days of closing. Reverse and improvement exchanges start around $4,000 and often run $5,000–$7,500 because they require a separate holding entity.

Why do 1031 exchange fees vary so much?

Three things drive the spread: the complexity of the structure, whether the intermediary is a national title-company subsidiary or a boutique firm, and how much of its revenue comes from interest on held funds rather than fees. An intermediary earning meaningfully on float can afford to quote a lower fee — or, as with Easy1031, no fee at all.

What is the interest on 1031 exchange funds worth?

Your sale proceeds sit with the intermediary for up to 180 days. At a 4% money-market yield, $2 million held for 150 days earns roughly $32,000, and $5 million held the full 180 days earns roughly $98,000. At most intermediaries that interest is retained as company revenue, which makes it a far larger cost to the investor than the visible fee.

Are 1031 exchange fees tax deductible?

Qualified intermediary fees are generally treated as exchange expenses that reduce the amount realized on the sale, rather than as a separately deductible expense. That treatment usually lowers recognized gain or boot rather than producing a deduction. Confirm the specifics with your CPA, as it depends on how your exchange is structured.

Can I negotiate a 1031 exchange fee?

Often, yes — particularly on larger exchanges or when you are bringing repeat volume. The more useful lever is to ask what happens to the interest on your funds. On a seven-figure exchange, negotiating the fee down by a few hundred dollars matters far less than whether tens of thousands in interest comes back to you.

Is a no-fee 1031 exchange legitimate?

It is, provided you understand the economics. A qualified intermediary earns revenue on the funds it holds. A no-fee intermediary is simply choosing to fund its business from that spread rather than from a setup charge. The questions that matter are the same either way: are the funds segregated, which bank holds them, how much FDIC insurance applies, and what bond and E&O coverage stands behind the exchange.

Zero fees, shared interest

Stop paying to have your own money held

Easy1031 charges $0 on standard forward exchanges and pays you a share of the interest your funds earn.