What stamp duty is
Stamp duty, called transfer duty or land transfer duty in most states and conveyance duty in the ACT, is a state tax on buying property. It is usually the largest cost of buying after the deposit: on a $750,000 home it ranges from nothing (for many first home buyers) to over $40,000 depending on the state. The buyer pays it, normally at settlement, through their conveyancer or solicitor.
How duty is worked out
Duty is charged on the dutiable value: usually the price, or the market value if that is higher (for example a transfer between family members). Each state publishes a sliding scale of brackets. Within a bracket, you pay a fixed amount for the value up to the bracket's lower limit, plus a percentage of the amount above it. Several states charge "per $100 or part of $100", which rounds the excess up to the next $100. The calculator shows the bracket it used and the arithmetic, so you can check it against the revenue office's own figures.
Concessions then reduce the duty: full exemptions up to a price limit, phase-outs that taper the saving to nil, lower rates for owner-occupiers, or a fixed reduction. Each has conditions, usually about living in the property and not having owned one before; the calculator asks them as yes/no questions.
First home buyers by state
| State | Established home | New home | Vacant land |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Nil to $800,000, reduced to $1m | Same | Nil to $350,000, reduced to $450,000 |
| VIC | Nil to $600,000, reduced to $750,000 | Same | Same |
| QLD | Nil to $700,000, reduced to $800,000 | Nil, no cap | Nil, no cap |
| WA | Nil to $600,000, reduced to $800,000 | Same | Nil to $450,000, reduced to $550,000 |
| SA | Full duty | Nil, no cap | Nil, no cap |
| TAS | Full duty (exemption ended 30 June 2026) | Full duty | Full duty |
| ACT | Nil if eligible, no cap | Nil if eligible | Nil if eligible |
| NT | Full duty | Full duty (grant $50,000) | Full duty |
Conditions apply everywhere, usually living in the home for 6 to 12 months and never having owned a home. Grants for new homes are separate from duty. See first home buyer stamp duty by state.
Foreign purchasers
Every state except the ACT and the NT charges foreign purchasers an extra percentage on residential property: 9% in NSW, 8% in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, and 7% in WA and SA. It is charged on top of normal duty and is not reduced by first home concessions. See foreign buyer surcharges.
Government fees
Registering the transfer at the land titles office costs from a fixed $166 to $496 in some states to several thousand dollars in Queensland and South Australia, where the fee rises with the price. Registering a mortgage costs a further fixed fee. The calculator includes both. Lenders mortgage insurance is not included: ask your lender.
When it's due
Most states require duty within 30 days to 3 months of the contract or settlement, and in practice it is paid at settlement. Your conveyancer lodges the transfer and pays the duty from your funds.
Ways people legitimately pay less duty
- Check every concession. Owner-occupier rates (Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and WA for cheaper homes), first home concessions, pensioner and seniors schemes, and off-the-plan concessions can each save thousands. Answer the calculator's questions honestly.
- Mind the thresholds. Duty can jump by tens of thousands of dollars just above a first home buyer limit. The chart under the result shows where the jumps are for your situation.
- New versus established. In Queensland and South Australia, first home buyers pay nothing on a new home or land but full or reduced duty on an established home.
- Contract date. Rules change at budgets and on 1 July; the calculator uses the rules for your contract or settlement date.
Don't structure a purchase only to avoid duty: revenue offices reassess duty, with interest and penalties, when the conditions of a concession aren't met.
Using this calculator
Choose the state, enter the price, the property type and who is buying. The result shows duty at general rates, the concession that applies (the best one if several could), the duty payable, any foreign surcharge, the registration fees and the total. Below it, "How this was calculated" lists every step with the bracket used. The comparison table runs the same purchase in all eight jurisdictions, assuming the concession conditions are met. Copy the result as text, download it as a PDF, or copy a link that reopens the calculation. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Registration fees by state (2026-27)
| State | Transfer | Mortgage |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $182.73 including GST | $182.73 |
| VIC | $114.80 plus $2.34 per whole $1,000, up to $3,624 (unverified) | $129.20 (unverified) |
| QLD | $248.04 plus $46.56 per $10,000 over $180,000 | $248.04 |
| WA | From $225.10, plus $20 per $100,000 band over $200,000 | $225.10 |
| SA | $204 to $353, plus $105 per $10,000 over $50,000 | $204 |
| TAS | $256.76 | $167.58 |
| ACT | $496 | $184 |
| NT | $181 | $181 |
These are paid to the land titles office when your conveyancer lodges the transfer and the mortgage. They apply whether or not you pay duty, so even a first home buyer with a full exemption pays them. In Queensland and South Australia the transfer fee rises with the price and can exceed $2,000 on an average home.