How first home concessions work
Most states give first home buyers a full exemption up to a price threshold and a reduced amount above it, tapering to full duty at an upper limit. A few go further: Queensland and South Australia charge nothing on new homes and vacant land for first home buyers, with no price cap, and the ACT's Home Buyer Concession Scheme has had no price cap or income test since 1 July 2026. Tasmania's exemption for established homes ended on 30 June 2026, and the Northern Territory's concessions ended for contracts after June 2021, so first home buyers there pay full duty but may get a grant for a new home.
Above the upper limit, you pay full duty: there is no partial saving. Around the thresholds the "duty around this price" chart shows the jump. A $10,000 difference in price can mean a five-figure difference in duty, which is worth knowing when negotiating.
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.
Grants
First home owner grants are separate from duty. They are generally only for new homes and are paid at settlement or when building starts: $50,000 in the NT (HomeGrown Territory), $30,000 in Queensland, $20,000 in Tasmania, $15,000 in SA, and $10,000 in NSW, Victoria and WA, each with its own value caps. The ACT has no grant. The calculator shows the grant below the duty.
Conditions to check
- Never owned: you and your partner must not have owned residential property, in some states anywhere in the world.
- Residency: usually at least one buyer must be a citizen or permanent resident; from 1 August 2026 Queensland requires every buyer to be.
- Living there: move in within 12 months and stay for 6 or 12 months.
- Age: 18 or over, in most states.
Untick any condition you don't meet in the calculator and it shows the duty without the concession.
State by state
- NSW: no duty on a first home up to $800,000, reduced up to $1,000,000; vacant land nil to $350,000, reduced to $450,000. The $10,000 grant is for new homes up to $600,000.
- Victoria: no duty up to $600,000, proportional duty up to $750,000, for homes and land; $10,000 grant for new homes up to $750,000.
- Queensland: established homes nil to $700,000, tapering to $800,000; new homes and vacant land nil with no cap since 1 May 2025; $30,000 grant for new homes under $750,000.
- WA: since 7 May 2026, homes nil to $600,000 then $16.15 per $100 to $800,000; land nil to $450,000 then $20.14 per $100 to $550,000; $10,000 grant for new homes.
- SA: new homes, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land nil with no cap; established homes full duty; $15,000 grant for new homes.
- Tasmania: no first home concession for settlements after 30 June 2026; $20,000 grant for new homes in 2026-27.
- ACT: Home Buyer Concession Scheme: nil duty for eligible buyers with no cap or income test since 1 July 2026.
- NT: no first home duty concession; $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant for new homes.
Each state page has the full rules, three worked examples and the official sources. Figures are as checked on the date shown in the sources section.
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.
Price thresholds and negotiating
Because concessions stop at a price limit, the duty on a home just above the limit can be far higher than one just below it. In NSW, a first home at $1,000,000 attracts full duty of about $39,187, while one at $800,000 attracts none. If you're bidding near a threshold, run both prices in the calculator so you know what an extra $10,000 on the price really costs.