§ 03 — Property

The biggest cost most calculators forget.

Stamp duty is the largest one-off cost in any Australian property purchase — and it varies wildly by state. Enter a price, pick a state, and we'll work out the transfer duty plus any first-home-buyer concession.

Updated · Apr 2026·Source: 8 state revenue offices·Read · 6 min

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Property price

State or territory

First home buyerApply exemption or concession if eligible.

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The result

Stamp duty payable · New South Wales

$52,343

Effective rate · 6.16% of property price

Property price: $850,000
Stamp duty: $52,343
Total upfront: $902,343

§ Same price, every state

State / territory	Stamp duty	Effective rate
New South Wales NSW	$52,343	6.16%
Victoria VIC	$42,970	5.06%
Queensland QLD	$31,275	3.68%
Western Australia WA	$34,891	4.10%
South Australia SA	$41,830	4.92%
Tasmania TAS	$36,111	4.25%
Australian Capital Territory ACT	$34,500	4.06%
Northern Territory NT	$60,229	7.09%

Calculations use general residential transfer-duty schedules as of April 2026. They exclude foreign-buyer surcharges, off-the-plan concessions, pensioner discounts, and disability discounts. Always confirm with the relevant state revenue office.

How it's worked out

Every Australian state and territory taxes a property purchase with a "transfer duty" — old-school name: stamp duty. The rate scales with the price, but each state has its own schedule, threshold, and set of concessions for first-home buyers.

On the same $850,000 purchase, the duty bill swings from around $0 in the Northern Territory to roughly $45,000 in Victoria. That's a 5% swing in the upfront cost of buying, just from which capital city you're in.

Two big levers can shrink it: the first home buyer exemption (most states wipe duty entirely up to a threshold), and the off-the-plan concessionin NSW & VIC (you pay duty only on the land value at contract date, not the completed dwelling).

First-home thresholds (2026)

State	Free up to	Concession to
NSW	$800,000	$1,000,000
VIC	$600,000	$750,000
QLD	$500,000	$550,000
WA	$430,000	$530,000
SA	New homes only · check state
TAS	50% concession to $600k
ACT	Income-tested HBCS scheme
NT	No FHB exemption · $10k grant

§ Letters & replies

Stamp duty, answered.

The most common queries about transfer duty across Australia.

Why does it cost so much more in Victoria?+ open

VIC has the highest top marginal rate (6.5% on the slice above $2m) and stops applying its first-home exemption at $600k. NSW abolished it for properties up to $800k, which significantly narrows the gap for entry buyers.

Does this include foreign-buyer surcharges?+ open

No — surcharges apply on top (NSW 9%, VIC 8%, QLD 8%, etc) for foreign purchasers and most temporary visa holders. Australian citizens and permanent residents pay the standard rate shown here.

What about pensioner or off-the-plan discounts?+ open

Most states offer one or both. Off-the-plan in NSW/VIC can dramatically reduce duty since it's calculated on land value at contract date. Pensioner concessions vary — check your state revenue office.

When is stamp duty paid?+ open

Typically at settlement, lumped in with the rest of your conveyancing costs. Some states require it within 30 days of settlement; your conveyancer handles the timing.

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§ 02 — Loan

The biggest cost most calculators forget.

How it's worked out

Stamp duty, answered.

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