Free Tool · All Australian States
Stamp Duty Calculator
Instantly calculate stamp duty for any Australian state — NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT.
Instantly calculate stamp duty for any Australian state — NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT.
Queensland has a concessional owner-occupier (home) rate — other states charge the same transfer duty either way.
Last reviewed 12 July 2026 · rates and thresholds verified against official FY2026-27 sources.
Stamp duty — known more formally as transfer duty or conveyancing duty — is a tax that each state and territory government charges when ownership of land or property changes hands. It is almost always the single largest upfront cost of buying a home in Australia after the deposit itself, and unlike the deposit it is money you never get back. On a typical capital-city purchase it can run to tens of thousands of dollars, which is why it deserves careful planning rather than a last-minute surprise at settlement.
Because property taxation falls to the states under the Australian Constitution, there is no single national stamp duty rate. New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory each set their own brackets, thresholds and concessions, and each runs its own revenue office. The same $650,000 purchase can attract a noticeably different duty bill depending on which side of a state border the property sits — which is exactly what the cross-state comparison table in this tool is designed to show.
Every state uses a progressive bracket system rather than a single flat percentage. The dutiable value (usually the purchase price, or the property's market value if that is higher) is split across bands, and a different marginal rate applies to each band. In practice the published schedules express this as a fixed dollar amount for the bracket plus a marginal rate on the portion of the price above the bracket's lower threshold. The plain-English formula is:
This calculator then layers on the things that change the headline figure. If you tick first home buyer, it applies the relevant exemption or concession for your selected state. If you tick foreign buyer, it adds the additional foreign purchaser surcharge (calculated as a flat percentage of the property value, on top of the standard duty). It also reports the effective rate — total duty divided by purchase price — which is the most honest way to compare states, because a "5.5% top bracket" only applies to the slice of price in that band, not the whole purchase. Finally it estimates the other unavoidable upfront costs: loan-to-value ratio (LVR), lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) where your deposit is under 20%, title office registration fees and conveyancing or legal costs.
The figures below describe the general structure of each jurisdiction's residential transfer duty. Rates, thresholds and concession caps are reviewed periodically and indexed in some states, so always confirm the current numbers with the relevant revenue office before you commit.
Tiered brackets rising to around 5.5% on higher-value homes, with a premium rate on very expensive property. First home buyers can receive a full exemption below a set threshold and a sliding concession above it. A foreign purchaser surcharge applies. Administered by Revenue NSW.
Brackets rising to around 6.5% at the top end. First home buyer exemptions and concessions apply up to set thresholds, alongside a separate First Home Owner Grant for eligible new builds. A foreign purchaser additional duty applies. Administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria.
Brackets administered by the Queensland Revenue Office, with a separate concessional "home" rate for owner-occupiers and additional first home buyer relief below set thresholds. A foreign acquirer duty (AFAD) surcharge applies. Use our dedicated QLD stamp duty calculator →
Progressive brackets administered by RevenueSA. South Australia abolished stamp duty on eligible first home buyer purchases of new homes and vacant land (subject to eligibility conditions) — a more generous position than most states for that specific cohort. Confirm the current eligibility rules and any value limits with RevenueSA. A foreign ownership surcharge applies.
A general rate plus a separate concessional residential and first home owner rate, administered by RevenueWA. First home buyers benefit from exemption and concession thresholds. A foreign buyer surcharge applies.
Progressive brackets administered by the State Revenue Office Tasmania, with pensioner concessions within value limits. The former first home buyer duty exemption on established homes up to $750,000 expired on 30 June 2026 and was not extended — transactions settling after that date pay full standard duty. Tasmania also levies an 8% Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge on residential property acquired by foreign persons.
The ACT is progressively phasing down conveyance duty as part of a long-term tax reform, and operates a "Home Buyer Concession Scheme" that from 1 July 2026 has no income test and no property value limit — eligible buyers (no property owned in the previous five years, at least one year's occupancy) pay no conveyance duty at any price. Administered by the ACT Revenue Office.
Generally among the lower duty schedules, administered by the Territory Revenue Office, with house-and-land and first home buyer concessions available. A foreign buyer surcharge applies.
Assumptions: a $650,000 established residential dwelling in New South Wales, bought by an owner-occupier who is not a first home buyer and not a foreign person, with a 20% deposit ($130,000) and a $520,000 loan.
Because the buyer is neither a first home buyer nor foreign, no concession and no surcharge apply, so the calculator runs the standard NSW bracket formula on the $650,000 dutiable value. As a rough order of magnitude this produces transfer duty in the region of $23,000–$24,000 under the FY 2026-27 brackets, an effective rate of roughly 3.5%–3.7% of the purchase price. The all-in price (property plus duty) is therefore around $673,500 before other costs.
Now change one assumption — the same buyer is an eligible first home buyer. NSW first home buyer relief can reduce that duty bill to nil or to a small concessional amount, depending on the price and the threshold in force, potentially saving the full ~$23,400. Change a different assumption — the buyer is a foreign person — and an additional surcharge (a flat percentage of the $650,000 value, commonly in the 7%–9% range, e.g. NSW 9%) is added on top of the standard duty, which can add tens of thousands of dollars. These are illustrative ranges to show how the levers interact; enter your own state and price above for a precise estimate.
This tool gives you a fast, good-faith estimate of transfer duty, any foreign surcharge, your effective rate and the major associated upfront costs, so you can compare states and sanity-check your buying budget. It is general information, not personal financial or taxation advice.
It does not calculate every concession permutation — pensioner concessions, off-the-plan dutiable-value reductions, deceased-estate and family-transfer exemptions, primary-production land rules, and other scheme-specific eligibility tests are beyond a single price-based calculator. It also does not include the First Home Owner Grant (a separate cash grant, not a duty reduction), ongoing land tax, or council rates. Registration and conveyancing figures are indicative averages and vary by transaction. Always obtain a formal duty assessment from the relevant state revenue office and a quote from your conveyancer or solicitor before settlement.
In most states duty is payable at or shortly after settlement, and many revenue offices require it within around 30 days of the liability arising (often the contract date). Your conveyancer or solicitor usually arranges payment as part of settlement. Some jurisdictions allow first home buyers to defer in limited circumstances. Confirm the deadline for your state to avoid penalty interest.
Not directly — lenders generally lend against the property's value, and duty is treated as a cost you fund yourself. In practice some buyers borrow a little more (a higher LVR) to free up cash for duty, but that can push you over 80% LVR and trigger lenders mortgage insurance, so the saving is rarely free. Moneysmart (moneysmart.gov.au) has neutral guidance on upfront buying costs.
No. Relief is capped by price (and sometimes income), and it usually only applies if the home is your principal place of residence and you meet residency and prior-ownership conditions. Above the full-exemption threshold you typically get a reducing concession rather than a complete waiver, and once you pass the concession ceiling you pay the standard rate.
Because each state sets its own brackets, thresholds, concessions and surcharges independently. There is no national harmonisation, so the only reliable way to compare is to run your exact price through each jurisdiction — which is what the "same purchase in every state" table above does.
For authoritative, current figures, go straight to your state or territory revenue office — Revenue NSW, the State Revenue Office Victoria, the Queensland Revenue Office, RevenueSA, RevenueWA, the State Revenue Office Tasmania, the ACT Revenue Office and the Territory Revenue Office. For independent, plain-English guidance on the costs of buying a home, the Australian Government's Moneysmart site (run by ASIC) is a good starting point.