Real Estate · Australia

Stamp Duty by State: The $20k–$40k Line on Your Settlement

Transfer duty (stamp duty) is the largest single transaction cost in Australian property — and because each state and territory sets its own scales and concessions, the same $800,000 purchase can cost roughly $20,000 in one state and over $40,000 in another. It's paid in cash at or shortly after settlement and can't be rolled into most loans.

Ballpark duty on a typical home

State	Indicative duty (~$800k established home, non-first-home buyer)
NSW	~$31,000
Victoria	~$43,000 — the steepest scale at this price
Queensland	~$21,000 with the home concession
Western Australia	~$35,000
South Australia	~$37,000
ACT	Lower — duty being phased down under tax reform

Treat these as order-of-magnitude figures: every revenue office publishes an official calculator, scales change at state budgets, and foreign-buyer surcharges (7–8% extra in most states) sit on top where they apply.

First home buyer concessions — the big lever

• NSW: full exemption up to $800,000, concessional rates to $1,000,000 (First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme) — up to ~$31k saved.
• Victoria: exemption up to $600,000, sliding concession to $750,000.
• Queensland: first home concession thresholds lifted to $700,000 (phasing out to $800,000) from mid-2024; new builds treated more generously.
• WA, SA, ACT, TAS, NT: all run their own exemptions or concessions — typically tied to price caps and a 6–12 month live-in requirement.
• Caps bind on the contract price: paying $805,000 instead of $800,000 in NSW as a first-timer doesn't cost $5,000 — it can cost over $30,000 once duty switches on. Negotiate with the threshold in view.

Sources

• Revenue NSW — transfer duty rates; First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme thresholds
• State Revenue Office Victoria — land transfer duty rates and first home buyer exemption
• Queensland Revenue Office — transfer duty estimator and first home concession; WA/SA/ACT revenue offices

Indicative figures as of June 2026 — scales and concession thresholds change at state budgets; always run your state revenue office's official calculator. This is general information, not financial advice (ASIC RG 244).