How is stamp duty calculated in Australia?

Stamp duty is calculated using a progressive bracket system — similar to income tax. You pay a base amount for your price bracket, plus a marginal rate on the portion above the bracket minimum. For example, in NSW at $800,000 (2026/27 rates) the duty is $11,602 (base) plus 4.5% of the amount over $387,000. The Northern Territory uses a quadratic formula instead of brackets for purchases up to $525,000.

Which Australian state has the lowest stamp duty?

Queensland and ACT generally have lower stamp duty than NSW and VIC at most price points. At $800,000: ACT $22,158, QLD $29,025, NSW $30,187, WA $28,453, TAS $31,185, SA $38,730, VIC $43,070. Rates change frequently — use GetReal's stamp duty calculator for current figures.

Do first home buyers get stamp duty concessions in Australia?

Yes. Most states offer first home buyer stamp duty relief. NSW exempts FHBs below $800,000 and tapers to $1,000,000. VIC exempts below $600,000, tapers to $750,000. QLD exempts below $700,000 (raised June 2024), tapers to $800,000. WA exempts below $450,000, tapers to $600,000. ACT has an income-tested full exemption. SA offers no duty concession (grant only). TAS: the 50% FHB concession expired 30 June 2026 — no current concession. NT gives an $18,601 rebate.

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GetReal — Methodology

Stamp duty

v1.1 — updated September 2026 (NSW 2026/27 brackets, ACT 2025 OO rates, QLD FHB threshold, TAS FHB expiry)

Stamp duty (transfer duty) is a state and territory tax on property purchases. Every state uses a progressive bracket system. GetReal calculates it from bracket tables sourced directly from each state revenue office, stored in the stamp_duty_brackets Supabase table.

Stamp duty is one of the largest upfront costs in a property purchase. It comes directly out of your savings before deposit — which is why it matters so much to the deposit ceiling. A $31,090 stamp duty bill on an $800,000 NSW purchase is $31,090 that can't become deposit.

General formula (all states except NT)

Duty = base_amount_for_bracket + (purchase_price − bracket_min) × marginal_rate // VIC owner-occupier ≤$550k: PPR rate schedule applies (lower) // VIC $960k–$2M: is_full_price=true (rate applies to full price, not margin)

NT — quadratic formula

// Where V = purchase_price ÷ 1000 Duty = (0.06571441 × V² + 15 × V) ÷ 1000 // up to $525,000 Duty = purchase_price × 0.0545 // above $525,000

Stamp duty by state — standard, non-FHB, established property

State	$500k	$800k	$1.0M	$1.5M
NSW	$16,687	$30,187	$39,187	$63,787
VIC (standard)	$21,970	$43,070	$55,000	$82,500
VIC (owner-occ ≤$550k)	$5,765	$43,070	$55,000	$82,500
QLD	$15,925	$29,025	$38,025	$66,775
WA	$17,765	$28,453	$37,453	$63,453
SA	$21,330	$38,730	$50,730	$81,730
TAS	$18,248	$31,185	$40,185	$62,685
ACT	$8,408	$22,158	$33,958	$68,100
NT	$23,929	$38,422	$49,007	$82,543

Approximate figures. Use the stamp duty calculator for precise results.

First home buyer concessions

State	FHB exemption threshold	Taper / detail
NSW	$800,000	Tapers to $1,000,000
VIC	$600,000	Tapers to $750,000
QLD	$700,000	Tapers to $800,000
WA	$450,000	Tapers to $600,000
SA	No duty concession	Grant only ($15,000)
TAS	No current concession	50% discount expired 30 Jun 2026 — full duty from 1 Jul 2026
ACT	Full exemption	Income-tested (Home Buyer Concession Scheme)
NT	$18,601 rebate	Phaseout starts $650k, ends $723k

Government registration fees

In addition to stamp duty, buyers pay registration fees to record the title transfer and mortgage at the state land titles registry. GetReal's API returns both as registration_fees (combined total). Two sub-components: a title transfer fee (scales with price in VIC, QLD, SA) and a flat mortgage registration fee.

State	Registry authority	Reg fees at $750k	Source
NSW	NSW Land Registry Services	~$183	nswlrs.com.au/fees
VIC	Land Use Victoria	~$1,859	land.vic.gov.au
QLD	Titles Queensland	~$2,978	titlesqld.com.au
WA	Landgate	~$214	landgate.wa.gov.au
SA	SA Land Services	~$7,703	sa.gov.au
ACT	Access Canberra	~$440	revenue.act.gov.au
TAS	Land Tasmania	~$240	thelist.tas.gov.au
NT	NT Land Titles Office	~$181	nt.gov.au

Registration fees are sourced from each state land registry and are estimated. Transfer fees scale with price in VIC, QLD, and SA. NSW figures are current as at the rate schedule; all others are estimated and should be verified with the relevant authority. Fees exclude GST where applicable.

Official rate sources by state

State	Stamp duty source	Last verified
NSW	Revenue NSW — Transfer Duty	Jul 2026 (annual CPI index)
VIC	State Revenue Office Victoria	Aug 2026
QLD	Queensland Revenue Office	Jun 2024 (FHB threshold raised)
WA	WA Revenue — Transfer Duty	Aug 2026
SA	RevenueSA	Aug 2026
ACT	ACT Revenue Office	Jul 2025 (OO rates DI2025-145)
TAS	State Revenue Office Tasmania	Sep 2026 (FHB expiry confirmed)
NT	Territory Revenue Office NT	Aug 2026

→ Use the stamp duty calculator