Stamp duty is one of the biggest costs you'll pay when buying property in Australia. Stamp duty is a form of tax charged by the state government, and it applies when you buy a property, but not when you sell. Our stamp duty calculator can help you work out how much stamp duty you'll pay when buying a home or investment property.
Luckily, first home buyers in most states and territories can qualify for one-off discounts or concessions, depending on the type of property you buy and the purchase price.
Stamp duty calculator
To use this calculator select your state or territory, enter the value of your property (the full value, not your loan amount), choose the type of purchase (home to live in, investment or land) and select yes or no if you're a first home buyer or not.
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Stamp duty exemptions and concessions by state/territory
Your stamp duty cost varies depending on where you live. Governments update these costs every few years, depending on state budgets and tax policy.
Click your state or territory below to find out about stamp duty exemptions.
Your stamp duty is determined by several factors beyond where you live. These are:
- The cost of the property. The more you pay for your property the higher your stamp duty cost will be.
- Whether you're a first home buyer. If you've never owned a property before then you may quality for a concession (discount) on your stamp duty or even a full exemption. Pensioners and seniors may also qualify for a discount or exemption.
- The type of home you buy. The amount of stamp duty that you will be charged may depend on the type of property you purchase, with concessions or exemptions for buying new or off-the-plan properties.
What is stamp duty?
Stamp duty in Australia is a state/territory level tax levied on large transactions such as property purchases, cars or other assets. Historically, stamp duty was levied on the signing of various legal documents, hence the word stamp. Stamp duty is sometimes referred to as transfer duty.
How do I pay my stamp duty?
Many buyers pay stamp duty at settlement. Depending on your state or territory, it may be due on settlement day, and in other states you have around 30 days from settlement to organise the payment.
Your lawyer or conveyancer can help you with the logistics of paying stamp duty and will advise you of deadlines. Your conveyancer can also help you organise your paperwork when applying for a concession or exemption.
Can I borrow stamp duty with my loan?
Depending on your borrowing power and the size of your deposit, you may be able to have the amount of stamp duty added to your loan. This is known as having your stamp duty capitalised into the principal of the loan.
This means you are borrowing the money to pay stamp duty, so you'll pay interest on that amount for 30 years.
Keep in mind that this may increase your loan to value (LVR) ratio, which could require you to pay a higher Lenders Mortgage Insurance premium, if your loan is above 80% of the property's overall value.
Stamp duty in unique cases
Do I have to pay stamp duty on vacant land?
All transfers of land come with these costs, which you see by using the stamp duty calculator above. The exception to this is through the various concessions and exemptions available from each state, particularly for first home buyers.
Do I have to pay stamp duty on off-the-plan property?
Yes, stamp duty is still payable on off-the-plan property, but keep in mind there are concessions and exemptions available in different states.
Do I have to pay stamp duty on a loan I am refinancing?
In most cases you will have to pay stamp duty again even if you are refinancing. However, there are situations in which you can avoid paying stamp duty. For example, if the names of the borrowers are the same and the amount of the loan is the same, there might be a chance you could avoid paying stamp duty. In some cases, you might also have to refinance with the same lender to avoid this cost.
If you're borrowing more when refinancing (say, a home loan top up) you may have to pay stamp duty on any amount above the original loan.
Note that in some situations you may have to pay the fees but you can then apply for a refund from the lender. Thus, it pays to make sure you do your research before deciding to refinance because any savings you incur from a lower rate might be completely obliterated if you have to pay stamp duty again. In this case, refinancing may simply not be worth the hassle.
Divorce and stamp duty
Stamp duty isn’t payable if one of you is transferring the title to a home or land to another. However, you can only save on stamp duty if the transfer is done so you can obey a court order. The court must be able to know what assets are owned by each of the parties. This includes all of your assets like land, bank accounts and superannuation. It may be necessary to hire an expert to value an asset.
It’s important to know that parenting is seen as a very important contribution. If the marriage has been a long one, it is often seen as equal to financial contributions. Usually, the court gives the party whose financial future is not as good as the other some extra part of the property owned by the parties.
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Ask a question
my husband has been made bankrupt. I have not worked full time since a back injury in 2008
therefor my son has offered to pay out the mortgage( 45K and the bankruptcy 75k) the bank wants his name put on the title which i agree with as my husband is financially incompetent and this would stop this situation repeating and leave me homeless. Son would be borrowing $120K which hopefully I can repay. House is valued at approx $380k does he stamp duty on his share ( 120) or all? once debt to him is cleared property would be mine again.
Hi Confused,
Thanks for your question.
If you’re transferring property to a family member, generally the person obtaining the property is required to pay stamp duty. The amount he is required to pay depends on the value of the property, so it’s likely that he’ll need to pay the full amount.
Cheers,
Shirley
So even though were only buying out a share of it , we have to pay stamp duty for the full property price?
Seems unfair , no win for the ones left with the fall out!
Doesn’t seem that different a situation than Joes except my son will buy my husbands share of our house!
Hello, My brother and I have recently inherited a house in Victoria valued at approximately 500,000k, I plan to buy him out for 250,000k. Can you please advise if I have to pay stamp duty when I buy his share of the house? Thanks
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for your question.
This will depend on a few different factors, such as whether this property will be your primary place of residence. Your question may be better directed to the State Revenue Office of Victoria directly.
Hope this has helped.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Do you pay stamp duty on rural produce property in WA
Hi Malcolm,
Thanks for your question.
Yes you will need to pay stamp duty on a rural property purchase on WA.
Hope this has helped.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Hi We have purchased an off-the-plan property on 4 people’s name in our family.
nearly 11 months has passed since we booked the property and it is estimated it will take another 6-7 months before it is complete.
Stamp Duty is not yet paid and we are planning to pay it in couple of months time as off-the-plan stamp Duty needs to be paid before 15 months of the signing of the contract.
However now we want to remove 2 names in the property as their financials are bit weak and bank told us that it will be easier to finance on only 2 particular names.
My Question is can we remove 2 names from the purchase contract without any stamp duty implications ? (as mentioned stamp duty is not paid yet)
Hi RK,
Thanks for your question.
To our understanding there won’t be any stamp duty implications, as stamp duty generally depends on the value of the property/land. Please confirm this with your local Office of State Revenue, as it is dependent on which state you in live in.
There could be some legal fees involved in removing the titles of the property, but your lender will be able to advise on those.
Cheers,
Shirley
In Victoria, when I buy a new house and land package, what am I paying stamp duty on – the total cost of the house and land or just on the land?
Hi Peter,
thanks for the question.
Victorian stamp duty is based on the market value of the property or the purchase price – whichever is greater.
I hope this helps,
Marc.
Hi Peter,
thanks for the question.
Victorian stamp duty is based on the market value of the property of the purchase price – whichever is greater.
I hope this helps,
Marc.