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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yes, stamp duty is still payable on off-the-plan property, but keep in mind there are concessions and exemptions available in different states.
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.
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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Everything you need to know about stamp duty in the NT and how it’s calculated.
Here’s everything you need to know about stamp duty in South Australia and how it’s calculated.
Everything you need to know about stamp duty in Tasmania and how it’s calculated.
Everything you need to know about stamp duty in Queensland and how it’s calculated.
Everything you need to know about stamp duty in the ACT and how it’s calculated.
Everything you need to know about how much stamp duty you'll pay when you buy a home in Western Australia.
Your complete guide to stamp duty in Victoria, including new discounts that could save homebuyers up to $27,500.
Stamp duty is just one of the many costs associated with property ownership. Learn everything you need to know about transfer duty in NSW.
Hi ,
We bought a property in ACT in Late December 2016. They say stamp duty paid is immediately deductible during the first year for properties in ACT (due to all properties in ACT being leasehold not freehold)
After buying the home we immediately moved in and started renting part of the house. We have been renting for 6 months (until 30 June 2017)
If the area of the house I rented is 25%
Can I
A. claim a full deduction of Stamp Duty at 30 June 2017
B. Claim a deduction for 25% of the stamp duty paid
C. Claim a deduction for 25% of the stamp duty X 50% (for only renting for half of the year)?
Appreciate anyone’s thoughts on this
Hello Chin,
Thank you for your inquiry.
It is unclear as to why would you rent a part of your own home, unless you mean renting it out? Please be advised that as per ATO’s Rental Property Guide 2013 page 7, “If you use your property for both private and assessable income-producing purposes, you cannot claim a deduction for the portion of any expenditure that relates to your private use. Examples of properties you may use for both private and income-producing purposes are holiday homes and time-share units. In cases such as these, you cannot claim a deduction for any expenditure incurred for those periods when the home or unit was used by you, your relatives, or your friends for private purposes.”
If you use your property for both private and income-producing purposes, you can only claim a deduction for the portion of any expenditure that relates to the income-producing use. Generally, apportion your expenses on a floor-area basis – that is, based on the area solely occupied by the tenant, together with a reasonable figure for their access to the general living areas, including garage and outdoor areas if applicable. Using your example above and assuming this was meant to be renting out, Answer C is applicable for you.
You may refer this matter to ATO or to a tax accountant for further review.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
Hi, I bought a property before I got married. If my husband buys a property under his name only under $650,000, does he still need to pay stamp duty as first home buyer in NSW?
Hello Diana,
Thank you for your inquiry today.
Exemptions on transfer duty are applicable on new and existing homes valued up to $650,000 and a vacant block of residential land valued at up to $350,000.
Please make sure you review the First Home Buyers Assistance scheme (FHBAS) eligibility requirements. You can use the Revenue NSW calculators to have an estimate.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
I’m intending on purchasing an active farming enterprise in Victoria valued at $1.2 million. The sale is “walk in walk out” & includes land of 100 acres, 5 acre vineyard, residence, sheds, cattle yards, livestock & plant & equipment. The farm equipment, wine making equipment, motor vehicles & livestock are valued at around $50,000 (from the depreciation schedule). I appreciate that I will need to pay stamp duty on the land, residence, buildings, vineyard & fittings but are the livestock & plant & equipment subject to stamp duty ? Can I separate these items out from the land purchase & purchase them separately. If so I assume that they would be subject to gst.
Hello Michael,
Thank you for your inquiry today.
A conveyance of Qualifying Land for consideration together with a conveyance of other property that cannot be stamped such as:
ï‚· Chattels;
ï‚· Livestock;
ï‚· Plant & equipment;
ï‚· Stock;
ï‚· Water licence;
ï‚· Goodwill or
ï‚· Intellectual property
If the farmer sells livestock and plant and equipment all separately, they are subject to GST if the seller is registered. Please refer to the Stamp Duty Document Guide for more details.
You can discuss this with a tax expert for further assistance or to your local tax office.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
Hi. If I buy an investment property before my first home, will I still be eligible for first home concessions after?
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for your question.
This will depend on the location where you are planning to buy a property as applicable exemptions and concessions vary between states and territories. If you intend to purchase a property in Queensland, you won’t be eligible for first home concession. Queensland government requires that in order to claim first home concession, you should have never held an interest in residential land anywhere in the world.
You may also refer to our guide here on FHOG eligibility after acquiring an investment property.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Liezl
If i am being bought out of a business (business is set up as 2 trusts and it a family trust) will i need to pay stamp duty when exiting? The person buying me out is already part ownership with me and is just buying my half?
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for getting in touch with finder.com.au. Please note that we are a leading financial comparison site and general information service and we’re more than delighted to offer general advice to answer your question
Generally, when selling, closing or changing a business, the tax implication will vary. The tax that you may be charged is GST or capital gains tax on some of the business assets you sell, like land, buildings and intangible assets like patents, licences or goodwill. So you’d be best to check your state or territory government if they have any special requirements and work with your tax adviser/accountant to address the taxation issues of an exit strategy to minimise risks.
Cheers,
May