Work out the stamp duty before you sign

Transfer duty by state, first home buyer limits, and a footnote on every figure showing where it came from.

Schedule 1

Transfer duty, worked example

Jurisdiction: New South Wales
Purchase price: $750,000
Duty at general rates: $27,937 ¹
If a first home buyer who lives in it: $0 ²

Revenue NSW rates for 2026/2027. Checked 12 September 2026.

First home buyer relief, state by state

Eight jurisdictions, eight sets of rules, and they keep moving. Tasmania's exemption for established homes closed for settlements after 30 June 2026. Western Australia lifted its thresholds in May, and the ACT dropped its price cap on 1 July. Here is what each revenue office publishes today.

First home buyer relief on a home, by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction	No duty up to	Reduced duty	What else to know
New South Wales	$800,000²	Below $1,000,000³	New or existing homes. Vacant land has lower limits.
Victoria	$600,000⁸	To $750,000⁹	Sliding scale in the concession band.
Queensland	$700,000¹⁴	Below $800,000¹⁵	Brand-new homes and land to build on: no duty, no value cap¹⁶
South Australia	See note	See note	Relief for new homes and land to build on, no value cap (new homes and land)¹⁷
Western Australia	$600,000¹⁸	To $800,000	New and established homes, from 7 May 2026.
Tasmania	See note	See note	Established homes exemption ended 30 June 2026¹⁹ for settlements.
Australian Capital Territory	No price cap	See note	Home Buyer Concession Scheme: no duty, no price cap²⁰, eligibility rules apply.
Northern Territory	See note	See note	Exemption for new house-and-land only²¹ built by a registered builder.

Read the full state comparison, including vacant land and residence rules

How long you have to change your mind

Cooling-off is the one part of a purchase where the clock is short and the price of using it is published. We have checked New South Wales and Victoria against their consumer regulators so far.

Day 0

You sign the contract in Victoria, or contracts are exchanged in NSW. The period starts.
Day 3: Victoria

Private sales: 3 clear business days¹⁰. Cooling off costs $100 or 0.2%, whichever is greater¹¹, which is $1,500 on a $750,000 home.
Day 5, 5pm: NSW

Residential property: 5 business days⁴. Withdrawing costs 0.25% of the price⁵, which is $1,875 on a $750,000 home.

Bought at auction? NSW has no cooling-off period at auction⁶, and Victoria has none at a public auction or within three clear business days either side of one¹².

What cooling off costs at other prices

Guides

Notice to conveyancers and property lawyers

Buyers read these pages to check duty and cooling-off rules before they decide who acts for them. If you want to receive their quote requests in your state, register your interest. Requests go only to practitioners whose licence or practising certificate has been checked.

For conveyancers

Ask conveyancers to quote

Send one request and compare what comes back. Look at the professional fee and the disbursements separately: the second line is where quotes usually differ.

Notes and sources

Revenue NSW: Revenue NSW general transfer duty rates for the 2026/2027 financial year, from $1.25 per $100 (minimum $20) up to $52,237 plus $5.50 for every $100 over $1,290,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Revenue NSW: Under the NSW First Home Buyers Assistance scheme, a first home buyer pays no transfer duty on a new or existing home valued up to $800,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Revenue NSW: A NSW first home valued over $800,000 and less than $1 million qualifies for a concessional rate of duty; at $1 million or more no concession applies. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
NSW Fair Trading: Buying a residential property in NSW comes with a 5 business day cooling-off period that starts on exchange and ends at 5pm on the fifth business day. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
NSW Fair Trading: A NSW buyer who withdraws during the cooling-off period pays the vendor 0.25% of the purchase price, which is $250 for every $100,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
NSW Fair Trading: In NSW there is no cooling-off period when you buy at auction, or exchange on auction day after the property is passed in. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
State Revenue Office Victoria: SRO Victoria general land transfer duty rates for contracts from 1 July 2021, from 1.4% of the dutiable value up to $110,000 plus 6.5% of the value over $2,000,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
State Revenue Office Victoria: Eligible first home buyers in Victoria pay no duty on a home with a dutiable value of $600,000 or less. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
State Revenue Office Victoria: Victorian first home buyers pay a reduced amount of duty, calculated on a sliding scale, on a home valued from $600,001 to $750,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Consumer Affairs Victoria: Private sales of residential property in Victoria have a cooling-off period of three clear business days, starting from the date the buyer signs the contract. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Consumer Affairs Victoria: A Victorian buyer who cools off is refunded any money paid, less $100 or 0.2% of the purchase price, whichever is greater. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Consumer Affairs Victoria: In Victoria the cooling-off period does not apply to a property bought at public auction or within three clear business days before or after a public auction. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Queensland Revenue Office: Queensland Revenue Office general transfer duty rates: nil up to $5,000, then from $1.50 up to $5.75 for each $100, or part of $100, by bracket. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Queensland Revenue Office: For agreements from 9 June 2024, a Queensland first home buyer pays no transfer duty on a home valued at $700,000 or less. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Queensland Revenue Office: The Queensland first home concession applies only to a home valued under $800,000 and can save up to $24,525. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Queensland Revenue Office: From 1 May 2025 a Queensland first home buyer buying a brand-new home, or vacant land to build a home on, may get a full concession that reduces duty to nil, with no value cap. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
RevenueSA: RevenueSA offers stamp duty relief to eligible first home buyers of new or substantially renovated homes and of vacant land to build on, with no property value cap for contracts from 6 June 2024. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Government of Western Australia: For transactions from 7 May 2026, WA first home buyers pay no duty on a newly built or established home valued up to $600,000, with a concessional rate up to $800,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
State Revenue Office Tasmania: Tasmania's 100% duty exemption for first home buyers of established homes valued at $750,000 or less covered settlements from 18 February 2024 to 30 June 2026 and is not available for transactions settling after 30 June 2026. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
ACT Revenue Office: From 1 July 2026 the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme has no income threshold and no property value cap, and eligible buyers pay no conveyance duty. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
NT Government: Since 1 July 2022 the Northern Territory exempts eligible buyers of newly developed land from a registered building practitioner who builds the home, if one buyer lives in it within 12 months of completion for at least 6 months. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.