Stamp Duty by State: First Home Buyer Limits 2026

In short. Transfer duty is charged on a sliding scale set by the state, so the same price costs different amounts in Sydney and Brisbane. First home buyers pay nothing up to $800,000² in NSW, $600,000 or less⁷ in Victoria and $700,000 or less¹³ in Queensland, with reduced duty above those figures.

Three questions decide which duty schedule applies: whether you will live in the home, whether it is your first, and whether the price sits under your state's limit.

What is stamp duty, and who sets it?

Stamp duty, called transfer duty in New South Wales and Queensland and land transfer duty in Victoria, is a state tax on the transfer of property. Each state publishes a bracket table: a fixed amount plus a rate applied to the part of the price above the bracket floor. Because the rate climbs with price, duty rises faster than the price does. In New South Wales the top general bracket charges ¹ $5.50 for every $100 above $1,290,000, while the first $18,000 of any purchase is charged at $1.25.

Nothing about it is national. The Commonwealth does not set the rate, the thresholds or the concessions, which is why a first home buyer in Perth and one in Hobart can be treated very differently on the same day.

What are the limits in each state?

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	$600,000⁷	To $750,000⁸	Sliding scale in the concession band.
Queensland	$700,000¹³	Below $800,000¹⁴	Brand-new homes and land to build on: no duty, no value cap¹⁵
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	$600,000¹⁹	To $800,000	New and established homes, from 7 May 2026.
Tasmania	See note	See note	Established homes exemption ended 30 June 2026²¹ for settlements.
Australian Capital Territory	No price cap	See note	Home Buyer Concession Scheme: no duty, no price cap²², eligibility rules apply.
Northern Territory	See note	See note	Exemption for new house-and-land only²⁴ built by a registered builder.

South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory do not fit the two-column shape. South Australia's relief is tied to what you buy rather than what you pay: new or substantially renovated homes and vacant land to build on, with no value cap (new homes and land)¹⁷. The Northern Territory exemption also applies to new house-and-land only²⁴. Tasmania's exemption for established homes was ended 30 June 2026²¹.

How far does the money go in each state?

Price limits for first home buyer relief. Queensland treats brand-new homes separately again, with no value cap at all. Source: Revenue NSW²; Revenue NSW³; State Revenue Office Victoria⁷; State Revenue Office Victoria⁸; Queensland Revenue Office¹³; Queensland Revenue Office¹⁴; Government of Western Australia¹⁹.

Chart data

Jurisdiction	No duty to	Reduced duty
New South Wales	$800,000	below $1,000,000
Victoria	$600,000	to $750,000
Queensland	$700,000	below $800,000
Western Australia	$600,000	to $800,000

The spread matters more than the ranking. A couple buying a $700,000 townhouse pays no duty as first home buyers in Brisbane or Sydney, a reduced amount in Melbourne, and a reduced amount in Perth. Move the price to $780,000 and only the NSW buyer still walks away with nothing to pay.

What do you have to promise in return?

Every scheme attaches a residence condition, and they are not the same length. Miss one and the revenue office can reassess the duty.

Residence conditions after settlement. Queensland states the move-in deadline and bars selling or leasing the whole property in the first year, without stating a minimum stay on that page. Source: Revenue NSW⁵; State Revenue Office Victoria⁹; Queensland Revenue Office¹⁶; RevenueSA¹⁸; ACT Revenue Office²³.

Chart data

Jurisdiction	Move in within	Then live there for
New South Wales	12 months of settlement	At least 12 months
Victoria	12 months of settlement	At least 12 months
Queensland	12 months of settlement	No minimum stated on the source page
South Australia	12 months of settlement	At least 6 months
ACT	12 months of settlement	At least 12 months

Queensland also says you must not sell, transfer, lease or give exclusive possession of the whole property in that first year ¹⁶. Renting out the spare room is a question for your conveyancer, not for a website.

Does vacant land work the same way?

No, and the limits are much lower. New South Wales gives first home buyers $350,000 exempt, $450,000 concession⁴ on land they intend to build on. Western Australia sets $450,000 exempt, $550,000 concession²⁰. If you are buying land and a build contract separately, duty usually applies to the land alone, which is the main reason house-and-land packages often attract less duty than a finished house at the same total price. Check the structure with your conveyancer before you sign anything.

What changed recently?

Western Australia lifted its first home thresholds for transactions from 7 May 2026 ¹⁹.
The ACT removed the income test and the price cap from 1 July 2026 ²², and keeps the five-year rule: no property owned in 5 years²³.
Tasmania's established-home exemption ²¹ ran out for settlements after 30 June 2026.
Queensland made brand-new homes a full concession from 1 May 2025 ¹⁵, using the deduction table ¹² for established homes.

Dates like these are the reason every figure here carries the day it was checked. If you are reading this well after that date, open the source link before you rely on the number.

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.
Revenue NSW: NSW first home buyers buying vacant land to build on pay no duty on land valued up to $350,000 and a concessional rate on land valued over $350,000 and less than $450,000. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Revenue NSW: NSW first home buyers must move into the home within 12 months after settlement and live in it as their principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months. 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.
State Revenue Office Victoria: For the Victorian first home buyer exemption or concession, at least one buyer must live in the home as their principal place of residence for 12 continuous months within 12 months of settlement. 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: Queensland home concession rates for a home you will live in: $1.00 for each $100, or part of $100, up to $350,000, then $3,500 plus $3.50 per $100 to $540,000, $10,150 plus $4.50 per $100 to $1,000,000 and $30,850 plus $5.75 per $100 above that. Official source. Checked 2026-09-12.
Queensland Revenue Office: For contracts from 9 June 2024, the Queensland first home concession amount is deducted from home concession duty: $17,350 below $710,000, falling by $1,735 for each $10,000 band to $1,735 for $790,000 to $799,999.99, and nil from $800,000. 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.
Queensland Revenue Office: To keep the Queensland first home concession you must move in and live there within 1 year of settlement, and not sell, transfer, lease or give exclusive possession of the whole property in that first year. 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.
RevenueSA: South Australian first home buyers claiming relief must live in the property for a continuous period of at least 6 months, starting within 12 months after settlement for a new home. 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.
Government of Western Australia: For transactions from 7 May 2026, WA first home buyers pay no duty on vacant land valued up to $450,000, with a concessional rate up to $550,000. 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.
ACT Revenue Office: Under the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme, buyers and their partners must not have owned property in the last five years, and at least one buyer must live in the home for at least 12 months starting within one year of settlement. 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.