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 the duty is $17,990 (base) plus 4.5% of the amount over $500,000. 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: QLD $24,525, ACT $25,200, NSW $31,090, WA $28,453, TAS $30,247, 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. Every state and territory offers some form of 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, 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 gives a 50% discount. NT gives an $18,601 rebate.

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GetReal — Methodology

Stamp duty

v1.0 — rates verified August 2026

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	$17,990	$31,090	$40,090	$68,215
VIC (standard)	$21,970	$43,070	$55,000	$82,500
VIC (owner-occ ≤$550k)	$5,765	$43,070	$55,000	$82,500
QLD	$8,750	$24,525	$34,525	$59,525
WA	$17,765	$28,453	$37,453	$63,453
SA	$21,330	$38,730	$50,730	$81,730
TAS	$18,247	$30,247	$38,247	$63,247
ACT	$12,800	$25,200	$34,200	$60,200
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	50% discount on established homes	No upper limit
ACT	Full exemption	Income-tested (Home Buyer Concession Scheme)
NT	$18,601 rebate	Phaseout starts $650k, ends $723k

→ Use the stamp duty calculator