Stamp Duty Rates by State Australia — 2026-27 Comprehensive Data

Stamp duty (also called transfer duty or conveyance duty depending on the jurisdiction) is the single largest transaction cost in Australian residential property after the purchase price itself. The rates, brackets, and concessions are set independently by each state and territory and are revised regularly. This article aggregates the current rate schedules for all 8 Australian jurisdictions, with cross-state comparison tables, foreign purchaser surcharge data, and first home buyer concession thresholds. The standard bracket tables below were introduced for 2025-26 and carried over unchanged into 2026-27 in every jurisdiction — the June 2026 budget round instead reshaped first home buyer relief, most dramatically in the ACT, which abolished stamp duty for first home buyers entirely from 1 July 2026 (see the key changes section).

Every figure is anchored to an official source (state revenue office or treasury). For the four largest jurisdictions (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA), full bracket tables are transcribed below. For SA, TAS, ACT, and NT, key rates and thresholds are summarised with links to the primary source — readers are strongly advised to verify the live rate schedule with the relevant revenue office before transacting. All amounts are AUD.

What is stamp duty?

Stamp duty — also called transfer duty or conveyance duty depending on the jurisdiction — is the single largest transaction cost in Australian residential property after the purchase price itself. Its rates, brackets and concessions are set independently by each state and territory and revised regularly, so the duty on the same purchase varies significantly across jurisdictions.

Quick reference — duty payable on $1,000,000 residential property (standard adult resident buyer, no FHB, no foreign)

Computed from the bracket tables verified directly at the linked sources for NSW, VIC, QLD, WA. SA, TAS, ACT, NT figures aggregated from each jurisdiction’s published 2025-26 schedule via secondary calculators; verify with the linked source before relying on the figure.

Cross-state foreign purchaser surcharge

First Home Buyer concession thresholds (full exemption / partial concession)

Current position from 1 July 2026 — the June 2026 budget round changed WA, TAS and the ACT materially:

Per-state detailed sections

New South Wales (Revenue NSW)

NSW operates a progressive bracket system. The current schedule (effective 1 July 2025):

Premium duty at the top bracket applies to high-value residential property only and is calculated only on the portion exceeding the threshold.

Foreign purchaser surcharge: 8% on the dutiable value of residential property, on top of standard duty.

Source: Revenue NSW — Transfer duty.

Victoria (State Revenue Office Victoria)

Victoria publishes separate rate schedules for principal place of residence (PPR) and non-PPR (investment). The non-PPR rates effective from 1 July 2021 (still in force for 2025-26):

Foreign purchaser additional duty: 8% on residential property (verify rate annually with SRO).

Source: SRO Victoria — Current land transfer duty rates.

Queensland (Queensland Revenue Office)

Queensland operates a single standard rate schedule with separately scheduled home concession rates for owner-occupiers:

Home concession rates apply to eligible owner-occupiers and are materially lower; see QRO home concession rates.

Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty (AFAD): 8% on residential land acquisitions by foreign persons (corporations and trust structures included).

Source: Queensland Revenue Office — Transfer duty rates.

Western Australia (RevenueWA / WA Treasury)

WA runs two parallel rate schedules — a general rate and a concessional rate restricted to principal residences and certain WA business assets up to $200,000:

General rate:

Concessional rate (PPR up to $200,000):

First Home Owner Rate of Duty (FHO): the 2026-27 Budget’s $297M Housing Taxation Package lifts the full exemption to $600,000 and the concessional band to $800,000 for new and established homes, applying to transactions from the 7 May 2026 announcement — worth up to $22,515 on a home purchase (up to $25,390 on vacant land plus build). Verify the phased rates on the RevenueWA FHO page before transacting. The 21 March 2025 settings it replaces were:

Foreign Buyers Duty: 7% surcharge (verify current rate with RevenueWA).

Sources: WA Treasury — Transfer duty assessment.

South Australia (RevenueSA)

SA stamp duty on conveyances runs from 1.0% on the first $12,000 up to a top marginal rate of 5.5% above $500,000. Selected published brackets:

Foreign Ownership Surcharge: 7% (verify current rate with RevenueSA).

The 2025-26 SA State Budget confirmed no new taxes, levies, duties, or changes to existing taxes administered by RevenueSA. Standard residential FHB stamp duty concession was materially restricted in earlier years; SA now offers a more limited off-the-plan apartment FHB concession.

Source: RevenueSA — Rate of stamp duty.

Tasmania (State Revenue Office Tasmania)

Tasmania revised its property transfer duty structure from 1 July 2025 to apply a two-track schedule: one for eligible owner-occupiers and one for non-owner-occupier transactions. Selected published reference points:

• Owner-occupier: $1,608 + $3.40 per $100 on amounts above $300,000
• Non-owner-occupier: $4,600 + $3.40 per $100 on amounts above $300,000

First Home Buyer relief: the 100% duty exemption for established homes up to $750,000 expired on 30 June 2026 and was not renewed — the settlement date, not the contract date, governs eligibility. For new builds, the First Home Owner Grant continues at $20,000 from 1 July 2026 (reduced from $30,000), and the off-the-plan concession was extended.

Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge (FIDS): 8% (verify).

Source: SRO Tasmania — Property transfer duties.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT Revenue Office)

ACT reduced its base owner-occupier conveyance duty rate to $0.28 per $100 for property values up to $260,000 (from $0.40), with the benefit available for eligible owner-occupiers on transactions up to $1,455,000 (2025-26).

First home buyers — from 1 July 2026: the ACT 2026-27 Budget abolished conveyance duty entirely for first home buyer owner-occupiers, with no price cap and no income test — the first Australian jurisdiction to do so. This replaces the former Home Buyer Concession Scheme cap for FHBs ($1,020,000 in 2025-26, with a means-tested income requirement). Full exemptions were also extended to pensioners, NDIS participants, and buyers who have not owned property in the previous five years.

Commercial conveyance duty tax-free threshold: increased to $2,100,000 for 2026-27 (was $2,000,000 in 2025-26).

Source: ACT Revenue Office — Conveyance duty and the ACT 2026-27 Budget papers.

Northern Territory (Territory Revenue Office)

NT stamp duty rates are unchanged for 2026-27 (as they were for 2025-26).

Rate structure:

HomeGrown Territory grant: $50,000 for eligible first home owners (replaces a stamp duty concession), extended in the May 2026 Budget to 30 September 2027.

Foreign buyer surcharge: None — NT explicitly does not impose a foreign acquirer surcharge.

Payment terms: Duty payable within 60 days of settlement; EFT preferred.

Source: NT Department of Treasury & Finance — Stamp duty and Stamp duty calculators.

Key changes from 1 July 2026 (the June 2026 budget round)

Standard rate brackets were left untouched in all 8 jurisdictions for 2026-27 — every change targets concessions:

1. ACT — stamp duty abolished for first home buyers. From 1 July 2026, first home buyer owner-occupiers pay no conveyance duty at all, with no price cap and no income test — the first Australian jurisdiction to abolish FHB stamp duty outright. Exemptions were also extended to pensioners, NDIS participants and 5-year non-owners, and the commercial duty-free threshold rose to $2.1M.

2. WA — FHB thresholds lifted by $100,000. The first home buyer full exemption rises to $600,000 and the concessional band to $800,000 under the 2026-27 Budget’s Housing Taxation Package, applying to transactions from the 7 May 2026 announcement.

3. TAS — FHB exemption expired. The 100% duty exemption for first home buyers of established homes up to $750,000 ended 30 June 2026 (settlement date governs) and was not renewed; for new builds, the First Home Owner Grant continues at $20,000 from 1 July 2026 (reduced from $30,000).

4. QLD — temporary residents excluded. From 1 August 2026, temporary residents lose access to the home, first home, and vacant land concessions (exceptions for retirement visa subclasses 405 and 410).

5. SA — two new exemptions. A downsizer stamp duty exemption for buyers aged 60+ purchasing a new or off-the-plan home up to $2.0M (worth up to $103,830, contracts from 25 March 2026), plus 100% ex gratia relief for victim-survivors of family, domestic or sexual violence buying a new or established home (contracts from 4 June 2026). FHB relief on new homes continues, uncapped.

6. NSW — build-to-rent surcharge waiver. Rates and FHBAS thresholds unchanged; the June 2026 Budget Bill removes the surcharge purchaser duty for qualifying build-to-rent and retirement village projects (50+ dwellings) from 1 July 2026 — subject to passage of the NSW Revenue and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026.

7. NT — grant extended. No rate changes; the $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant is extended to 30 September 2027.

Key 2025-26 changes (historical context)

1. NSW: Premium duty threshold updated to $3,721,000 (from earlier base) effective 1 July 2025; the rate above the threshold is $186,667 + $7.00 per $100 over the threshold.

2. WA: First Home Owner Rate of Duty thresholds raised effective 21 March 2025 — full exemption to $500,000 homes (metro and regional), partial concession to $700,000 metro / $750,000 regional.

3. ACT: Home Buyer Concession Scheme threshold raised to $1,020,000 (from $1M); base owner-occupier rate reduced from $0.40 to $0.28 per $100 on values up to $260,000.

4. SA: No changes — 2025-26 SA State Budget explicitly confirmed no new taxes, duties, or rate revisions.

5. NT: Stamp duty unchanged; HomeGrown Territory grant ($50,000 FHO) continues in lieu of a stamp duty concession.

6. TAS: Two-track schedule (owner-occupier vs non-owner-occupier) operational from 1 July 2025; FHB exemption to $750,000.

Methodology

This article aggregates published 2025-26 transfer / stamp / conveyance duty data from official state revenue offices and treasury departments. For NSW, VIC, QLD, and WA, the bracket tables were transcribed directly from official primary sources. For SA, TAS, ACT, and NT, key thresholds and rates were sourced from each jurisdiction’s published rate schedules accessed via secondary references (state-government anti-bot protections blocked direct programmatic access to some jurisdictions on the date of compilation, 26 May 2026); readers should verify current rates with the linked official source before acting on any figure.

Duty payable on a $1,000,000 residential property was computed by applying the verified bracket formula for each jurisdiction. Foreign purchaser surcharges and first home buyer concessions were sourced from each jurisdiction’s relevant policy page.

All figures are AUD and apply to residential property purchases by adult Australian resident buyers unless otherwise stated. Concessional rates for owner-occupiers, first home buyers, off-the-plan purchases, pensioners, and people with disabilities are noted in the per-state sections.

Cross-state benchmarks

The duty payable on $1,000,000 of residential property varies significantly across jurisdictions. The cheapest jurisdiction for a standard buyer at this price point is the ACT under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme (zero duty for eligible buyers up to $1,020,000), or Queensland under home concession (further reduction not modelled in the standard $38,025 figure above). The most expensive at $1M is Victoria at $55,000 (5.5% flat on the $960k–$2M bracket).

For investors not eligible for any concession, the cross-state spread at $1M is approximately $25,000 (between QLD and VIC) — meaningful enough that property structure decisions (which state to acquire in) can be materially influenced by duty cost.

Foreign purchaser surcharges range from 0% (ACT and NT) to 8% (NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS), creating a further potential difference of approximately $80,000 on a $1M acquisition for a foreign buyer comparing jurisdictions.

When you need an independent valuation for stamp duty

Most arm’s-length residential transactions are assessed on the contract price — no separate valuation is required. State revenue offices typically request an independent market valuation when:

• The transfer is between related parties (parent to child, intra-family, related entities) — see stamp duty valuation Australia for the per-jurisdiction triggers, and related party transfer valuation for the broader workflow
• The transfer involves discretionary trusts or corporate restructures — a related party transfer valuation supports both the stamp duty assessment and the cost-base reset on the receiving entity
• The contract price is nominal or substantially below market (gifts, family arrangements, divorce property settlements) — stamp duty valuation provides the dutiable value the revenue office will accept
• An existing stamp duty assessment is being disputed via the state revenue office’s objection process — an independent stamp duty valuation is the standard evidence base

For the per-jurisdiction triggers in detail — including which transactions Revenue NSW, SRO Victoria, QRO, RevenueWA, RevenueSA, SRO Tasmania, ACT Revenue Office, and the Territory Revenue Office typically request supporting valuations for — see the state-by-state triggers section on our stamp duty valuation page.

Frequently asked questions

How much is stamp duty on a $1 million house in Australia?

It depends on the state. For a standard adult resident buyer with no concession, duty on a $1,000,000 residential property is around $39,412 in NSW, $55,000 in Victoria, $38,025 in Queensland, $42,615 in WA, $48,830 in SA, $40,185 in Tasmania and $49,500 in the NT. The ACT ranges roughly $30,500 to $35,238 on the owner-occupier sliding scale.

Which state has the cheapest and most expensive stamp duty?

At the $1,000,000 price point, the ACT is cheapest for eligible buyers — zero duty up to $1,020,000 under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme — while Victoria is the most expensive at $55,000 (a flat 5.5% on the $960k–$2M bracket). For investors not eligible for any concession, the cross-state spread at $1M is roughly $25,000, between Queensland and Victoria.

Do foreign buyers pay extra stamp duty in Australia?

Yes, in most jurisdictions. New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania each add an 8% foreign purchaser surcharge on top of standard duty, while Western Australia and South Australia charge 7%. The ACT and Northern Territory impose no foreign purchaser surcharge. Across jurisdictions, that surcharge can create a difference of about $80,000 on a $1 million acquisition for a foreign buyer.

What are the first home buyer stamp duty thresholds by state?

From 1 July 2026 the ACT has no first home buyer stamp duty at all — the exemption is uncapped, with no income test. Elsewhere, full exemptions run from $600,000 (WA, lifted from $500,000 in the 2026-27 Budget; also Victoria’s cap) through $700,000 (Queensland) to $800,000 (NSW), and South Australia exempts new and off-the-plan homes without a price cap. Tasmania’s $750,000 exemption expired on 30 June 2026 — leaving a $20,000 new-build First Home Owner Grant — and the Northern Territory offers a $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant instead of a stamp duty concession.

When do I need a valuation for stamp duty?

Most arm’s-length residential purchases are assessed on the contract price, so no separate valuation is needed. State revenue offices typically request an independent market valuation when the transfer is between related parties, involves a discretionary trust or corporate restructure, is at a nominal or below-market price, or where an existing assessment is being disputed through the objection process. See our stamp duty valuation page for the per-jurisdiction triggers.

Disclaimer

This article is general information about Australian residential stamp duty rates, not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rates and concessions change frequently — confirm the current schedule with the relevant state revenue office before transacting. For property valuation services that support stamp duty assessments (related-party transfers, off-market acquisitions, value-substitution events), request a quote from Landmark Valuations.

Sources:

• Revenue NSW — Transfer duty
• State Revenue Office Victoria — Land transfer duty current rates (non-PPR)
• Queensland Revenue Office — Transfer duty rates and Home concession rates
• WA Treasury — Transfer duty assessment
• RevenueSA — Rate of stamp duty
• SRO Tasmania — Property transfer duties
• ACT Revenue Office — Conveyance duty and Changes for 2025-26
• NT Territory Revenue Office — Stamp duty

Last verified: 16 July 2026 (standard brackets confirmed carried over into 2026-27; first home buyer changes from the June 2026 budget round incorporated). This article is reviewed and updated as state revenue offices revise their schedules — typically with each annual state budget cycle. If you spot an outdated figure, contact info@landmark-valuations.com.au.

See also

• Property Taxes in Australia — The Total Cost by State 2026-27 — stamp duty + land tax + council rates combined into one worked comparison
• Land Tax by State Australia — 2026-27 Thresholds, Rates & Foreign Surcharges — the recurring state tax that sits alongside stamp duty
• First Home Buyer Assistance by State Australia — 2025-26 Matrix — exemptions, concessions, and grants
• Foreign Buyer Rules and Surcharges Australia — 2025-26 — federal FIRB + per-state surcharges
• Property Valuation Cost by State and Type — Australia 2025-26 — pricing for valuations that support stamp duty assessments
• RICS vs API in Australia — which valuer accreditation state revenue offices accept
• Australian Property Valuation Statistics 2026 — Market, Industry & Cost Data — market-wide data context for the stamp duty figures above