Stamp Duty Calculator

Our stamp duty calculator can help you estimate your costs and find out if you're eligible for an exemption or discount in your state or territory.

Key takeaways

  • Stamp duty is one of the biggest additional costs you'll have to pay when buying property in Australia.
  • It's a form of tax charged by the state government and only applies when you buy property, not sell.
  • First home buyers in most states and territories qualify for one-off exemptions or discounts.

Stamp duty calculator

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.

What is stamp duty?

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.

Stamp duty rates by state/territory

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 costs where you live.

How do I pay my stamp 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.

Can I borrow stamp duty with my loan?

Typically your stamp duty is an upfront cost, not rolled into your home loan. However, if you're not using your full borrowing power to buy the property, you may be able to use your loan to pay stamp duty. This is known as having your stamp duty capitalised into the principal of the loan.

It will depend on your borrowing power and the size of your deposit. But because you're borrowing money to pay for the duty, you'll be paying 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.

Divorce and stamp duty

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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339 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    FionaJune 29, 2015

    My husband and I purchased a house with daughter and husband. They would like to sell their half to us, is there stamp duty on the whole house or just their share.

      Default Gravatar
      JodieJune 30, 2015

      Hi Fiona,

      Thank you for your question.

      The rules and regulations for stamp duty vary depending on which state or territory the home is titled in, I would recommend that you contact your local state revenue service for further information regarding stamp duty. You may be eligible for an exemption as you are transferring the property within the family but this will need to be discussed with your state revenue office.

      You should also consider speaking to a conveyancer who will give expert and practical advice on what to do at every step of the process.

      Regards
      Jodie

    Default Gravatar
    DebJune 27, 2015

    Is the stamp duty for a second hand home worth 520,000 worth $10,823
    Do you get any concessions for being one old age pension and one disability pension in queensland

      Default Gravatar
      BelindaJune 29, 2015

      Hi Deb,

      Thanks for your enquiry.

      According to our stamp duty calculator, the estimate of total stamp duty fees for a live-in property valued at $520 000 for a non first time buyer in Queensland would be $10 823.00.

      If you receive government benefits including the Australian aged pension and disability pension, you may be eligible for a stamp duty concession or exemption.

      You’ll need to contact your local Office of State Revenue to find out and see if you can apply.

      Kind regards,
      Belinda

    Default Gravatar
    ValerieJune 18, 2015

    I have just purchased a home in Victoria. We resided in it for 3 weeks then had to return to Queensland.

    We were not going to rent the house when we purchased it but find we may not be able to move for another 12 months. Will I have to pay the full amount of stamp duty from the original first home owners discounted amount that was applied to my home purchase.

      Default Gravatar
      BelindaJune 19, 2015

      Hi Valerie,

      Thanks for your enquiry.

      I’ve emailed you with some information regarding stamp duty concessions.

      Kind regards,
      Belinda

    Default Gravatar
    MartinJune 2, 2015

    Can you please tell me if stamp duty is still payable when you purchase an off the plan property in Queensland? Note construction on the property has not commenced.

      Default Gravatar
      JodieJune 3, 2015

      Hi Martin,

      Thanks for your inquiry.

      Stamp duty, or transfer duties as they are called in QLD, are payable by all parties to a transaction of the purchase of dutiable property including land or property. There are different exemptions for stamp duty per state and most are attached to our guide to the First Home Owners Grant. It is also recommended that you contact the Queensland Office of State Revenue to discuss whether you are eligible for any stamp duty exemptions.

      Regards
      Jodie

    Default Gravatar
    cindyMay 29, 2015

    Hi,

    We are considering to purchase our parents’ property. Is there anyway we could avoid stamp duty on it?

    We have been advised that one way to avoid stamp duty is to pay our parents on the value of the property but, instead of transferring the title to us now, have our names as the sole beneficiaries in their Will.

    Is this recommended? What will be implication of this method?

    Thank you.

    Regards,
    Cindy

      Default Gravatar
      BelindaJune 1, 2015

      Hi Cindy,

      Thanks for your enquiry.

      The legislation for stamp duty differs from state to state so your best course of action would be to contact your local state government department.

      I would also recommend contacting a qualified conveyancer to talk about the legal and financial implications of avoiding stamp duty, as these will depend on your personal circumstances.

      Thanks,
      Belinda

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