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.
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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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Hi, I like to know how much stamp duty should I pay if this existing house is transferred into my name by the way of gift from my son. Am I entitled to First Home Concession in QLD? The house is valued at $520000. The house will be my primary resident and I am the 1st home owner.
Hi Jamie,
There are a few requirements you’ll need to meet in order to be eligible for the First Home Concession in Queensland. You’ll need to have never held an interest in residential land anywhere in the world, have never claimed the first home vacant land concession, need to be buying a home valued under $550,000
and you need to live in the home as your principal place of residence. You meet the final two requirements so it’s the first two you’ll need to check.
As for the amount of stamp duty you’ll have to pay, A $8,750 stamp duty concession applies for homes up to $505,000, and a phasing-out rebate applies for values up to $550,000. For more information on your eligibility and how much you will pay you can get in contact with the QLD Office of State Revenue.
Hope this has helped.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
I have a property that I bought several years ago with a friend 50%-50% (he is not a relation at all)Now he has gone bankrupt & I can buy his share of the property from the bankrupt estate trustee for 82K even though the property is valued at $425k ,which I own 50% of , Question , how much stamp duty is payable by me to get property wholly into my name paying the $82K
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your question.
The stamp duty you pay and how it is calculated will depend on the state you are in. Although generally, when transferring property, the value of the property is used to calculate the stamp duty payable. So, in this case, it would be $425,000.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Is the stamp duty then payable on only 50% of the property value?
Hi Corrie,
Thanks for your question.
Stamp duty will be payable on the full market value on the property.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
My sister and i bought a house in both names in 2001 (in Victoria). I now want to remove my name from the title as I moved out when i married 5 years ago. will we need to pay stamp duty to remove my name from the title?
Hi Corrie,
Thanks for your question.
Generally if you need a name to be removed from the title to your property for reasons other then a marriage breakdown, stamp duty is payable.
Cheers,
Shirley
Im looking am looking at buying off the plan. Will my stamp duty payable be different if I buy in melbourne versus sydney versus brisbane??
Thanks
Hi Lyn,
thanks for the question!
Each state in Australia has slightly different rules and rates when it comes to stamp duty and the amount you pay. There are also different concessions available to different types of buyers. The calculator on this page shows the different amounts of stamp duty payable for different purchases. If you type in the property price it will give you different rate amounts for each state.
I hope this helps,
Marc.