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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NSW stamp duty calculator & guide
Stamp duty is just one of the many costs associated with property ownership. Learn everything you need to know about transfer duty in NSW.

I have found a property i am interested in buying.
It will be my principal place of residence.
However, Before i can move in, there is a lease in place that needs to be honoured.
It expires at the beginning of January. The tenants will remain three months after settlement.
What are the QLD stamp duty implications?
Hi Trudy.
Thanks for your question.
There shouldn’t be any stamp duty implications. Please keep in mind that there is a due date for the stamp duty, so you may need to pay this before you actually move into the property.
Cheers,
Shirley
How do avoid paying NSW stamp duty when we transfer our property held in our Limited Company into our personal names?
MEANING: We own a residential home held in our Company’s name and we want to transfer the property into our personal names – as we own the property is it fair transferring the property from us to us should attract Stamp Duty.
Regards
Phil.
Hi Phil,
There are number of concessions and exemptions that you may be eligible for.
Please check on your local Office of State Revenue website for a list that is relevant to your State.
For example, in QLD “you can claim a home concession if you:
-buy a home and move into it within 1 year of the date of transfer or acquisition
-live in the home as your principal place of residence.”
All the best,
Shirley
Hi Shirley
YOU SAID..
For example, in QLD “you can claim a home concession if you:
-buy a home and move into it within 1 year of the date of transfer or acquisition
-live in the home as your principal place of residence.”
I have had a look at the site and couldn’t find the concession you referred to for QLD – would you be able to clarify if the property is located in NSW can we claim a home concession if we – Live in the home as your principal place of residence?
Regards
Phil.
Hi Phil,
I’ve emailed you the link from the Queensland Office of State Revenue that has this information. Please check at your convenience.
All the best,
Shirley
i own my house but title is in my sons name i now wish to have title changed to my name i am a pensioner with the appropriate concession cards can u please advise if i have to pay s/d house is valued at approx 400,000
Hi Ian,
Thanks for your question.
Would you be able to let me know which state you reside in please? Each state has their different laws regarding concessions and pensioners.
Cheers,
Shirley
what is the stamp duty if one partner of 50% share of flat situated in baddi himachal pradesh India want to transfer in the name of other 50% share partner
Hi Arun,
Unfortunately finder.com.au is an Australian comparison website.
For information about stamp duty in India, please visit the relevant website from the Indian Government.
All the best,
Shirley
We have been residing in a house we bought in QLD for 8 months but are now looking to sell it as we have bought another house. Will we have to pay extra stamp duty and if so is the 12 months of house ownership from the settlement date or the date the contract was signed for the sale?
Hi Emily,
Generally stamp duty is payable when you purchase or move into a new property. The 12 month of house ownership starts from when the contract was signed.
All the best,
Shirley