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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Our primary residence is under the name of my husband and myself. We are separating and my name will be left on the title and my husband’s name taken off. Does this have to be done prior to putting in the divorce papers to save stamp duty? The property maybe over 750,000/-
Hi CM,
Thanks for your question.
Generally you’ll need the binding financial agreements or court orders that entitle you to claim exemption from transfer duty of property being transferred from one to the other before you actually claim for the stamp duty exemption.
Your lawyer or solicitor can organise these for you.
Cheers,
Shirley
I signed the offer and acceptance forms prior to the 24th of June 2014 but am waiting for probate to issue on the property I am buying. Will the duty be calculated from this period or will I be subject to the new rates applied as of the 3rd of July? If so it will cost me $2000 instead of zero
Hi Chook,
Thanks for your question.
Generally if you entered into a contract to purchase the home on or before 30 June 2013, then the stamp duty rules for the financial year 2013-14 apply, so it’s likely you won’t need to pay the new rates.
If you entered into the contract after that date, then the stamp duty rules for financial year 2014-15 apply.
Please confirm this with your local Office of State Revenue.
Cheers,
Shirley
I am on a disability support pension and am in the process of selling my house and buying a new one. There will not be a mortgage and the property I am purchasing is $172,000. It will be my primary residence. I am not sure if I have had a stamp duty exemption before or not. How do I find out if I am eligible.
Hi Linda,
thanks for the question.
I’d recommend contacting your state office of revenue to find out if you’re eligible. If you let me know which state you’re in I can find you the relevant page.
Cheers,
Marc.
I am in Victoria.
Thanks Linda.
Please check your inbox for the link regarding Stamp Duty in Vic.
Cheers,
Shirley
Hello, my sister and I inherited our mum’s property – 13 acres in SE Qld with a hut undergoing extension on it, when she died at the end of last year.
Since the end of 2010 myself and my de facto have been living on the property with mum and have put considerable investment into extending the housing, installing solar power etc. Although mum was in the process of investigating how to give us legal recognition for our investment (eg putting us on the title), she died before she could work out how to best do this.
My sister has said she is happy for us to buy her out of her share for what the land is worth, (rather than the improved property, as she recognises our financial input and does not want to have to pay for any of the improvements).
Will James and I have to pay stamp duty on the transfer of her share?
We live in Qld.
Hi Kirsten,
Thanks for your question.
Stamp duty is generally not payable when you remove someone off the title of the property. However, if you add another person to the title of the property, then stamp duty may be payable depending on the circumstances.
It’s best to confirm this with your local Office of State Revenue.
Cheers,
Shirley
Hello, I am buying a house as a primary residence for $450 000. It is the first home I am buying in QLD but I have owned property before in South Africa. Will I have to pay stamp duty?
Hi Rosalind,
Thanks for your question.
You may exempt for stamp duty, as this is your first property in Australia.
Please confirm with this with your local Office of State Revenue.
Cheers,
Shirley