First Home Buyer Stamp Duty by State
First home buyer stamp duty concessions in every state and territory for FY2025-26 — exemption cut-offs, phase-out cliffs and cap conditions.
Two first home buyers can pay the same price in the same month and get wildly different bills: zero stamp duty in one state, more than $25,000 next door.
Stamp duty — the state tax charged whenever a property changes hands — is usually the biggest upfront cost after your deposit, and every state and territory offers first home buyers some relief: a full waiver, a discount, or in a couple of places, nothing.
Here's the national map for FY2025-26, established homes: where the free zone ends, where the cliffs are, and the fine print that catches people.
How the concessions actually work
Almost every scheme follows the same shape. Below one purchase price you pay nothing; between that price and a cap you get partial relief that shrinks as the price climbs; above the cap you pay full duty like everyone else.
One wrinkle: several states treat new builds far more generously than established homes. The list below is for established homes, because that's what most first home buyers actually buy.
The state-by-state scoreboard
Here's where the free zone sits in each state and territory for FY2025-26, established homes:
- NSW: no duty up to $800,000, partial relief phasing out completely at $1,000,000
- VIC: no duty up to $600,000, a sliding discount that runs out at $750,000
- QLD: no duty below $710,000, phasing out by $800,000 — and if you buy or build a brand-new home, no duty at all, with no price cap
- WA: no duty up to $500,000 in the metro area, partial relief up to $700,000
- SA: no relief for established homes — but new homes are fully exempt, with no price cap
- TAS: first home buyer duty relief ended on 30 June 2026
- ACT: full waiver up to $1,020,000 — but it's income-tested, so your household needs to earn $250,000 or less
- NT: no relief for established homes
📅Dates move
NSW and the ACT re-index their thresholds every 1 July, and other states tinker at budget time. These are FY2025-26 figures — confirm the current ones on your state revenue office's site before you sign.
Mind the cliff
The phase-out zones are steep. In Queensland the entire concession disappears between $710,000 and $800,000 — tens of thousands of dollars of relief gone across a $90,000 stretch of purchase price. Paying a little more for the house can cost a lot more than the difference in price.
Victoria's slide from $600,000 to $750,000 works the same way: every extra dollar of price costs the dollar plus a slice of vanishing discount.
Let this shape your negotiating. If you're bidding near your state's cut-off, know exactly what each extra $10,000 of price does to your duty bill.
⚠️The trap
One dollar over a hard cap means full duty, no partial credit. If your state's exemption ends at a fixed price, an offer just above it can add tens of thousands to your settlement bill.
The gotchas hiding in the caps
The new-versus-established split is the big one. In South Australia, a first home buyer purchasing an established house gets nothing — but build or buy new and duty vanishes entirely, at any price. Queensland runs the same uncapped exemption for new homes. If you're flexible about what you buy, the type of home can matter more than the price.
The ACT's scheme is income-tested: the waiver only applies if your household earns $250,000 or less.
And Tasmania's relief ended on 30 June 2026 — a reminder that concessions are policy, not physics. They change, and sometimes they stop.
Getting the money you're entitled to
None of this is automatic. You apply — usually through your conveyancer or solicitor, the legal pro handling the property paperwork — and you must meet the conditions.
The universal condition: you have to live in the home, typically moving in within a year and staying for a minimum period. Buy 'as a first home buyer' and immediately rent the place out, and the state can claw the concession back with interest and penalties.
Check your state revenue office's calculator before you make an offer, not after.
FAQ
Do I get the first home buyer concession automatically?
No — you apply, usually as part of the transfer paperwork your conveyancer lodges. You'll need to meet the eligibility rules, including moving in and living there for a minimum period. Miss the conditions and the state can demand the duty back.
What happens if the house costs one dollar over the cap?
At a hard cap, you pay full duty — there's no partial credit past the line. In states with a phase-out zone, relief shrinks gradually instead, but steeply. Know exactly where your state's line sits before you set your maximum offer.
Can I claim the concession and rent the property out?
Not straight away. Every scheme requires you to live in the home for a minimum period, and buying purely as an investment disqualifies you. Rent it out too soon and you can be asked to repay the concession — sometimes with penalties.
Run your own numbers
Sources: figures checked against ATO published rates and thresholds for FY2025-26 at the review date. See how we check our numbers.
⚠️ General information only — not tax or financial advice. Figures relate to FY2025-26 unless stated otherwise.