Stamp Duty Calculator

Stamp duty, officially called transfer duty in most states, is usually the single largest upfront cost of buying property in Australia, after the deposit itself. It is a state government tax charged on the transfer of land, and the amount you pay depends on three things: the state or territory the property sits in, the purchase price (or market value, whichever is higher), and whether you qualify for any concessions or exemptions.

Every state runs its own sliding scale of duty brackets, so the same $750,000 purchase can attract very different duty in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. First-home buyers are often eligible for full or partial exemptions below certain price thresholds, and some states offer concessions for off-the-plan purchases, pensioners, or buyers of newly built homes. Foreign buyers, by contrast, typically pay an additional surcharge on top of the standard rate.

Getting this number right early matters, because stamp duty is generally payable at settlement and cannot usually be added to your home loan. You need it in cash on top of your deposit. Underestimating it is one of the most common reasons a purchase falls short of funds at the last minute. A good rule of thumb for an established, non-concession purchase is to budget somewhere between 3% and 5.5% of the purchase price, but the only reliable figure is one calculated against the current schedule for your state.

Our calculator lets you enter your purchase price and state, flags any first-home-buyer concession you may qualify for, and returns an indicative duty figure alongside your other upfront costs. It is a starting point rather than a legal quote. Final duty is assessed by your state revenue office and confirmed by your conveyancer at settlement.

Once you know your likely duty, the next question is usually how it fits into your total buying budget alongside your deposit, lenders mortgage insurance and loan repayments. That is exactly what our all-in-one calculator is built to show you, so you can see the full picture before you make an offer, and a Greystone broker can then confirm every figure against your specific situation and lender.