Stamp duty when you buy off the plan
Buying before the building exists changes the duty in five jurisdictions, each in a different way: a smaller taxable value, a percentage off, a later due date or no duty at all.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Methodology
Buying off the plan lowers or delays stamp duty in Victoria, Western Australia, NSW and the ACT, but each uses a different mechanism and Tasmania closed its scheme for contracts after 30 June 2026. Victoria charges duty on the contract price minus the construction cost still to be incurred after the contract date, and its temporary concession for strata apartments and townhouses lets any buyer, investors included, use that deduction with no value cap for contracts signed up to 21 April 2027. Western Australia takes a share off the duty itself, from 100 % before construction starts on a dwelling up to $800,000, capped at $50,000, for contracts to 30 June 2028. NSW does not reduce the amount but lets an owner-occupier pay up to fifteen months after the contract. In the ACT an owner-occupier buying an off-the-plan unit pays no duty at any price from 1 July 2026. Queensland and South Australia reach a similar result for first home buyers through their new-home rules.
Victorian off-the-plan concession
Duty off the plan
$23,870
| Dutiable value | $480,000 |
| Duty without the concession | $43,070 |
| Saved | $19,200 |
Five mechanisms, one per jurisdiction
"Off-the-plan concession" sounds like one thing. It is really five unrelated rules that happen to share a name, and they reward different buyers. The summary below is the shortest honest version.
| Where | Mechanism | Who can use it | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | duty on price less construction cost still to come | any buyer for strata lots (temporary); otherwise home buyers under $750,000 or $550,000 after deduction | contracts 21 October 2024 to 21 April 2027 |
| WA | share of duty removed, capped at $50,000 | any buyer, strata developments | contracts 12 March 2026 to 30 June 2028 |
| NSW | payment deferred up to 12 extra months | owner-occupiers who are citizens or permanent residents | ongoing |
| ACT | no duty on the unit | owner-occupiers | from 1 July 2026, no cap |
| TAS | apartment concession | closed | ended for contracts after 30 June 2026 |
Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory have no off-the-plan rule as such, but their new-home rules reach off-the-plan buyers: South Australia's first home relief names off-the-plan apartments, and the Territory's HomeGrown grant includes off-the-plan purchases.
Victoria: a smaller taxable value
The State Revenue Office Victoria charges duty on the contract price less the construction costs that will be incurred after the contract date. The earlier you sign, the larger the deduction. Its published examples: Michelle contracts for $1,000,000 with $400,000 of construction still to come, so duty is assessed on $600,000; Paige buys at $620,000 with $465,000 deducted, a dutiable value of $155,000.
| Construction cost still to come | Dutiable value | Investor | First home buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $800,000 | $43,070 | $43,070 |
| $150,000 | $650,000 | $34,070 | $11,356 |
| $300,000 | $500,000 | $25,070 | $0 |
| $450,000 | $350,000 | $16,070 | $0 |
Two restrictions apply. Outside the temporary strata concession, the deduction is only available to a buyer who will live in the home and whose dutiable value after the deduction is no more than $750,000 for a first home buyer or $550,000 for another owner-occupier. And the foreign purchaser additional duty is always worked out on the price before the deduction. The Victorian off-the-plan page covers the details.
Western Australia: a share off the duty, by stage
RevenueWA does not shrink the value; it removes a percentage of the duty. Before construction starts the concession is 100 % for a dwelling up to $800,000, sliding to 50 % at $900,000 and above. Once construction is under way it runs from 75 % down to 37.5 %. Either way the reduction is capped at $50,000.
| Price | General duty | Before construction | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|
| $700,000 | $27,265 | $0 | $6,816 |
| $800,000 | $32,316 | $0 | $8,079 |
| $850,000 | $34,891 | $8,723 | $15,265 |
| $900,000 | $37,466 | $18,733 | $23,416 |
| $1,500,000 | $68,366 | $34,183 | $42,728 |
The scheme covers multi-tier strata, single-tier strata (since 21 March 2025) and survey-strata (since 12 March 2026). The claim is lodged after the fact, within twelve months of the strata title being registered. A first home buyer may also qualify for the first home owner rate; RevenueWA decides how the two combine, so the calculator shows them separately.
WA off-the-plan concession by stage
Duty after the concession
$8,723
| General rate of duty | $34,891 |
| Concession | $26,168 |
| Rule | Off-the-plan duty concession (75% of duty, capped) |
NSW: same amount, later date
Revenue NSW normally wants duty within three months of the contract, or at settlement if sooner. For an off-the-plan home you will live in, it can wait up to twelve months more: the due date becomes the earliest of fifteen months after the contract, settlement, or an assignment of the contract. The duty itself is unchanged, $34,687 on a $900,000 unit for a buyer who is not a first home buyer. Each buyer must be a citizen or permanent resident, or hold a partner visa (subclass 309 or 820) or a New Zealand special category visa (subclass 444) with at least 200 days in Australia in the previous twelve months. Trusts and companies are excluded, and vacant land qualifies only if the contract includes building the home. See the NSW off-the-plan page.
ACT: owner-occupied units pay nothing
From 1 July 2026 an owner-occupier buying an off-the-plan apartment or unit-titled townhouse pays no conveyance duty, whatever the price; until then the exemption stopped at $1,020,000. You must live in the unit for a year. A separate exemption covers a newly unit-titled home bought from the developer within 2 years of the units plan. An investor pays the non-owner-occupier rates either way.
ACT apartment or townhouse, owner-occupier
Owner-occupier pays
$0
| Rule | Off the plan unit duty exemption (owner-occupier) |
| Investor, same unit | $20,904 |
Queensland, South Australia and the Territory
A first home buyer of a new home in Queensland pays no transfer duty at any price under the first home (new home) concession, and in South Australia the first home relief names off-the-plan apartments among the eligible properties. For an $750,000 apartment the engine gives $0 in Queensland and $0 in South Australia, against $26,775 and $35,080 for an investor. In the Territory duty is unchanged, but the $50,000 HomeGrown grant is paid on an off-the-plan first home.