Stamp duty on $800,000
At $800,000 the NSW first home exemption reaches its limit and two other states close their first home concessions. The figures for every state, and why they diverge.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Methodology
$800,000 is the top of the NSW first home exemption: an eligible buyer of a new or established home in New South Wales pays no transfer duty up to and including $800,000, and from the next dollar the concession starts to fade. The same price marks the end of first home help in two other states. Queensland's first home concession on an established home has shrunk to nothing, leaving the home concession rate of $21,850. In Western Australia the first home owner rate reaches its cap of $800,000, where it gives $32,300, a few dollars short of the general $32,316. WA's $10,000 grant still applies at this price in Perth and the south. For a repeat owner-occupier, duty ranges from $21,850 in Queensland to $43,070 in Victoria, nearly double.
This price in one state, four buyer profiles
Investor
$43,070
| Home buyer, not first | $43,070 |
| First home buyer, established | $43,070 |
| First home buyer, new home | $43,070 |
| Foreign investor | $107,070 |
Eight answers for an $800,000 home
| Jurisdiction | First home buyer | Owner-occupier | Investor | Foreign investor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $0 | $30,187 | $30,187 | $102,187 |
| Victoria | $43,070 | $43,070 | $43,070 | $107,070 |
| Queensland | $21,850 | $21,850 | $29,025 | $93,025 |
| Western Australia | $32,300 | $32,316 | $32,316 | $88,316 |
| South Australia | $37,830 | $37,830 | $37,830 | $93,830 |
| Tasmania | $31,185 | $31,185 | $31,185 | $95,185 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $0 | $22,158 | $25,150 | $25,150 |
| Northern Territory | $39,600 | $39,600 | $39,600 | $39,600 |
Only two jurisdictions still charge a first home buyer nothing at this price, NSW and the ACT, and only the ACT keeps doing so above it. Queensland's first home figure now equals its owner-occupier figure, which is the visible sign that its first home concession has run out.
Three limits that meet at $800,000
NSW: end of the exemption, start of the fade
Revenue NSW exempts first homes up to $800,000 and reduces duty up to $1,000,000. The fade is linear, so the first $50,000 above this price costs $9,797. The NSW first home buyer page gives the formula.
Queensland: the deduction reaches zero
The Queensland first home concession on an established home is a deduction from the home concession duty, $1,735 in the last band below $800,000 and nothing from $800,000. A new first home is a different matter: no duty, at any price.
WA: the first home owner rate cap and the grant cap
Western Australia's first home owner rate ends at $800,000, and its grant cap south of the 26th parallel is the same figure. The off-the-plan concession is also at full strength up to $800,000, which is why an investor buying an apartment off the plan before construction can pay less than a first home buyer at this price.
WA off-the-plan concession by stage
Duty after the concession
$0
| General rate of duty | $32,316 |
| Concession | $32,316 |
| Rule | Off-the-plan duty concession (100% of duty, capped) |
The surcharge picture
In all six states a foreign investor pays more than twice the ordinary duty. Western Australia's 7 % gives the lowest state total, $88,316; Victoria's general scale plus 8 % gives the highest, $107,070. The ACT and the Northern Territory charge no surcharge.
Prices on either side
One step down, the $750,000 page looks at Victoria's caps and the grant limits. One step up, the $900,000 page sits in the middle of the NSW fade. The full list is on the duty by price index.