Stamp duty and first-home buyer calculator
Free Australian stamp-duty and first-home buyer calculator. Per-state transfer-duty bands from NSW Revenue, SRO Victoria, QRO Queensland, RevenueSA, Revenue WA, SRO Tasmania, ACT Revenue and NT TRO. Models 5, 10 and 20 percent deposit scenarios and indicative Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
Use the contract price for an arms-length residential sale.
Concession applied: First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme. Eligibility rules.
Standard duty
$26,029
Duty payable
$0
Full exemption (First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme).
Cash needed at 20% deposit
$140,000
Deposit + duty payable.
Deposit scenarios
| Deposit | Amount | Loan | LVR | Indicative LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | $35,000 | $665,000 | 95% | $17,290 |
| 10% | $70,000 | $630,000 | 90% | $10,206 |
| 20% | $140,000 | $560,000 | 80% | Waived |
LMI figures are rough industry averages from Helia and QBE LMI public rate cards. Your actual premium depends on the lender, the loan amount, your credit history and the property type.
How the maths works
State transfer-duty schedules are piecewise-linear: for each band [min, max) the duty is a fixed base plus a marginal rate applied to the value above a reference point.
For example, NSW transfer duty in 2024-25 for a $800,000 purchase uses the band starting at $364,000 with base $10,909 and rate 4.5 percent. The duty is $10,909 plus 4.5 percent of ($800,000 - $364,000), which equals $30,529.
First-home concessions are then applied on top: NSW gives a full exemption up to $800,000 and a linear taper to $1,000,000, so a first-home buyer at exactly $800,000 pays zero, and a first-home buyer at $900,000 pays half of the standard duty.
The calculator then models three deposit scenarios at 5, 10 and 20 percent of the price. At 20 percent the Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) is 80 percent and lenders waive Lenders Mortgage Insurance. At 5 or 10 percent deposit, the LMI premium is roughly 2 to 4 percent of the loan; the calculator uses widely-cited Helia and QBE rate-card medians for an indicative figure.
Frequently asked
- What is stamp duty?
- Stamp duty (called transfer duty in NSW and Queensland and conveyance duty in the ACT) is a state-level tax on the transfer of property. The rate is a piecewise function of the contract price. It is paid by the buyer, in cash, on or before settlement.
- Which first-home concessions does this model?
- The headline owner-occupier concession in each state. For NSW that is the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (full exemption to $800,000, tapered to $1,000,000). For Victoria the first-home buyer duty exemption applies to $600,000 with a taper to $750,000. Queensland gives a first-home concession to $700,000 with a taper to $800,000. Western Australia and Tasmania have their own thresholds. The ACT uses an income-tested scheme rather than a price ceiling, so we approximate it as a full exemption up to the property cap of $1,000,000.
- Are foreign buyer surcharges included?
- No. Most states levy an additional 7 to 8 percent surcharge on foreign purchasers. This calculator models the standard duty for Australian citizens and permanent residents only.
- How accurate is the figure?
- We compare each band table to the published state-revenue-office calculator and target accuracy within $50 across the common owner-occupier price range. State revenue offices round to the nearest dollar on the assessment notice. For a contract you have already signed, get a formal quote from your conveyancer.
- What is LMI and when does it apply?
- Lenders Mortgage Insurance is an insurance premium the bank charges you when your deposit is less than 20 percent of the purchase price. It protects the bank, not you. Helia (formerly Genworth) and QBE LMI publish indicative rate cards; the calculator uses widely-cited industry medians. At 20 percent deposit or higher, LMI is waived.
- Does the First Home Guarantee help here?
- Yes. Under the Commonwealth First Home Guarantee (FHBG), eligible buyers can get into a property with as little as 5 percent deposit and the federal government guarantees the remainder, so LMI is not charged. Read our explainer on first-home deposit options for how the FHBG stacks with the First Home Super Saver scheme.
Sources
- NSW Revenue: transfer duty rates and thresholds
- SRO Victoria: dutiable property rates
- Queensland Revenue Office: transfer duty rates
- RevenueSA: rates of stamp duty
- Revenue WA: transfer duty rates and thresholds
- SRO Tasmania: rates of duty
- ACT Revenue Office: conveyance duty
- NT Revenue: calculate stamp duty
Related
- First-home deposit: FHBG and FHSS stacking
- First Home Super Saver scheme
- Compound interest calculator (how long it takes to save a deposit).
- All money explainers
ExamExplained does not provide financial, legal or tax advice. The calculator implements the headline transfer-duty schedules and owner-occupier first-home concessions published by the state and territory revenue offices. Foreign-buyer surcharges, off-the-plan concessions, regional concessions and new-vs-established distinctions are out of scope. For a binding quote, see the official state revenue office calculator and your conveyancer.