Last reviewed: August 2026
What is a stamp duty exemption or concession?
Stamp duty is a tax you pay when you buy property, and every state has its own way of easing that cost for first home buyers. Some call it transfer duty, others call it land transfer duty, but it's the same idea wherever you're buying. Each state generally sets two figures worth knowing: a full exemption threshold, below which eligible first home buyers pay nothing at all, and a concessional range above that, where a sliding discount applies and gradually shrinks the closer your purchase price gets to the top of the range. Go past that point and you're paying standard stamp duty like everyone else.
What makes this genuinely confusing is how differently each state approaches it. A threshold that gets you a full exemption in one state might only earn a partial discount in another, and a couple of states don't offer a concession at all for certain types of property. Here's where things actually stand right now, state by state.
Stamp duty at a glance, every state compared
New South Wales: full exemption up to $800,000, with a sliding concession to $1,000,000. Applies the same way to new and established homes.
Victoria: full exemption up to $600,000, with a sliding concession to $750,000.
Queensland: established homes get a full exemption up to $700,000 and a concession to $800,000, but new homes get a full exemption with no price cap at all.
Western Australia: full exemption up to $600,000 (raised from $500,000 in May 2026), with a concession to $800,000.
South Australia: no concession on established homes, but new homes, off-the-plan purchases and vacant land to build on get a full exemption with no price cap.
Tasmania: no concession currently available. The previous exemption expired on 30 June 2026 and wasn't renewed.
Australian Capital Territory: full exemption with no price cap and no income test, the most generous scheme in the country as of 1 July 2026.
Northern Territory: no general stamp duty concession, though a $50,000 grant is available for new homes instead.
Want your exact figure rather than the general picture? Our Stamp Duty Calculator will work it out for your specific purchase price.
New South Wales
If you're buying for $800,000 or less, you pay nothing. Between $800,001 and $1,000,000, you'll get a sliding discount that shrinks as the price climbs, and this applies the same way whether you're buying new or established. Vacant land is exempt up to $350,000, with a concession extending to $450,000.
To qualify, you must never have owned residential property in Australia, and at least one buyer needs to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. You'll also need to move in within 12 months of settlement and live there continuously for at least 12 months. Revenue NSW administers this scheme.
Victoria
Buy for $600,000 or less and you pay nothing, while a sliding concession applies between $600,001 and $750,000. Above that, you're paying standard rates with no first home buyer discount at all.
Eligibility follows a similar pattern to NSW, you can't have owned residential property in Australia before, the home needs to be your principal place of residence, and you need to move in and live there for at least 12 continuous months within a year of settlement. The State Revenue Office (SRO) Victoria runs this scheme.
Queensland
Queensland is one of the more interesting states, because it treats new and established homes differently. Buy a genuinely new home, one that's never been lived in or sold as a residence, and you pay no stamp duty regardless of price, there's no cap at all. Established homes work more like other states, with a full exemption up to $700,000 and a sliding concession to $800,000.
To qualify, you need to be at least 18 and buying as an individual, moving in and living there daily within 12 months of settlement. From 1 August 2026, at least one applicant also needs to be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or specified foreign retiree. The Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) administers this.
Western Australia
WA raised its thresholds in May 2026, so buyers now get a full exemption up to $600,000, up from the previous $500,000, with a concession extending to $800,000. Vacant land is exempt up to $450,000, with a concession to $550,000.
Eligibility works much like the other states, you need to be a genuine first home buyer who hasn't owned property before, actually intending to live in the home. RevenueWA runs this scheme.
South Australia
SA takes a genuinely different approach to every other state. If you're buying an established home, there's no first home buyer discount at all, you'll pay the same stamp duty as anyone else. But if you're buying new, whether that's an off-the-plan apartment, a house and land package, or vacant land you intend to build on, you get a full exemption with no price cap.
To qualify, you need to be at least 18 and a natural person rather than a company or trust, with at least one applicant an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and you can't have previously owned an eligible property. RevenueSA administers this.
Tasmania
Tasmania used to offer a full exemption on established homes up to $750,000, but that scheme ended on 30 June 2026 and hasn't been extended. Right now, first home buyers in Tasmania pay the same stamp duty as everyone else, with no exemption or concession available.
The only support remaining is a $20,000 First Home Owner Grant, though this only applies to new builds, not established homes. The State Revenue Office Tasmania runs this.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT now offers the best deal anywhere in Australia. From 1 July 2026, eligible first home buyers pay no stamp duty at all, regardless of the property's value, and with no income test either. There's no upper cap and no means testing, which makes it genuinely unique among the states and territories.
To qualify, you need to be at least 18 and buying as an individual, and neither you nor your domestic partner can have owned property anywhere in the last five years. You'll also need to live in the home continuously for at least a year, starting within 12 months of settlement. The ACT doesn't offer a separate First Home Owner Grant, since this scheme replaced it entirely back in 2019. The ACT Revenue Office administers it.
Northern Territory
The NT does things differently again. There's no general stamp duty concession for first home buyers here, but it makes up for that with the largest cash grant in the country, the HomeGrown Territory Grant, worth $50,000 for eligible buyers building or buying a new home, with no price cap attached.
There's also a separate House and Land Package Exemption, giving a full stamp duty waiver specifically when land and a new build are bought together under one contract. The Territory Revenue Office runs both.
How do you actually apply?
In every state, this runs through your solicitor or conveyancer rather than you dealing with the government directly. They'll lodge the application on your behalf alongside your contract of sale, proof of identity, and a signed declaration confirming your eligibility, including that you've never owned property before and genuinely intend to live in the home.
Each state's revenue office reviews this and applies the concession before settlement, so the reduced or nil amount is what you actually pay at that point, rather than paying in full and claiming a refund afterwards. If your circumstances change later, moving out earlier than the required period, for example, most states expect you to notify them, and the concession can be reviewed and potentially clawed back. It's worth confirming this detail with your conveyancer before you rely on it too heavily.
How we help
Every state runs its own scheme, with its own thresholds, its own rules, and its own paperwork. We check your eligibility against whichever state you're buying in before you make an offer, so nothing catches you out at settlement.
This page provides general information only and doesn't take your personal situation into account. Stamp duty thresholds, eligibility rules and grant amounts are set by each state and change regularly, so always confirm current figures with the relevant state revenue office or your conveyancer before relying on them.
Useful tools and resources
Try our free Stamp Duty Calculator to work out your exact figure, or see whether you also qualify for the federal 5% Deposit Scheme.
Explore our First Home Buyer service.
