A clean comparison of every state's first home buyer stamp duty exemption and concession. NSW $800K. VIC $600K. QLD and SA $0 on new homes at any price. ACT $0 on all first homes at any price from 1 July 2026.
Stamp duty (officially "transfer duty" in most states) is the largest upfront cost after your deposit. For first home buyers, every state and territory offers some form of exemption or concession — but the shape, threshold and generosity vary dramatically. This article is a clean, comprehensive comparison as of early 2026.
Note: stamp duty rates and thresholds change with state budgets. The figures below are accurate as of early 2026 and sourced from each state revenue office. Always confirm the current rate before relying on these figures for a purchase decision.
NSW — First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (FHBAS)
Full exemption for new and existing homes ≤ $800,000. Sliding-scale concession from $800,001 to $1,000,000. Above $1,000,000, full standard duty applies.
For vacant land: full exemption ≤ $350,000; concession $350,001-$450,000.
You must move in within 12 months and live there as your principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months.
Source: Revenue NSW — revenue.nsw.gov.au/grants-schemes/assistance-scheme
VIC — First Home Buyer Duty Exemption
Full exemption for new and existing homes ≤ $600,000. Sliding-scale concession from $600,001 to $750,000. Above $750,000, full standard duty applies (with PPR concession if you're an owner-occupier).
Off-the-plan concession: temporarily expanded until 20 October 2026 to include all buyers (not just owner-occupiers), with a higher threshold.
You must live in the home as your principal place of residence for at least 12 months within 12 months of settlement.
Source: State Revenue Office Victoria — sro.vic.gov.au
QLD — First Home Concession (1 May 2025 onwards)
Full exemption for new homes and vacant land, regardless of price (since 1 May 2025).
Established (existing) homes: full concession up to $700,000 (effectively $0 duty), sliding to $800,000 where it phases out, then standard duty above. From 1 August 2026, each purchaser claiming a concession must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree.
You must move in within 1 year and live there for at least 6 continuous months.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office — qro.qld.gov.au
WA — First Home Owner Rate of Duty (FHOR)
From 7 May 2026, full exemption for established and new homes ≤ $600,000. Concessional rate up to $800,000 statewide. Pre-budget thresholds (still relevant for some properties): full exemption ≤ $500,000 (Perth/Peel) or $500,000 (regional), with concessional rate up to $700,000 (metro) or $750,000 (regional).
Vacant land: full exemption ≤ $450,000; concession up to $550,000.
You must occupy the home as your principal place of residence for at least 6 months within 12 months of settlement.
Source: RevenueWA — wa.gov.au
SA — Stamp duty relief for new homes (13 February 2025 onwards)
Full exemption for new homes and vacant land, regardless of price (since 13 February 2025). This includes off-the-plan purchases and substantially renovated homes.
Established (existing) homes: no FHB exemption or concession. Standard duty applies.
You must be 18+, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, never owned residential property in Australia (eligibility tightened February 2025), move in within 12 months and live there at least 6 months.
Source: RevenueSA — revenue.sa.gov.au
TAS — First Home Buyer Duty Relief
Established homes: the 100% exemption on homes ≤$750,000 expired on 30 June 2026 and was not extended in the May 2026 state budget. From 1 July 2026, first home buyers of established homes in Tasmania pay the full general duty scale.
New homes: permanent full exemption — no price cap, regardless of value.
You must occupy the home as your principal place of residence for at least 6 continuous months commencing within 12 months of purchase.
Source: State Revenue Office Tasmania — sro.tas.gov.au
ACT — Home Buyer Concession Scheme
From 1 July 2026: full stamp duty exemption for all first home buyers, regardless of property value or income. The ACT becomes the first Australian jurisdiction to eliminate stamp duty entirely for first home buyers.
Before 1 July 2026: HBCS provides full exemption up to $1,020,000, with a $35,238 maximum concession. Income-tested at $250,000 (no children) up to $273,000 (5+ children).
You must occupy the home as your principal place of residence for at least one continuous year.
Source: ACT Revenue Office — revenue.act.gov.au
NT — HomeGrown Territory grant (transfer duty)
The NT replaced its first home buyer transfer duty concession with cash grants. There is no first home buyer stamp duty concession in the NT any more.
Instead, eligible first home buyers can access:
- $50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant — building or buying a new home, no value cap, contracts entered into before 30 September 2026.
- $30,000 FreshStart New Builds Grant — for owner-occupiers building or buying a new home.
- $12,000 Build Bonus — for owner-occupiers building or buying a new home.
- House and Land Package Exemption — buy a new house-and-land package from a building contractor in a single transaction, live in it, and duty is nil with no value cap, for contracts to 30 June 2027.
Source: NT Department of Treasury and Finance — treasury.nt.gov.au
Side-by-side comparison
| State | Full exemption (new) | Full exemption (established) | Concession ceiling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | ≤ $800K | ≤ $800K | $1,000,000 (sliding) | Most generous of the traditional states |
| VIC | ≤ $600K | ≤ $600K | $750,000 (sliding) | Tighter threshold; off-the-plan expanded to 20 Oct 2026 |
| QLD | All prices (new & vacant land) | ≤ $700K | $800,000 (established only) | New homes & land exempt since 1 May 2025; established concession since same |
| WA | ≤ $600K (7 May 2026) | ≤ $600K (7 May 2026) | $800,000 | Pre-budget: $500K/$700-750K; statewide since 7 May 2026 |
| SA | All prices (new & land, since 6 Jun 2024) | None | — | Generous on new homes; no relief for established |
| TAS | All prices (new only) | Expired 30 Jun 2026 | — | Established exemption expired 30 June 2026 and was not extended |
| ACT | All prices (from 1 Jul 2026) | All prices (from 1 Jul 2026) | — | National first; full exemption at any price and any income |
| NT | No FHB concession | No FHB concession | — | Replaced with $50K HomeGrown grant (new homes, contracts by 30 Sep 2026) + $30K FreshStart + $12K Build Bonus |
What you can stack with stamp duty relief
Stamp duty exemptions and concessions stack with:
- Federal 5% Deposit Scheme — pays for the 15% guarantee, removes LMI
- Family Home Guarantee — for single parents
- Help to Buy — but you can't use both Help to Buy and stamp duty relief if your combined benefit exceeds the property price (rare in practice)
- State FHOG — paid at settlement, separate from duty
- First Home Super Saver — your super counts toward deposit, not duty
- State lenders (Keystart, HomeStart)
Watch for the cliff edge
Some states have a "cliff edge" — NSW, VIC, WA all offer sliding-scale concessions, so the benefit reduces gradually. TAS, by contrast, has a hard cliff: at $750,001 on an established home, you pay full duty (~$28,000) instead of $0. The same applies in QLD and SA: established homes get no concession, so the "cliff" is at the boundary between new and existing.
If you're a first home buyer in 2026, the stamp duty landscape is more generous than at any previous point. NSW, QLD, SA, and (from July 2026) ACT offer zero duty on new homes at any price. Most other states offer a full exemption under a threshold. The only state where stamp duty is still a major upfront cost for first home buyers on existing homes is NSW above $1M.