NSW Stamp Duty Calculator 2026-27 – Transfer Duty and First Home Buyer Savings
Buying in New South Wales? Transfer duty is usually the biggest upfront cost after your deposit. Enter the price and your buyer type to see the exact duty at the indexed Revenue NSW rates for 2026-27 contracts — band by band, with first home buyer exemptions and concessions, vacant-land limits and the 9% foreign buyer surcharge all handled.
Your purchase
🔒 Everything is calculated in your browser — your numbers never leave your device.
Your transfer duty
| Band | Price in this band | Rate per A$100 | Duty at top of band |
|---|---|---|---|
| A$0 – A$18,000 | A$18,000 | A$1.25 | A$225.00 |
| A$18,000 – A$38,000 | A$20,000 | A$1.50 | A$525.00 |
| A$38,000 – A$103,000 | A$65,000 | A$1.75 | A$1,662.00 |
| A$103,000 – A$387,000 | A$284,000 | A$3.50 | A$11,602.00 |
| A$387,000 – A$1,290,000 | A$363,000 | A$4.50 | A$27,937.00 |
Only the slice of your price inside each band is charged at that band’s rate — the base amounts are the duty already built up at the floor of each band, exactly as Revenue NSW publishes them. You never pay the top rate on the whole price.
- Duty is charged band by band: only the slice above each threshold pays the higher rate, never the whole price.
- A first home buyer pays no duty at 800,000 or less, then a straight-line phase-in up to 1,000,000 — no cliff, no sudden jump.
- Premium prices, foreign-buyer rules and the dutiable-value rule sit on top of the general table and can change the bill by more than the table itself.
- Where your price sits
- Budget the whole purchase, not just the duty
- How it works
- The math behind the default example
- Two traps worth knowing before you exchange
- The 2026-27 NSW rates this calculator uses
- Duty at every price, from a unit to a harbour view
- The first home buyer phase-in, dollar by dollar
- Foreign buyers, premium prices, and the value rule
- Budgeting the settlement, not just the duty
Where your price sits
The general duty bands for 2026-27. Cross into a higher band and only the slice above the threshold pays the higher rate — the marker shows your price, and the tiles show what the same calculator charges at other price points.
Standard rates shown. Switch the buyer type above and this whole panel — bar, marker and price points — follows the concession zones or surcharge that apply to you.
Budget the whole purchase, not just the duty
Duty is one line in the true cost of a NSW home. These tools cover the others.
How it works
A base amount, a slice rate, and one adjustment for who is buying.
Find your band
NSW duty is built in seven bands. Your price lands in one of them — a A$750,000 home lands in the A$387,000 to A$1,290,000 band — and that band’s base duty already covers every band below it.
Charge only the slice above the floor
On top of the base, you pay the band’s rate for each A$100 of price above the band floor: A$363,000 of slice at A$4.50 per A$100 adds A$16,335. Lower slices keep their lower rates — always.
Adjust for the buyer
First home buyers pay nothing under the scheme limits and a phased share inside the concession zones. Foreign buyers pay the standard duty plus a 9% surcharge on the full price. Everyone else pays the standard figure.
The math behind the default example
Step 1 — the band. A$750,000 sits in the A$387,001 to A$1,290,000 band, where the published base duty is A$11,602. That base is not a guess: it is the duty already charged on the first A$387,000 — A$225 at A$18,000, building to A$525, then A$1,662, then A$11,602 at the band floor.
Step 2 — the slice. The part of the price above the floor is A$750,000 − A$387,000 = A$363,000, which is 3,630 hundreds. At A$4.50 per A$100, the slice costs 3,630 × A$4.50 = A$16,335.
Step 3 — the total. A$11,602 + A$16,335 = A$27,937 — an effective rate of 3.72% of the price, even though the marginal rate in the top band is 4.5%. The gap between the two numbers is the discount the lower bands give you.
Why the contract date matters: NSW indexes every threshold to inflation each 1 July. The identical home exchanged on a 2025-26 contract would have cost A$28,162 — A$225 more — because last year’s bands were slightly lower. This calculator always uses the 2026-27 table.
Two traps worth knowing before you exchange
The phase-in that is kinder than it looks, and the premium band that is not.
Under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, a first home buyer pays no duty at all on a home of A$800,000 or less. Between A$800,000 and A$1,000,000 the concession phases out smoothly: you pay the same share of the full duty as the share of that A$200,000 window you have used. At A$900,000 — halfway through the window — you pay exactly half the full duty: the full A$34,687 becomes A$17,343.50, a saving of A$17,343.50. At A$1,000,000 the share reaches 100% and the full A$39,187 is due. Because the share rises gradually, there is no cliff edge where one extra dollar of price costs thousands in extra duty.
Vacant land runs on tighter limits, because land is cheaper: no duty up to A$350,000, the same phased share between A$350,000 and A$450,000, and full duty above that. At A$400,000, a first home buyer pays half of the full A$12,187 — A$6,093.50. To qualify under the scheme you must be buying your first home and move in and live there as your principal place of residence — your conveyancer confirms the details before settlement.
Above A$3,870,000 the premium property band applies: A$194,137 plus A$7.00 for every A$100 above the threshold. On a A$4,000,000 purchase that is A$194,137 + 1,300 × A$7.00 = A$203,237 — an effective rate of about 5.08%, the highest in the NSW table, and worth budgeting for before you fall in love with a harbour view.
Foreign buyers pay more again: a surcharge purchaser duty of 9% of the price is added on top of the standard duty, so a A$750,000 purchase carries A$27,937 + A$67,500 = A$95,437 in total. Foreign owners can also face an annual land tax surcharge for as long as they hold the property. And one quiet rule catches everyone: duty is charged on whichever is higher — the price you paid or the property’s unencumbered market value — so a bargain bought well below market can still be assessed on the market figure.
The 2026-27 NSW rates this calculator uses
General transfer duty rates published by Revenue NSW for contracts exchanged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, plus the scheme limits that adjust them.
General rates — residential property
| Price band | Base duty | Plus, per A$100 above the floor |
|---|---|---|
| Up to A$18,000 | — | A$1.25 (minimum duty A$20) |
| A$18,001 – A$38,000 | A$225 | A$1.50 |
| A$38,001 – A$103,000 | A$525 | A$1.75 |
| A$103,001 – A$387,000 | A$1,662 | A$3.50 |
| A$387,001 – A$1,290,000 | A$11,602 | A$4.50 |
| A$1,290,001 – A$3,870,000 | A$52,237 | A$5.50 |
| Over A$3,870,000 (premium) | A$194,137 | A$7.00 |
Adjustments by buyer type
| Buyer | No duty up to | Phased share between | Full duty from |
|---|---|---|---|
| First home buyer – home | A$800,000 | A$800,000 – A$1,000,000 | A$1,000,000 |
| First home buyer – vacant land | A$350,000 | A$350,000 – A$450,000 | A$450,000 |
| Foreign buyer | Standard duty, plus a surcharge of 9% of the full price | ||
Duty at every price, from a unit to a harbour view
The same band table produces very different bills at different prices, because only the slice above each floor pays the higher rate. The table below uses the 2026-27 general rates on this page, standard buyer, no concession or surcharge.
At A$500,000 the duty is A$16,687: the base of A$11,602 at A$387,000 plus A$113,000 of slice at A$4.50 per A$100, which adds A$5,085. At the default A$750,000 the duty is A$27,937, an effective rate of 3.72 percent, even though the marginal rate in that band is 4.50 percent. At A$900,000 the duty is A$34,687, and at A$1,200,000 it is A$48,187, an effective rate of just over 4 percent, because the lower bands still contribute their cheaper slices. The effective rate climbs slowly with price, and it never reaches the marginal rate, because the first A$387,000 is always charged at the lower bands.
At A$2,000,000 the duty is A$91,287, an effective rate of 4.56 percent: the base of A$52,237 at A$1,290,000 plus A$710,000 of slice at A$5.50 per A$100, adding A$39,050. At A$4,000,000 the premium band takes over: A$194,137 plus A$130,000 of slice at A$7.00 per A$100, adding A$9,100, for A$203,237 in total, an effective rate of 5.08 percent. The premium band is the only place where the effective rate gets close to the marginal rate, because by then most of the price sits in the top bands, and there is very little cheap slice left underneath.
| Price | Standard duty | Effective rate | How it is built |
|---|---|---|---|
| A$500,000 | A$16,687 | 3.34% | A$11,602 + A$113,000 at A$4.50 per A$100 |
| A$750,000 | A$27,937 | 3.72% | A$11,602 + A$363,000 at A$4.50 per A$100 |
| A$900,000 | A$34,687 | 3.85% | A$11,602 + A$513,000 at A$4.50 per A$100 |
| A$1,200,000 | A$48,187 | 4.02% | A$11,602 + A$813,000 at A$4.50 per A$100 |
| A$2,000,000 | A$91,287 | 4.56% | A$52,237 + A$710,000 at A$5.50 per A$100 |
| A$4,000,000 | A$203,237 | 5.08% | A$194,137 + A$130,000 at A$7.00 per A$100 |
Read the table as a budgeting tool, not as a negotiation lever. A seller who drops the price by A$10,000 in the A$4.50 band saves the buyer A$450 of duty, and in the A$5.50 band A$550, but no price drop in an ordinary band saves thousands of duty on its own, because there is no cliff in the general rates. The cliffs in NSW duty live in the concession zones, not in the general table, and that is where the next section looks.
The first home buyer phase-in, dollar by dollar
Between A$800,000 and A$1,000,000, a first home buyer pays a share of the full duty equal to the share of the window the price has crossed. No cliff, no sudden jump, just a straight line.
At A$800,000 or less the duty is zero: the full A$27,937 that a standard buyer would pay on a A$750,000 home is wiped out entirely. At A$850,000 the buyer has crossed one quarter of the A$200,000 window, so the buyer pays one quarter of the full duty on A$850,000, which is A$32,437: one quarter is A$8,109.25, a saving of A$24,327.75 against the standard bill. At A$900,000, halfway through the window, the buyer pays exactly half of the full A$34,687, which is A$17,343.50, saving the same A$17,343.50. At A$950,000 the buyer has crossed three quarters of the window and pays three quarters of the full duty on A$950,000, which is A$36,937: three quarters is A$27,702.75, a saving of A$9,234.25. At A$1,000,000 the window is fully crossed and the full duty of A$39,187 is due, the same as a standard buyer pays.
The straight line has a practical consequence that surprises many buyers. Near the bottom of the window, each extra A$10,000 of price costs very little extra duty, because the buyer is paying only a small share of the marginal duty: at A$810,000 the share is 5 percent, so the duty on the whole purchase is 5 percent of the full A$30,637, about A$1,532. Near the top of the window the same A$10,000 of price costs far more, because the buyer is paying 95 percent of the marginal duty as well as a higher share of everything below it. A buyer choosing between two homes straddling the window should therefore compare the total cash needed, price plus duty, rather than the price alone: a home priced A$20,000 higher near the top of the window can cost several thousand more in duty on top of the price gap, while the same gap near the bottom of the window costs almost nothing extra in duty.
Vacant land follows the same shape on a smaller window. No duty up to A$350,000, the same phased share between A$350,000 and A$450,000, and full duty above A$450,000. At A$400,000, halfway through the land window, a first home buyer pays half of the full A$12,187, which is A$6,093.50. The scheme expects the buyer to build and move into a home on the land, and time limits apply, so the land concession is not a way to hold land duty-free indefinitely. Confirm the current conditions with a conveyancer before relying on either window, because eligibility, not arithmetic, is where first home buyer claims most often fail.
Foreign buyers, premium prices, and the value rule
Three rules that sit on top of the general table, each capable of changing the bill by more than the general table itself.
The foreign buyer surcharge is the largest of the three for ordinary prices. A surcharge purchaser pays the standard duty plus 9 percent of the full price, so on a A$750,000 purchase the surcharge is A$67,500 on top of A$27,937 of duty, A$95,437 in total. Unlike the general rates, the surcharge has no bands and no slices: it is 9 percent of the whole price from the first dollar, which is why it dwarfs the general duty at lower prices and why it is the first figure a foreign buyer should budget. Foreign owners can also face an annual land tax surcharge for as long as they hold the property, so the upfront surcharge is not the whole cost of foreign ownership, and the two surcharges should be budgeted together.
The premium band is the second rule, and it applies regardless of who is buying. Above A$3,870,000 the duty is A$194,137 plus A$7.00 for every A$100 above the threshold. On a A$4,000,000 purchase that is A$194,137 plus 1,300 hundreds at A$7.00, adding A$9,100, for A$203,237 in total. The premium band matters less as a rate than as a reminder: at these prices the duty alone exceeds the entire price of a modest home elsewhere in the state, and it is payable at settlement alongside the deposit, so the cash needed on the day is far larger than the deposit percentage alone suggests.
The third rule catches everyone, and it is the quietest. Duty is charged on whichever is higher, the price paid or the property’s unencumbered market value. A bargain bought well below market value is still assessed on the market figure, so a buyer who negotiates A$50,000 off the price of a home genuinely worth more has not necessarily saved the duty on that A$50,000. The same rule protects the revenue where a sale between related parties is priced below market. If the price and the market value differ materially, ask the conveyancer which figure Revenue NSW will use before exchange, because the duty on the higher figure is the figure that must be funded at settlement.
Budgeting the settlement, not just the duty
Duty is usually the largest upfront cost after the deposit, but it is not the only cash needed on the day. A settlement budget built only from price and duty will come up short.
Start with the two certain lines: the deposit, which is the price minus the loan, and the duty from this calculator, which is payable at settlement for most purchases of existing homes. On a A$750,000 home with a 20 percent deposit, the deposit is A$150,000 and the duty is A$27,937, so the cash needed before any other cost is A$177,937. That figure is the floor of the settlement budget, not the budget itself, and every other cost sits on top of it. Buyers who budget only the deposit, or only the duty, are budgeting for a settlement that does not exist.
Next, list the costs this calculator does not cover, and get a figure for each before exchange rather than after it. Conveyancing and legal fees, lender fees, building and pest inspections, registration fees, and adjustments for rates and water already paid by the seller all fall due around settlement, and their sizes vary with the property and the lender. First home buyer grants, off-the-plan concessions, shared equity arrangements, and company or trust structures are also outside this calculator, as the disclaimer on this page states, and each can change the duty or the cash needed in ways the general table cannot show. None of these figures is estimated here, because an invented figure for a cost that varies by property would be worse than no figure: it would look like a budget while being a guess.
Finally, put the duty date in the diary at exchange, not at settlement. For most existing homes duty is paid at settlement, collected by the solicitor or conveyancer with the rest of the settlement funds. Off-the-plan purchases generally allow longer, usually within three months of exchange or at settlement if that comes first under the contract. Pay late and interest accrues, so the exact date on the contract governs, and a buyer who discovers the duty date at settlement week has left the most expensive line in the purchase to the last moment. Run this calculator at exchange, confirm the figure with the conveyancer, and fund the duty as part of the deposit plan, not as an afterthought to it.
Timing: contract date decides the rates
Transfer duty is assessed on the contract date, so the rates and thresholds in force when you sign are the ones that apply, even if settlement happens months later and rates have changed in between. That makes timing a real planning variable: a contract signed on 30 June uses the old year scale, and one signed on 1 July uses the new indexed scale, and the difference, while usually small, is real money on a large purchase.
The same principle applies to first-home thresholds: eligibility and thresholds are tested at the relevant transaction date, so a buyer who becomes eligible, or ceases to be eligible, between contract and settlement should check which date governs their case with a conveyancer rather than assuming settlement date rules.
Investors: no first-home help, and surcharges to check
The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme is for first-home buyers occupying the home, not for investors. An investor pays full general rates, and foreign investors face additional surcharges, purchaser surcharge duty and land tax surcharges, which are separate from transfer duty and can be substantial. An investor who later moves into the property does not retrospectively gain first-home treatment for a purchase made as an investor.
Investors should also budget land tax annually, which is a holding cost transfer duty is not. A purchase that looks viable on duty alone can fail on land tax plus interest plus vacancy costs, so the full holding calculation, not just the entry cost, decides an investment.
Off-the-plan and new homes: duty on what value?
For off-the-plan purchases, duty is generally assessed on the contract price, but valuation at settlement can differ, and concessions and grants for new homes have their own eligibility rules and timing. A buyer who signs off-the-plan should confirm the dutiable value basis, the grant position, and what happens if the completed value differs from the contract price, before signing, because those answers are hard to change afterwards.
New-home grants are separate from duty concessions: a grant is money paid toward the purchase, while a concession is duty not charged. Both help, but they are claimed differently and have different eligibility, so a buyer should claim each on its own terms rather than assuming one implies the other.
NSW stamp duty questions, answered
How the bands stack, who pays nothing, and when the bill falls due.
How is NSW stamp duty (transfer duty) calculated?
Your price is sliced into bands, and each slice is charged at its own rate, quoted per A$100. You pay the published base duty for the band your price lands in — that base already contains every lower band — plus the band’s rate on the slice above its floor. On a A$750,000 home: the base at A$387,000 is A$11,602, the remaining A$363,000 is 3,630 hundreds charged at A$4.50, adding A$16,335, for a total of A$27,937. You never pay the top band’s rate on the whole price, and the smallest purchases pay a minimum duty of A$20.
How much do first home buyers save in NSW?
Under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, eligible first home buyers pay no duty at all on a home priced at A$800,000 or less — at A$750,000 that wipes out the full A$27,937. Between A$800,000 and A$1,000,000 the concession phases out: you pay the same percentage of the full duty as the percentage of that A$200,000 window your price has crossed, so at A$900,000 you pay half — A$17,343.50 of the full A$34,687. From A$1,000,000 the full duty applies. You must be buying your first home and live in it as your principal place of residence to qualify.
What are the first home buyer limits for vacant land?
Vacant land has its own, lower limits because land costs less than a finished home. A first home buyer pays no duty on land up to A$350,000. Between A$350,000 and A$450,000 the duty phases in the same way as for homes: at A$400,000 you pay half of the full A$12,187, which is A$6,093.50. Above A$450,000 the full standard duty applies. The scheme expects you to build and move into a home on the land, and time limits apply, so confirm the current conditions with your conveyancer.
What is the foreign buyer surcharge in NSW?
Foreign buyers pay a surcharge purchaser duty of 9% of the purchase price, on top of the standard transfer duty. On a A$750,000 property that is A$67,500 of surcharge added to A$27,937 of duty — A$95,437 in total. The surcharge applies to residential property bought by foreign persons, including many temporary residents and foreign companies and trusts. Foreign owners can also be charged an annual land tax surcharge while they hold the property, so the upfront surcharge is not the whole story.
Why does the contract date change the duty?
NSW indexes its duty thresholds to inflation every 1 July, and the table that applies is the one in force on the date you exchange contracts — not the date you settle. This calculator uses the 2026-27 table, for contracts exchanged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The same A$750,000 home on a 2025-26 contract carried A$28,162 of duty; on a 2026-27 contract it is A$27,937, because indexing lifted the thresholds slightly. A contract from an earlier year needs that year’s table, and your duty will differ a little from what is shown here.
When do I have to pay NSW transfer duty?
For most purchases of existing homes, duty is paid at settlement — your solicitor or conveyancer collects it with the rest of your settlement funds and pays Revenue NSW for you. Off-the-plan purchases generally allow longer: duty is usually due within three months of exchange, or at settlement if that comes first under your contract. Pay late and interest accrues, so check the exact date on your contract. Either way, the duty is a settlement cost you should have budgeted before you exchange, not an afterthought.
What if my contract was exchanged before 1 July 2026?
Then a different table applies, and this calculator will overstate or understate your duty slightly. NSW indexes its duty thresholds every 1 July, and the table that governs is the one in force on the date you exchange contracts, not the date you settle. The same A$750,000 home carried A$28,162 of duty on a 2025-26 contract, A$225 more than the A$27,937 on a 2026-27 contract, because last year’s thresholds were slightly lower. A contract from an earlier year needs that year’s table, and the difference grows with the age of the contract. Ask your conveyancer to confirm the duty on the table for your exchange date, and use this calculator as the 2026-27 comparison, not as the figure for an older contract.
Does the first home buyer concession apply to apartments and units?
Yes, in general: the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme applies to a first home whatever its form, provided it is a home the buyer will live in as a principal place of residence and the price is within the scheme limits. An apartment at A$750,000 receives the same full exemption as a house at A$750,000, because the scheme tests the price and the buyer’s status, not the dwelling type. The conditions that matter are the ones around eligibility: buying a first home, moving in and living there as a principal place of residence, and meeting any other scheme conditions in force for the contract date. A conveyancer confirms the details before settlement, and should be asked early, because a failed eligibility claim turns a zero-duty purchase into a full-duty purchase at the worst possible moment.
Is duty charged on the deposit, or on the full price?
On the full dutiable value, which is the price or the market value, whichever is higher. The deposit is simply the part of the price you pay upfront from your own funds; it does not reduce the value on which duty is charged, and paying a larger deposit does not reduce the duty by a cent. That is why the settlement budget in the guide adds the deposit and the duty together rather than netting one against the other: on a A$750,000 home with a 20 percent deposit, the cash needed before any other cost is A$150,000 of deposit plus A$27,937 of duty, A$177,937 in total. A buyer who assumed duty applied only to the borrowed amount would under-budget, because the duty is charged on the whole A$750,000 value, not on the A$600,000 borrowed.
Can I pay NSW transfer duty in instalments?
Not as a general rule. For most purchases of existing homes, duty is paid in full at settlement, collected by the solicitor or conveyancer with the rest of the settlement funds and paid to Revenue NSW. Off-the-plan purchases generally allow longer, usually within three months of exchange or at settlement if that comes first under the contract, but that is a later due date, not an instalment plan. Pay late and interest accrues, so the practical answer is to fund the duty as part of the deposit plan from exchange onwards. If cash flow at settlement is genuinely tight, the conversation to have is with the lender about the loan amount, not with Revenue NSW about splitting the duty, because the duty is a condition of the transfer proceeding, not a bill that can be spread after it.
Does the contract date or settlement date decide NSW duty rates?
The contract date. Rates and thresholds in force when you sign apply, even if settlement is months later and rates have since changed.
Do investors get first-home stamp duty help in NSW?
No. The scheme is for first-home buyers occupying the home. Foreign investors also face separate surcharge duties and land taxes.
How is duty worked out for off-the-plan purchases?
Generally on the contract price, with new-home grants and concessions claimed separately on their own eligibility rules. Confirm the dutiable value basis before signing.
More property and pay tools
Stamp duty in the rest of the UK, and the pay that funds the purchase.
NSW Stamp Duty: Rates and First-Home Help
The 2026-27 scale, FHBAS thresholds, and eligibility.