First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Guide

Do First Home Buyers Pay Stamp Duty?

Stamp duty (also known as transfer duty) is one of the largest upfront costs when buying a home in Australia. The good news for first home buyers is that every state and territory offers some form of stamp duty relief — but the rules vary significantly from one jurisdiction to the next.

Some states, like NSW and Victoria, provide full exemptions below a property-value threshold and a sliding-scale concession up to a higher ceiling. Others, like South Australia, only offer relief on new homes. Tasmania has a hard cliff with no sliding scale at all — if your property is even one dollar over the threshold, you pay full duty. The Northern Territory has no stamp duty concession for first home buyers, relying instead on a generous $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant.

Understanding which concessions apply to you — and how close your purchase price is to the relevant threshold — can save you tens of thousands of dollars. This guide breaks down the first home buyer stamp duty rules for all eight states and territories, along with the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG), eligibility requirements, and common mistakes that cause buyers to miss out.

First Home Buyer Stamp Duty by State

The table below summarises the type of stamp duty relief available to first home buyers in each Australian state and territory, along with the key thresholds and property types covered. Note that these thresholds can change with state budgets — the figures shown are current as at the 2025-26 financial year.

NSW First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

New South Wales offers first home buyer stamp duty relief through the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (FHBAS). This is the most commonly used FHB concession in Australia, given the size of the Sydney property market.

Under the FHBAS, you receive a full stamp duty exemption if the property value is $800,000 or less. For properties valued between $800,001 and $1,000,000, a sliding-scale concession applies. The concession formula is: duty payable = full duty x (property value - $800,000) / $200,000. This means the closer you are to $800,000, the less duty you pay, tapering to full duty at $1,000,000.

For vacant land, the exemption threshold is $350,000 and the concession ceiling is $450,000. This covers land you intend to build your first home on.

In addition to stamp duty relief, NSW offers the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) of $10,000 for new homes valued up to $600,000 (or $750,000 for properties in regional NSW). The FHOG and the FHBAS are separate programs — you can claim both if you meet the eligibility criteria for each.

VIC First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

Victoria provides stamp duty relief for first home buyers through its Principal Place of Residence (PPR) concession rates and a dedicated first home buyer exemption. First home buyers purchasing a property valued at $600,000 or less receive a full stamp duty exemption — this applies to both existing and new homes, provided you intend to live in the property as your principal place of residence.

For properties valued between $600,001 and $750,000, a sliding-scale concession applies. The discount reduces proportionally as the property value increases toward $750,000, at which point the standard PPR duty rates apply.

Victoria also offers a $10,000 FHOG for new homes valued up to $750,000. As in other states, the FHOG is only available for new homes — you cannot claim it for an established property. First home buyers in Victoria should also be aware of the separate PPR duty rates, which are lower than general rates and apply to all owner-occupiers, not just first home buyers.

QLD First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

Queensland offers a stepped concession for first home buyers purchasing established homes. The concession applies to properties valued up to $700,000 and reduces by $406.60 for every $10,000 the property value exceeds $505,000. This means the concession tapers out entirely at $700,000, above which you pay the standard home concession rate.

For new homes, from 1 May 2025, Queensland introduces a full stamp duty exemption with no value cap. This is a significant change — previously, the concession for new homes had the same thresholds as established homes. First home buyers purchasing a newly built home or building a new home will pay zero stamp duty regardless of the purchase price.

The home concession rate schedule (lower duty rates for owner-occupiers) is available to all buyers who intend to live in the property, not just first home buyers.

Queensland's FHOG is currently $30,000 for new homes valued up to $750,000. This amount is scheduled to reduce to $15,000 after 30 June 2026, making the current period an especially favourable time for first home buyers in Queensland.

WA First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

Western Australia offers the First Home Owner Rate of Duty (FHOR), which provides a full stamp duty exemption for properties valued at $500,000 or less. This applies to all property types — existing homes, new homes, and vacant land.

For properties above $500,000, a sliding scale applies with different ceilings depending on location. In metropolitan areas, the concession ceiling is $700,000, with a rate of 19.19 cents per $100 of value above $500,000. In regional areas, the ceiling is $750,000, with a lower rate of 11.89 cents per $100 above $500,000. Above these ceilings, you pay the standard transfer duty rates.

WA also provides a $10,000 FHOG for new homes. The FHOR and FHOG are independent — first home buyers who meet both sets of eligibility criteria can claim both benefits.

SA First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

South Australia's first home buyer stamp duty relief is unique in that it only applies to new homes. From 13 February 2025, first home buyers purchasing a new home receive full stamp duty relief with no value cap. This means a first home buyer purchasing a newly built home for $1,000,000 or more pays zero stamp duty.

However, there is no stamp duty concession for first home buyers purchasing an established (existing) home in South Australia. If you are buying an existing property, you pay the standard transfer duty rates regardless of whether it is your first home. This is one of the most significant limitations of any state's FHB program.

SA offers a $15,000 FHOG for new homes with no value cap. Be aware that the foreign buyer surcharge still applies even where first home buyer relief is granted — if you are a foreign purchaser, the surcharge is payable on top of any FHB concession.

TAS First Home Buyer Stamp Duty

Tasmania offers a full stamp duty exemption for first home buyers purchasing a property valued at $750,000 or less. Unlike NSW, VIC, and WA, Tasmania does not have a sliding concession — the exemption operates as a hard cliff. If the property is valued at $750,001 or more, you pay the full amount of stamp duty with no concession whatsoever.

The exemption covers both existing and new homes, but the extension to established homes is a temporary measure currently legislated until 30 June 2026. If you are a first home buyer considering an established property in Tasmania, it is worth being aware that this concession may not be extended beyond that date.

Tasmania also provides a $30,000 FHOG for new homes, making it one of the most generous states for first home buyers purchasing newly built properties.

NT and ACT First Home Buyers

Northern Territory: The NT does not offer a stamp duty concession specifically for first home buyers. However, it compensates with the HomeGrown Territory grant — a $50,000 cash grant for eligible first home buyers purchasing or building a new home in the Territory. This is the largest first home buyer grant in Australia. Recipients must commit to living in the property for at least 10 years (or repay a pro-rata amount if they leave earlier).

Australian Capital Territory: The ACT offers the Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS), which is income-tested rather than based solely on property value. The maximum property value to qualify is $1,020,000, and the maximum stamp duty concession is $35,238. Eligibility is assessed against household income thresholds — higher-income households receive a smaller concession or may not qualify at all. The ACT abolished the FHOG in 2019 and does not offer a cash grant for first home buyers.

First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) Summary

The First Home Owner Grant is a federal initiative administered by each state and territory, which means the grant amount, property cap, and eligibility rules differ across jurisdictions. The table below summarises the current FHOG available in each state.

Eligibility Requirements

While the exact criteria vary between states, the following requirements are common to most first home buyer stamp duty concessions and the FHOG across Australia:

• Australian citizen or permanent resident. Most states require citizenship or permanent residency. Some accept New Zealand citizens on a Special Category Visa (subclass 444).
• Never previously owned property. Neither you nor your spouse/partner can have previously owned residential property anywhere in Australia. Some states extend this to property owned overseas.
• Must live in the property as your principal place of residence. You are generally required to move in within 12 months of settlement and live there continuously for 6 to 12 months (varies by state).
• Aged 18 or over. You must be at least 18 years of age at the date of the contract of sale.

State-specific extras: The ACT applies an income test through the HBCS, meaning higher-income households may receive a reduced concession or none at all. South Australia only provides stamp duty relief for new homes — buying an established home does not qualify. Western Australia has a higher concession ceiling for regional properties ($750,000) compared to metropolitan properties ($700,000).

Common Reasons First Home Buyers Miss Out

Even when a generous concession exists, many first home buyers fail to take advantage of it. Here are the most common reasons buyers miss out on stamp duty relief: