There are plenty of fees associated with buying a property in Australia, most notably transfer duty. This fee can add tens of thousands of dollars onto your property purchase.
Also known as stamp duty, transfer duty is a tax set by state governments. It varies depending on a few factors, like whether you’re buying an investment property or a home to live in, and even then it’s normally set at a staggered rate depending on the value of the property. It’s because of these variations that so many people online turn to online calculators to help work out the costs.
How much is transfer duty in Australia in 2025?
As transfer duty changes where you are in the country, there’s no one fixed answer to how much you’ll have to pay.
As well as your location, other factors impact the level of duty, including:
- The price of the property
- Whether you’re buying an investment property or not
- Whether you’re a first-time home buyer
- Your residency status
Transfer duty is payable on all residential properties (including your principal place of residence, investment properties and holiday homes), vacant land and commercial properties.
Like with tax brackets on your income, stamp duty has a tiered approach with the percentage going up as the property value rises. We’ll break down the cost of transfer duty by state and territory, and then show you a couple of examples to give you an idea of how much stamp duty you’re likely to pay.
How much is transfer duty in ACT?
Property value | Duty payable |
Up to $260,000 | $0.40 per $100 up to $260,000 |
$260,001 to $300,000 | $1040 plus $2.20 per $100 over $260,000 |
$300,001 to $500,000 | $1920 plus $3.40 per $100 over $300,000 |
$500,001 to $750,000 | $8720 plus $4.32 per $100 over $500,000 |
$750,001 to $1,000,000 | $19,520 plus $5.90 per $100 over $750,000 |
$1,000,001 to $1,455,000 | $34,270 plus $6.40 per $100 over $1,000,000 |
More than $1,455,000 | A flat rate of $4.54 per $100 applied to the total transaction value |
How much is transfer duty in the Northern Territory?
Transfer duty for buyers in Alice, Darwin and other areas of the Northern Territory has a unique formula for properties under $525k. Over that value, things get a lot easier to work out than other areas of the country.
Property value | Duty payable |
$0 – $525,000 | (0.06571441 x V2) + 15V (where V is 1/1000 of the property’s value) |
$525,000 – $3,000,000 | 4.95% of the value |
$3,000,000 – $5,000,000 | 5.75% of the value |
$5,000,000+ | 5.95% of the value |
For bargain hunters in the NT, the first line looks a bit confusing at first, but it makes a lot more sense when you plug some numbers in and calculate the duty payable.
For example, for a property worth $500,000, V would equal 500 (500,000/1000). With that number, you multiply V by itself (250,000) then multiply that by 0.06571441 (16428.6025). Add that number to V times 15 (7500), which comes to 23928.6025, or $23,928.60.
Once you get to properties over $525,000, the stamp duty calculations become a lot easier to work out. You can see how things compare against other states and territories at the bottom of the page.
How much is transfer duty in New South Wales?
Although property values are at the higher end of the scale, NSW transfer duties are close to the cheapest in the country — see our examples later in the piece to see how the state compares against the rest of the country.
Property value | Duty payable |
$36,000 – $97,000 | $497 plus $1.75 for every $100 over $36,000 |
$97,000 – $364,000 | $1564 plus $3.50 for every $100 over $97,000 |
$364,000 – $1,212,000 | $10,909 plus $4.50 for every $100 over $364,000 |
$1,212,000+ | $49,069 plus $5.50 for every $100 over $1,212,000 |
Confused? Use our stamp duty calculator for NSW properties and read about 8 regional NSW property hotspots for 2025.
How much is transfer duty in Queensland?
If you’re interested in transfer duty rates in Queensland, you’re in for good news. Whether you’re looking to buy property in Brisbane, Gold Coast or farther north, the duty payable on QLD properties is generally the lowest in Australia. At the bottom of this article, we’ve compared stamp duty rates state-by-state for two fictional properties, and Queensland property buyers will be very happy with the results.
Property value | Duty payable |
$5,000 – $75,000 | $1.50 for each $100 over $5,000 |
$75,000 – $540,000 | $1050 plus $3.50 for each $100 over $75,000 |
$540,000 – $1,000,000 | $17,325 plus $4.50 for each $100 over $540,000 |
$1,000,000+ | $38,025 plus $5.75 for each $100 over $1,000,000 |
There isn’t a separate rate for seniors card or pensioner concession card holders in Queensland, but buyers who don’t have Australian citizenship pay an extra 8% on top of this duty.
How much is transfer duty in South Australia?
People buying property in Adelaide and other areas of South Australia will find that they are at the higher end of transfer duty rates in the country. However, with some of the most promising growth suburbs in Australia, it’s not all bad news.
Property value | Duty payable |
$50,000 – $100,000 | $1,080 plus $3.50 for every $100 over $50,000 |
$100,000 – $200,000 | $2,830 plus $4.00 for every $100 over $100,000 |
$200,000 – $250,000 | $6,830 plus $4.25 for every $100 over $200,000 |
$250,000 – $300,000 | $8,955 plus $4.75 for every $100 over $250,000 |
$300,000 – $500,000 | $11,330 plus $5.00 for every $100 over $300,000 |
$500,000+ | $21,330 plus $5.50 for every $100 over $500,000 |
How much is transfer duty in Tasmania?
Property value | Duty payable |
$25,000 – $75,000 | $435 plus 2.25% for every $100 over $25,000 |
$75,000 – $200,000 | $1560 plus 3.5% for every $100 over $75,000 |
$200,000 – $375,000 | $5935 plus 4% for every $100 over $200,000 |
$375,000 – $725,000 | $12,935 plus 4.25% for every $100 over $375,000 |
$725,000+ | $27,810 plus 4.5% for every $100 over $725,000 |
How much is land transfer duty in Victoria?
Stamp duty in Victoria is generally considered to be one of the most expensive in the country, especially at the higher end of the property market. As you’ll see in our examples below, there’s nowhere more expensive to buy a property in terms of stamp duty costs.
Property value | Duty payable |
$25,000 – $130,000 | $350, plus 2.4% of the value above $25,000 |
$130,000 – $960,000 | $2870, plus 6% of the value above $130,000 |
$960,000 – $2,000,000 | 5.5% of the value |
$2,000,000+ | $110,000, plus 6.5% of the value above $2,000,000 |
Stamp duty exemptions in Victoria
Not everyone has to pay stamp duty. The most well-known exemption is for first-home buyers on purchases up to $600,000.
Transfers of properties between partners, from a deceased estate or of family farms can all be eligible for transfer duty exemptions too.
Some pensioners and concession card holders may be able to get a reduced rate.
How much is transfer duty in Western Australia?
Property value | Duty payable |
$120,001 – $150,000 | $2280 + $2.85 per $100 above $120,000 |
$150,001 – $360,000 | $3135 + $3.80 per $100 above $150,000 |
$360,001 – $725,000 | $11,115 + $4.75 per $100 above $360,000 |
$725,001+ | $28,453 + $5.15 per $100 or part thereof above $725,000 |
First-time home buyers are exempt from stamp duty on properties in WA up to $430,000 and at a lower rate for properties up to $600,000. From there, FHBs are eligible for the general rate.
Business assets up to a value of $200,000 are subject to a different rate of duty in WA.
Comparison of transfer duty costs in Australia
While the numbers above are very prescriptive, they can be a bit hard to understand without calculating the costs. We’ve plugged the figures into our calculator to show what you’d likely pay in transfer duty on properties worth $800k and $1.2m across the country. These examples are based on buying a PPOR as an Australian citizen (without any concessions). In those cases, you would likely pay stamp duty of:
On a $800,000 property | On a $1.2m property | |
Australian Capital Territory | $22,470 | $47,070 |
Queensland | $21,850 | $42,350 |
New South Wales | $30,529 | $48,529 |
Northern Territory | $39,600 | $59,400 |
South Australia | $37,830 | $59,830 |
Tasmania | $31,185 | $49,185 |
Victoria | $43,070 | $66,000 |
Western Australia | $32,315 | $52,915 |
As you can see, buying in Queensland has benefits aside from the weather with lower stamp duty costs than the rest of the country. At the other end of the scale, people buying property in Victoria tend to have the highest transfer duties in Australia.