How is stamp duty calculated in Australia?

Stamp duty (transfer duty) is set by each state and territory using a sliding scale of brackets. Within each bracket a fixed base amount applies plus a marginal rate on the portion of the price above the bracket threshold. The tool applies the relevant state's table to your price.

Why does stamp duty differ so much between states?

Property transfer duty is a state tax, not a federal one, so each state legislates its own thresholds and rates. NSW, Victoria and Queensland all have different bracket structures, which is why the same purchase price can produce very different duty depending on where the property is.

Is stamp duty calculated on the price or the market value?

Generally on the greater of the contract price and the property's market value (the dutiable value). For an arm's-length purchase these are usually the same, so entering the price is normally correct.

Are first-home buyers exempt from stamp duty?

Many states offer concessions or full exemptions for eligible first-home buyers below certain price caps, and for new versus established homes. These vary by state and change often, so this tool shows the standard duty; check your state revenue office for current first-home concessions.

Does this include other government fees?

No. On top of transfer duty there are usually small fixed charges such as transfer registration and mortgage registration fees. Those are minor compared with duty and are not included here — add them separately for a full settlement figure.

Australia Stamp Duty / Transfer Tax Calculator

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An Australia stamp duty calculator (also called transfer duty or conveyance duty) that estimates the tax you pay when buying property — and because stamp duty is a state tax, it computes the figure separately for NSW, Victoria and Queensland using each state’s own tiered bracket table rather than a single flat percentage.

How it works

Each state runs a sliding scale: the price falls into a bracket, and within that bracket the duty is a fixed base amount plus a marginal rate applied to the portion of the price above the bracket’s threshold:

duty = bracketBase + (price - bracketThreshold) * marginalRate

For example, a price sitting in a 4.5% marginal band does not pay 4.5% on the whole price — only on the slice above that band’s threshold, on top of the accumulated duty from the lower bands. This progressive structure is why a small price increase near a bracket boundary can nudge the marginal rate up.

The three states differ markedly: NSW, VIC and QLD each legislate their own thresholds, base amounts and top rates, so the same purchase price can produce duty that differs by thousands of dollars across state lines.

Example and notes

A 700,000 AUD home produces meaningfully different duty in NSW versus VIC versus QLD because each applies its own scale to that price. Switch the state selector to see the gap.

These are standard owner-occupier figures. First-home-buyer concessions, foreign-purchaser surcharges and off-the-plan adjustments are not applied — they vary by state and change frequently, so confirm current concessions with the relevant state revenue office. Minor fixed registration fees are also excluded. All figures are computed locally in your browser.