Stamp duty concessions for first home buyers now differ sharply across the country: NSW exempts homes to $800,000, Victoria to $600,000, Queensland to $700,000 with a full exemption for new builds, SA scraps duty on new homes, WA adds an off-the-plan rebate, and the ACT goes furthest with a full exemption for every first home buyer from 1 July 2026. Because LAS handles conveyancing across all six jurisdictions, here is the map in one place.
Transfer duty is usually the single largest transaction cost a first home buyer faces. In 2026 the concessions vary more between states than they have in years. For buyers weighing where to purchase, and for the growing number of clients buying interstate, the differences are worth real money.
New South Wales
First home buyers pay no transfer duty on new or established homes valued up to $800,000, with a sliding-scale concession between $800,000 and $1 million. Off-the-plan purchasers can defer payment for up to 12 months. The First Home Owner Grant remains $10,000 for eligible new homes. On an $800,000 established purchase, the exemption is worth roughly $31,000 against standard rates.
The other five, at a glance
- Australian Capital Territory: from 1 July 2026, a full exemption for every first home buyer, with no property price cap (the most generous scheme in the country).
- Victoria: no duty up to $600,000, concessional rates to $750,000.
- Queensland: no duty up to $700,000 with discounts to $800,000, and a full exemption for newly built homes and vacant land.
- South Australia: no duty on newly built homes or vacant land, with no price cap; established homes attract standard rates.
- Western Australia: no duty up to $600,000, concessions to $800,000, no duty on vacant lots to $450,000, and a 75% off-the-plan rebate capped at $50,000.
The pattern across the smaller states mirrors the federal budget's direction: the deepest concessions increasingly attach to new builds. A first home buyer open to off-the-plan or house-and-land can now do better in Queensland, South Australia or WA than the headline thresholds suggest.
One firm, six jurisdictions
Because LAS Lawyers acts on conveyancing in NSW, the ACT, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, the concession assessment happens inside the same engagement as the contract review. One point of contact, whichever side of a border the property sits. Send the contract through and we will confirm the duty position with the review.
On a matter related to this?
The general information in this briefing isn't a substitute for advice tailored to your circumstances. If you're working on a conveyancing matter and want a partner's view, get in touch.