Stamp Duty Calculator

Plan for your upfront costs

Stamp duty (called land transfer duty in Victoria) is a state tax on the transfer of property. It is paid at settlement and, in almost every case, must come from your own cash on top of your deposit — lenders will not fund it. It is usually the single largest transaction cost of buying a home, and it is calculated on a sliding scale, so a small increase in purchase price can push you into a higher duty bracket.

Concessions for first home buyers, off-the-plan purchases, pensioners and (in some states) regional purchases can dramatically reduce or remove it. Because each state sets its own thresholds, the same $750,000 purchase can attract wildly different duty depending on where you buy and whether you have owned property before.

How duty is calculated

Duty is applied to the dutiable value — normally the contract price or the market value, whichever is higher — using progressive brackets. The calculator applies the current bracket rates plus first home buyer concessions where they apply, then adds the standard transfer and mortgage registration fees so you can see the whole government bill in one number.

Two things commonly surprise buyers. First, concession thresholds are cliffs, not gradual: buying $10,000 over a cap can cost many thousands in extra duty. Second, duty is charged on the price including anything fixed to the property, so paying separately for chattels rarely helps as much as buyers hope.

Worked examples (Victoria)

• $600,000, first home buyer, moving in — full exemption, so duty is nil and only registration fees apply.
• $700,000, first home buyer — a partial concession applies on the sliding scale between $600,000 and $750,000, so duty is a fraction of the standard bill.
• $800,000, first home buyer — above the concession cap, so full duty applies: roughly $43,000 in cash you need on settlement day.
• $800,000, next home or investor — full duty of roughly $43,000 with no concession available.

Run your own figure above, because the difference between the third and second example is the clearest example of why the purchase price you choose matters as much as the property itself.

Budgeting the rest of your upfront costs

• Conveyancing or solicitor — typically $1,200–$2,500.
• Building and pest inspection — $400–$800 per property inspected.
• Loan and settlement fees — $0–$800 depending on lender.
• Lenders Mortgage Insurance — only if your deposit is under 20% and no scheme or guarantor applies.
• Council and water adjustments — usually a few hundred dollars at settlement.

Keep reading

• First home buyer hub — pick your state for exact caps and concessions.
• Property purchase calculator — total funds needed to complete.
• Melbourne stamp duty explained for 2026.
• The 5% deposit scheme — buy sooner and skip LMI.