NSW Stamp Duty Calculator
Stamp duty is one of the largest upfront costs of buying a home — and it's easy to underestimate. Pop in a price below and we'll work out the transfer duty using the exact Revenue NSW brackets, including the first home buyer concession if it applies to you.
How stamp duty works in NSW
Stamp duty — officially called transfer duty — is a tax the NSW Government charges when a property changes hands. It's worked out on a sliding scale: the more the property costs, the higher the rate on the portion above each threshold. It isn't a flat percentage, which is exactly why a quick mental estimate so often comes up short.
Here's the part that catches people out — stamp duty is due at settlement, in cash, on top of your deposit. It isn't rolled into the loan. So when you're working out what you genuinely need on the day, this number matters just as much as the deposit itself.
The first home buyer concession
If you're buying your first home, there's real relief on offer. Under the current NSW rules, first home buyers pay no stamp duty at all on a home up to $800,000, and a reduced amount on a sliding scale between $800,000 and $1,000,000. Above $1,000,000, the standard rates apply.
That concession can be worth tens of thousands of dollars — so it's well worth checking whether you qualify before you budget. Eligibility depends on things like whether you've owned property before and whether you'll live in the home, so treat the saving shown above as a guide and confirm the detail with Revenue NSW.
We've pulled the eligibility rules, thresholds and worked examples together in our NSW first home buyer stamp duty guide — worth a read before you lock in your budget.
The current NSW transfer duty brackets
These are the general transfer duty rates published by Revenue NSW, effective 2026-07-01. Each band only applies to the portion of the price that falls inside it.
| Property value | Duty |
|---|---|
| $0 – $18,000 | $1.25 per $100 of the property value |
| $18,001 – $38,000 | $225 + $1.50 per $100 over $18,000 |
| $38,001 – $103,000 | $525 + $1.75 per $100 over $38,000 |
| $103,001 – $387,000 | $1,662 + $3.50 per $100 over $103,000 |
| $387,001 – $1,290,000 | $11,602 + $4.50 per $100 over $387,000 |
| $1,290,001 – $3,870,000 | $52,237 + $5.50 per $100 over $1,290,000 |
| Over $3,870,000 | $194,137 + $7.00 per $100 over $3,870,000 |
The full schedule, the concession thresholds, the effective date and the date we last checked them all sit on our NSW stamp duty rates reference page — same data, same file, nothing held back. Read our full methodology for how we source and apply these rates.
Worked examples
Every figure in this table is calculated at build time from the schedule above, using the same code the calculator runs. If the data changes, the table changes with it. “Standard buyer” means anyone not eligible for the first home buyer concession.
| Purchase price | Standard buyer | First home buyer | Concession |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $16,687 | $0 | $16,687 |
| $650,000 | $23,437 | $0 | $23,437 |
| $750,000 | $27,937 | $0 | $27,937 |
| $800,000 | $30,187 | $0 | $30,187 |
| $850,000 | $32,437 | $8,109 | $24,328 |
| $900,000 | $34,687 | $17,344 | $17,343 |
| $950,000 | $36,937 | $27,703 | $9,234 |
| $1,000,000 | $39,187 | $39,187 | — |
| $1,350,000 | $55,537 | $55,537 | — |
| $2,000,000 | $91,287 | $91,287 | — |
The first home buyer column is the whole story of this page. Full exemption up to $800,000, a sliding concession between $800,000 and $1,000,000, and standard rates at $1,000,000 and above.
Show your working
$850,000, standard buyer. The price falls in the $387,001 – $1,290,000 band, which carries a base of $11,602 plus $4.50 per $100 on the amount above $387,000. $11,602 + 0.045 × ($850,000 − $387,000) = $11,602 + $20,835 = $32,437.
$850,000, first home buyer. The concession is a straight-line taper between the two thresholds. $850,000 is $50,000 into a $200,000 range, so the factor is 0.25. $32,437 × 0.25 = $8,109.
$950,000, first home buyer. $150,000 into the same $200,000 range, factor 0.75. $36,937 × 0.75 = $27,703. The concession is worth $9,234 here against $24,328 at $850,000 — the relief falls away quickly through that band.
How we work it out
duty = base + (price − the lower bound of the band) × rate,
for the band the price falls in
first home buyer:
at or below the exemption threshold → nil
between the exemption and the concession → full duty × (price − exemption) ÷ width of the band
at or above the concession threshold → full dutyResults are rounded to whole dollars. The bands, the bases, the rates and both first home buyer thresholds are read from our NSW schedule rather than written into this page. Full exemption up to $800,000, a sliding concession between $800,000 and $1,000,000, and standard rates at $1,000,000 and above.
Assumptions
- A standard residential purchase in New South Wales. We hold verified transfer duty data for NSW only. No other state or territory is modelled, and we would rather tell you that than apply NSW rates to a purchase somewhere else — see exactly which schedules we publish.
- Duty is worked out on the purchase price. Where the property is worth more than the price paid, Revenue NSW assesses on the higher figure, and that case is not modelled here.
- The first home buyer figures are the price test only. Eligibility also depends on whether you have owned property before and whether you will live in the home.
- No off-the-plan deferral, no deceased-estate or related-party concession, and no vacant-land concession.
- An estimate for planning, not a Revenue NSW assessment.
This calculator does not apply the foreign purchaser surcharge. Our data records it at 8% for New South Wales, which on a $850,000 residential purchase would be a further $68,000 on top of the duty shown above. If you are a foreign person for duty purposes, confirm your position with Revenue NSW.
Sources
| Figure | Source | Effective | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW transfer duty brackets and first home buyer thresholds | Revenue NSW — Transfer duty | 1 July 2026 | 14 July 2026 |
Common questions
How much is stamp duty on an $850,000 house in NSW?
For a standard (non-first-home) buyer, transfer duty on an $850,000 NSW property is about $32,437, calculated on the $387,001–$1,290,000 bracket. A first home buyer would pay roughly $8,109 on the same price thanks to the sliding concession — a saving of around $24,300.
When do I have to pay stamp duty?
Transfer duty is generally payable within three months of signing the contract, and in practice it's almost always settled on the day of settlement. It's an upfront cash cost — it isn't added to your mortgage — so make sure it's part of the money you have ready on the day.
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in NSW?
Not on a home up to $800,000 — that's fully exempt. Between $800,000 and $1,000,000 you pay a reduced amount on a sliding scale, and above $1,000,000 the standard rates apply. Eligibility conditions apply, so confirm your situation with Revenue NSW.
Is this stamp duty calculator accurate?
It uses the exact transfer duty brackets published by Revenue NSW and the current first home buyer thresholds, so it gives a strong estimate for a standard residential purchase. It doesn't model the foreign purchaser surcharge or every individual concession — for anything unusual, check with Revenue NSW or your conveyancer.
Why is stamp duty so much higher than a flat percentage suggests?
Because it's a sliding scale, and each band applies only to the portion of the price that falls inside it. The jump from a $1,662 base to an $11,602 base at $387,000 is what catches people out on a quick mental estimate.
Does this work for other states?
No. We hold verified duty data for New South Wales only, and the calculator tells you that rather than quietly applying NSW rates to a Victorian purchase. Our stamp duty coverage page lists exactly which states we publish and which we don't.
What if I'm a foreign buyer?
NSW applies an additional surcharge on residential purchases by foreign persons. This calculator does not include it, so your actual duty will be materially higher than the figure shown. Check your position with Revenue NSW.
Is this the same as the land transfer fee?
No. Transfer duty is the tax. There's also a smaller registration fee to lodge the transfer, which sits in the government fees line of our full buying cost calculator.
Stamp duty is only part of the picture
Stamp duty is the big one, but it's not the only upfront cost — there's LMI if your deposit is under 20%, conveyancing, and government fees, plus the ongoing council rates, water and insurance once you've moved in. If you'd like to see the whole picture for where you're buying, our full buying cost calculator brings it all together. Or see the numbers already worked out in our suburb cost breakdowns for popular Sydney suburbs.