Stamp Duty on a Sydney Home in 2026-27: Why $800,000 Is the Number to Watch
Transfer duty is usually the largest single cost a NSW buyer pays on top of the purchase price. The rate scale rises in steps, and one threshold for first home buyers changes the bill more than any other.
How NSW calculates transfer duty
Revenue NSW publishes the scale each financial year. For 2026-27, a published calculator that mirrors the scale applies these brackets to residential purchases:
| Dutiable value | Duty |
| $103,001 to $387,000 | $1,662 plus $3.50 per $100 over $103,000 |
| $387,001 to $1,290,000 | $11,602 plus $4.50 per $100 over $387,000 |
| $1,290,001 to $3,870,000 | $52,237 plus $5.50 per $100 over $1,290,000 |
On a $1,000,000 home that works out to $39,187. Buyers should confirm the figure on the Revenue NSW calculator before relying on any estimate, because the brackets are indexed each July.
The first home buyer threshold
The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (FHBAS) removes duty entirely on eligible homes up to $800,000. Between $800,000 and $1,000,000 the concession tapers, and from $1,000,000 it ends. The NSW Government’s FHBAS page sets the same limits for newly built and existing homes.
The taper runs in a straight line, so each extra $10,000 in price costs a little more duty than the one before it. The table compares standard duty with the FHBAS amount:
| Price | Standard duty | FHBAS duty |
| $800,000 | $30,187 | $0 |
| $850,000 | $32,437 | $9,796.75 |
| $900,000 | $34,687 | $19,593.50 |
| $950,000 | $36,937 | $29,390.25 |
| $990,000 | $38,737 | $37,227.65 |
The FHBAS figures come from the NSW Government’s published examples. The standard column applies the 2026-27 scale above.
A buyer at $850,000 pays $9,796.75 under the scheme. Moving the price up by $50,000 adds roughly $9,800, so a $50,000 difference in what a buyer offers can cost far more than $50,000 in effect once duty is counted.
Vacant land
Vacant land follows a lower pair of thresholds: $350,000 for a full exemption and $450,000 for the end of the concession. The government’s examples show $2,761.40 of duty on a $370,000 block and $11,475.60 on $430,000.
Who qualifies
The scheme sets conditions that catch some buyers out:
- Every buyer must be at least 18 years old
- Every buyer must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- No buyer can have owned residential property in Australia before
- The buyers must move in within 12 months and live there for at least 12 continuous months
Joint purchases need every named buyer to meet these tests. If one buyer has owned property before, the concession is generally unavailable for the contract as a whole.
The earlier First Home Buyer Choice option, where buyers could swap duty for an annual property tax, closed to new applicants on 30 June 2023.
Where a conveyancer fits in
Duty is assessed from the contract and the transfer, and the amount has to be paid or arranged before settlement. A conveyancer lodges the paperwork, checks eligibility for any concession and confirms the figure before funds move.
Buyers weighing up property conveyancing in sydney often compare quotes by fee alone. A duty miscalculation or a missed concession can outweigh the fee by tens of thousands of dollars, so it is worth asking who checks the figure and when.
Other costs that sit beside duty
Duty is one line in a longer budget. Buyers in NSW also pay for searches and certificates, a building and pest inspection, lender fees and registration of the transfer and any mortgage with NSW Land Registry Services. Removalists, strata transfer fees on apartments and a first insurance premium come soon after.
Setting aside an extra amount for these items avoids a funding gap at settlement. Lenders generally ask for evidence of funds to complete, and a shortfall of a few thousand dollars can delay the transfer.
Checking the figure before exchange
A buyer who has a price in mind can test two or three scenarios on the official calculator, including a figure just under $800,000 and one just over it. The gap shows how much a small change in the offer moves the duty bill. The same exercise helps when a vendor counters at a round number that happens to sit above the threshold.
A caution on online searches
Revenue NSW has warned that some websites mimic its services and charge fees for tasks that are free or cheaper on the official site. Buyers should start from the revenue.nsw.gov.au domain when looking up a calculator or lodging anything.
The practical step is to run the numbers on the official calculator once a contract price is agreed, then check the result against the table above before exchange.