In the ACT, stamp duty is officially called conveyance duty, and the Territory runs it differently from every other state. Owner-occupiers pay a lower scale than investors, the rates have been falling each year as part of a long-running tax-reform program, and from 1 July 2026 first home buyers stop paying duty altogether. This page sets out the 2025-26 conveyance duty scales and the major changes landing on 1 July 2026.
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Estimate only. Government registration and transfer fees are approximate and change regularly — confirm with your state revenue office and lender.
Also called
Conveyance duty
First home buyer
$0 to $1.02m · income-tested
Foreign surcharge
None
Revenue office
ACT Revenue Office
Conveyance duty is the tax you pay the ACT Government when you buy a property or take a transfer of land. It is worked out on the "dutiable value" — usually the price you pay or the market value, whichever is higher. The ACT uses a sliding scale: the rate rises through a series of brackets, so a more expensive property attracts a higher average rate. Unlike most states, the ACT has two separate residential scales — a lower one for eligible owner-occupiers (people buying a home to live in) and a higher one for everyone else, including investors and people buying a second property. For both scales, once the dutiable value passes $1,455,000 a single flat rate of 4.54% applies to the whole value rather than just the portion above the threshold. Duty is generally payable within 14 days of the notice of assessment after the transfer is registered, and the ACT operates a self-assessment "Barrier Free" model for most residential transfers. Commercial property follows a separate scale.
| Property value | Transfer duty |
|---|---|
| Up to $200,000 | $1.20 per $100 (or part) of the dutiable value |
| $200,001 – $300,000 | $2,400 + $2.20 per $100 over $200,000 |
| $300,001 – $500,000 | $4,600 + $3.40 per $100 over $300,000 |
| $500,001 – $750,000 | $11,400 + $4.32 per $100 over $500,000 |
| $750,001 – $1,000,000 | $22,200 + $5.90 per $100 over $750,000 |
| $1,000,001 – $1,455,000 | $36,950 + $6.40 per $100 over $1,000,000 |
| More than $1,455,000 | Flat 4.54% applied to the whole dutiable value (not just the portion above $1,455,000) |
| Property value | Transfer duty |
|---|---|
| Up to $260,000 | $0.28 per $100 of the dutiable value |
| $260,001 – $300,000 | $728 + $2.20 per $100 over $260,000 |
| $300,001 – $500,000 | $1,608 + $3.40 per $100 over $300,000 |
| $500,001 – $750,000 | $8,408 + $4.32 per $100 over $500,000 |
| $750,001 – $1,000,000 | $19,208 + $5.90 per $100 over $750,000 |
| $1,000,001 – $1,455,000 | $33,958 + $6.40 per $100 over $1,000,000 |
| More than $1,455,000 | Flat 4.54% of the whole value |
The ACT has two residential conveyance duty scales. The figures above are the general (non-owner-occupier / investor) scale. Eligible owner-occupiers pay a lower scale that, from 1 July 2025, starts at just $0.28 per $100 up to $260,000 (e.g. $260,001–$300,000 = $728 + $2.20/$100; $300,001–$500,000 = $1,608 + $3.40/$100; $500,001–$750,000 = $8,408 + $4.32/$100; $750,001–$1,000,000 = $19,208 + $5.90/$100; $1,000,001–$1,455,000 = $33,958 + $6.40/$100). For both scales, properties over $1,455,000 are charged a flat 4.54% on the entire value. The ACT is also unwinding stamp duty over a long-term reform program, replacing it with higher general rates (land tax/rates) — so the conveyance duty scales typically fall a little each financial year. Commercial property is on a separate scale (no duty up to $2,000,000 dutiable value from 1 July 2025, then a flat 5%).
For purchases settling in 2025-26, first home buyers in the ACT do not get a separate concession — they use the Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS), which is open to anyone (not just first-timers) who meets the rules. Under HBCS you pay no conveyance duty on a home with a dutiable value up to $1,020,000, with a partial concession (maximum benefit $35,238) tapering up to $1,455,000. HBCS is income-tested: total gross income across all buyers and their partners must be under $250,000 (rising with dependent children to $273,000 for five or more), none of the buyers can have owned property anywhere in Australia in the past five years, and at least one buyer must move in within a year of settlement and live there for at least a year. From 1 July 2026 this changes dramatically: every first home buyer in the ACT pays $0 stamp duty with no income test and no property-value cap, on any home, new or established. If you are buying around that date, settlement timing matters.
Who qualifies: 2025-26 Home Buyer Concession Scheme: all buyers must be individuals aged 18+; none of the buyers (or their partners) may have held an interest in any other property in Australia in the five years before the transaction; at least one buyer must move in within 12 months of settlement and live there continuously for at least 12 months; total gross income of all buyers and partners must be at or below $250,000 (0 children), rising by $4,600 per child to $273,000 for 5+ dependent children. Applies to new and established homes and vacant residential land. From 1 July 2026: the income test and value cap are removed for first home buyers — $0 duty regardless of income or property value.
Note: The 2025-26 HBCS (income-tested, $1,020,000 cap) applies to transactions up to 30 June 2026. From 1 July 2026 the ACT abolishes stamp duty for all first home buyers with no income test and no value cap (ACT 2026-27 Budget). Exact legislative/threshold detail was still being published by the ACT Revenue Office as at 20 June 2026.
| Purchase | Owner-occupier | First home buyer |
|---|---|---|
| $600,000 established home | $12,728 | $0 |
| $800,000 established home | $22,158 | $0 |
| $1,020,000 established home | $35,238 | $0 |
| $1,500,000 established home | $68,100 | $68,100 |
Owner-occupier figures use the ACT's eligible owner-occupier scale (second table above); investors pay the general scale (first table). The Home Buyer Concession Scheme is income-tested.
There is no First Home Owner Grant in the ACT. FHOG payments ceased for the ACT for transactions commencing on or after 1 July 2019; the page now only services legacy applications from before that date. The ACT replaced the grant with stamp duty assistance — the Home Buyer Concession Scheme (and, from 1 July 2026, full stamp duty abolition for first home buyers) — rather than a cash grant. So unlike most states, ACT first home buyers should not expect a grant cheque; the benefit comes through duty relief.
None. The ACT does not impose a foreign-buyer or additional-buyer surcharge on conveyance duty, and there is no foreign-owner land tax surcharge in the ACT either. Overseas buyers pay the same conveyance duty scale as anyone else (subject to separate Commonwealth Foreign Investment Review Board approval and federal fees, which are not ACT taxes).
MAJOR change effective 1 July 2026 (FY2026-27 Budget, handed down June 2026). From 1 July 2026 NO first home buyer in the ACT will pay stamp duty — the Home Buyer Concession Scheme's income test and the ~$1,020,000 dutiable-value cap are removed for first home buyers, making stamp duty $0 regardless of income or property value or whether the home is new or established. Stamp duty exemptions are also being expanded for pensioners, eligible NDIS participants, and all buyers who have not owned property in the past five years. Under the "missing middle" package, stamp duty is removed on all new unit-titled properties bought by owner-occupiers, the off-the-plan owner-occupier concession continues, and the concession is extended to "turn-key" (newly built, not off-the-plan) units. The ACT Revenue Office website carries a banner noting it "is in the process of being updated for the 1 July 2026 changes announced in the 2026-27 Budget", so exact replacement thresholds/legislative detail were not yet published on the rates pages as at 20 June 2026.
General information only — an estimate, not financial, tax, credit or legal advice. Figures current as at FY2025-26, reviewed June 2026. Always confirm your exact figure with ACT Revenue Office before you sign or budget.
Sources: Conveyance duty (stamp duty) — ACT Revenue Office; Conveyance duty for non-commercial property (rate scales) — ACT Revenue Office; Changes for 2025-26 — ACT Revenue Office; About the Home Buyer Concession Scheme — ACT Revenue Office; First Home Owner Grant — ACT Revenue Office; ACT Budget 26-27: Cutting stamp duty for all ACT first home buyers — ACT Government media release. Accessed June 2026.