ACT Stamp Duty Calculator

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), stamp duty is officially called conveyance duty.

How much you pay depends on the property’s dutiable value, whether you’ll live in it and whether you qualify for an exemption or concession.

The rules changed significantly from 1 July 2026. Eligible buyers can now pay $0 conveyance duty under several ACT schemes without an income limit or property-value cap.

However, $0 duty isn’t automatic. The exemption that applies depends on your circumstances and the type of property you’re buying.

Use our ACT Stamp Duty Calculator to estimate your conveyance duty and other government fees.

Important: The calculator uses rules applying to transactions from 1 July 2026. If you signed and exchanged contracts before this date, different thresholds and concessions may apply.

ACT Stamp Duty Exemptions And Concessions

The standard conveyance-duty calculation isn’t necessarily what you’ll actually pay.

From 1 July 2026, there are several separate pathways that can reduce conveyance duty to $0 for an eligible ACT homebuyer.

This distinction matters because failing the eligibility test for one scheme doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay full duty.

For example, someone who has owned property within the past five years may not qualify for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, but a qualifying off-the-plan unit or newly unit-titled property could fall under a different exemption.

The important question is therefore not simply “Am I a first-home buyer?” but “Which ACT exemption, if any, applies to this particular transaction?”

Home Buyer Concession Scheme

The ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme can reduce conveyance duty to $0 for eligible buyers.

For transactions from 1 July 2026, there is:

• No income limit
• No property value limit

This is a significant change from the previous rules. Purchase price and household income no longer determine whether an otherwise eligible buyer misses out on the concession.

Instead, the ownership history and residence requirements become particularly important.

Who Is Eligible For The ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme?

Generally:

• Buyers must be individuals aged 18 or older.
• Buyers and their domestic partners must not have owned or held an interest in another property during the five years before the transaction date.
• At least one buyer must own and use the property as their principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months.
• The residence requirement generally needs to begin within 12 months of settlement.

There can be exceptions to some requirements, so eligibility should be checked against the current ACT Revenue Office rules.

You Don’t Have To Be A First-Home Buyer

One of the more important distinctions in the ACT scheme is that it isn’t limited to someone who has never owned property.

The test generally looks at whether the buyers and their domestic partners have owned property during the previous five years.

That means someone who sold a property more than five years ago could potentially qualify again, provided the remaining requirements are met.

What Changed On 1 July 2026?

Before 1 July 2026, the Home Buyer Concession Scheme included both an income threshold and a property-value threshold.

From 1 July 2026, both restrictions were removed.

This means an eligible buyer can receive a full conveyance-duty concession even when purchasing a higher-value property.

The date that matters is particularly important.

If you exchanged contracts before 1 July 2026, the previous rules may still apply even if settlement happens after 1 July.

Off-The-Plan Unit Duty Exemption

Buying a new apartment or townhouse off the plan to live in?

For contracts signed and exchanged from 1 July 2026, eligible owner-occupiers can pay $0 conveyance duty, with no property-value limit.

The exemption applies to qualifying unit-titled properties such as:

• New apartments
• New townhouses

An off-the-plan purchase generally means you enter into the contract before the units plan has been registered.

At least one buyer must generally live in the property continuously for at least 12 months, starting within 12 months of completion or settlement.

Why This Exemption Needs To Be Checked Separately

The Off-the-Plan Unit Duty Exemption is separate from the Home Buyer Concession Scheme.

This matters for buyers who don’t satisfy the HBCS five-year property-ownership test.

Don’t assume that owning property previously automatically means full stamp duty will apply to an eligible off-the-plan purchase. The off-the-plan exemption has its own eligibility requirements.

Newly Unit Titled Duty Exemption

There is also a separate exemption for certain completed new apartments and townhouses.

The Newly Unit Titled Duty Exemption applies to eligible transactions from 1 July 2026 and fills an important gap between established-property purchases and off-the-plan purchases.

Generally, the property must:

• Be a newly built residential unit that is ready to occupy.
• Be purchased directly from the developer.
• Be purchased within two years of the unit plan being registered.
• Not have been occupied previously.
• Become the buyer’s principal place of residence.

At least one buyer must generally live in the home continuously for at least 12 months and start living there within 12 months of settlement.

Off-The-Plan Vs Newly Unit Titled: What’s The Difference?

The key distinction is when you buy the property.

With an off-the-plan purchase, you enter into the contract before the units plan has been registered.

With a newly unit-titled purchase, the apartment or townhouse has already been completed and unit-titled when you buy it.

Both pathways can potentially result in $0 conveyance duty, but their eligibility requirements are different.

Pensioner Duty Concession Scheme

Eligible pensioners may also qualify for a full exemption from ACT conveyance duty.

From 1 July 2026, the property-value limit was removed.

That means an eligible pensioner purchasing a qualifying home or vacant residential land can pay $0 conveyance duty regardless of the property’s value.

Pension, property-ownership and residence eligibility requirements still apply.

Disability Duty Concession Scheme

The Disability Duty Concession Scheme can help eligible NDIS participants purchase a suitable property to use as their principal place of residence.

From 1 July 2026, the property-value limit was removed.

Eligible purchases of homes or vacant residential land can therefore receive a full conveyance-duty concession regardless of property value.

NDIS participation, property ownership and residence requirements still need to be satisfied.