Stamp Duty ACT: Calculator, Rates & First Home Buyer Concessions (2026)

What is stamp duty in ACT?

Stamp duty, properly called transfer duty, is the tax the ACT Government charges when a property changes hands. After your deposit it is usually the single biggest upfront cost of buying, and it is the buyer who pays it, not the seller.

You pay it once, on the purchase, and in most cases at settlement. It is not a tax on the loan, it is a tax on the transfer, so even a cash buyer pays it. Because you generally cannot add it to your mortgage, it has to come out of your own savings on top of the deposit. That is what makes it worth getting right before you start making offers.

ACT stamp duty: what you’ll actually pay

Here is what a standard owner-occupier buyer pays at a range of common Canberra price points. The first home buyer column reflects the ACT position: there is no separate first home rate, but an income-tested scheme can reduce these amounts, sometimes to nil.

These are owner-occupier estimates and exclude any foreign surcharge. For an exact figure on your own price, use the stamp duty calculator.

How ACT stamp duty is calculated

ACT duty is tiered and marginal, so you do not pay a single flat rate on the whole price. Each slice of the value is taxed at the rate for its band, and the bands stack. That is why the effective rate in the table above climbs gradually as the price rises rather than jumping.

To read it, find the band your price falls in, take the fixed base amount, then add the marginal rate on the part of the price above that band’s floor. A $650,000 home, for example, sits in the $500,001 to $750,000 band: $15,500 plus 5.00% of the $150,000 above $500,000, which lands at $23,000.

First home buyers in ACT

The ACT is phasing out stamp duty over time, so the way it helps first home buyers is different to the exemptions and concessions you see in New South Wales or Victoria. Instead of a price threshold, the ACT runs an income-tested Home Buyer Concession Scheme.

That scheme can reduce duty all the way to $0 for eligible buyers whose household income is below the threshold. It is open to first home buyers as well as others who have not owned property recently. The figures in the table above are the standard duty before the scheme is applied, so if you qualify your duty could be much lower, or nil. Eligibility turns on your household income, so check it with the ACT Revenue Office rather than assuming you earn too much.

For the full detail on the scheme, the grants and the rest of the Canberra buying process, see our ACT first home buyer guide.

Foreign buyers and surcharges

The ACT does not apply a foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge. Several of the larger states add 7% or 8% on top of standard duty for foreign buyers, but the ACT does not. A foreign buyer in Canberra pays the same standard transfer duty as a local owner-occupier, with no extra layer on top.

When do you pay stamp duty in ACT?

Stamp duty in the ACT is generally paid at settlement, or within around three months of the transaction. In practice your conveyancer or solicitor arranges the payment for you as part of completing the purchase, so it is handled alongside the rest of settlement rather than as a separate bill you chase down.

Because it is due so early and usually cannot be borrowed, treat it as part of your upfront cash. Have the duty, your deposit and your other settlement costs accounted for before you sign, so nothing catches you short on the day.