How to Calculate ACT Stamp Duty

Updated 7 September 2020.

Read throughout to learn about how to calculate ACT stamp duty or just use the online stamp duty calculator.

Important points to note about ACT Stamp Duty

  • The ACT Government call it Conveyance Duty.
  • The Home Buyer Discount for purchases of a home (Home Buyer Concession Scheme) has very specific eligibility criteria (such as an income test).

Standard Rate of ACT Stamp Duty (Transfer Duty)

Stamp Duty really is just a tax we pay for nothing much in return.

In the ACT, the stamp duty you pay on residential property is called Non-commercial transfer duty.

How to Calculate Stamp duty for residential transactions from 1 July 2019:

Your Purchase PriceStandard Rate of ACT Stamp Duty
$0 – $200,000$20 or $1.20 per $100 or part
thereof, whichever is greater
$200,001 – $300,000$2,400 plus $2.20 per $100 or
part thereof exceeding $200,000
$300,001 – $500,000$4,600 plus $3.40 per $100 or
part thereof exceeding $300,000
$500,001 – $750,000$11,400 plus $4.32 per $100 or
part thereof exceeding $500,000
$750,001 – $1,000,000$22,200 plus $5.90 per $100 or
part thereof exceeding $750,000
$1,000,001 – $1,455,000$36,950 plus $6.40 per $100 or
part thereof exceeding $1,000,000
Over $1,455,000A flat rate of $4.54 per $100 of
the entire value

Use the online stamp duty calculator to calculate your costs, including some concessions.

ACT Stamp Duty Discounts

There’s various ACT stamp duty exemptions or concessions, we’ll cover all of the most common so that you can see whether or not you may be eligible for a discount or waiver of the fee.

ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme

If you’re purchasing a new home in the ACT, you could be eligible for a Stamp Duty exemption via the Home Buyers Concession Scheme (HBCS).

Eligibility criteria for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme:

  • All properties are eligible (previous scheme’s had maximum value and other property conditions).
  • Total gross income of buyers and spouses must not exceed the below table.
  • All buyers and spouses must have not owned a property in the last two years.
  • At least one owner must occupy the property within the first year for a continuous period of at least one year.

Income Threshold

No. of Dependant ChildrenTotal gross income threshold
0$160,000
1$163,330
2$166,660
3$169,990
4$173,320
5 or more$176,650

If you think you might be eligible for the HBCS you can find more information on the State Government website and an application form.

Are there any First Home Buyer discounts?

There are currently no additional stamp duty concessions for a first home buyer in the ACT. See the above Home Buyer Concession Scheme.

Other ACT Stamp Duty Exemptions or Concessions

There’s a few other scenario’s where you could be eligible for an exemption or concession of the ACT stamp duty.

You may be eligible for a concession or an exemption if:

When is Stamp (Transfer) Duty Payable?

ACT stamp duty is payable at the settlement date of your contract.

For transactions prior to 18 September 2017, you were required to pay stamp duty within 90 days of the contract date. Thankfully, for property buyers with long term settlements, this is no longer required and you can pay the stamp duty as part of your bank finance and settlement transactions.

Other Government Fees:

There are many possible fees that you could encounter, depending on the nature of your transaction, however in this article we’ll address only the 3 you’re most likely to encounter during a property transaction.

  • Transfer Registration
  • Mortgage Registration and a Mortgage Discharge Registration

In the ACT Budget each year, the Treasurer will announce changes to the fees.

However, the below fees have been frozen for the 2020-2021 financial year in response to the covid-19 crisis.

Transfer Registration (when a ‘transfer of ownership’ is occurring)

In good news for the ACT, the cost of a Transfer Registration is quite cheap compared to most other States.

  • Effective the 1st July 2019 the Registration of Transfer fee $409.

When you purchase a property, there is a legal document that transfers the ownership of that property in to your name.

And the transfer of ownership has to be registered, and the State Government charges a fee for managing the register.

Mortgage Registration (when you are borrowing money)

The mortgage gives the bank the right to sell your property if you don’t pay them back.

  • As at 1st July 2019, the Mortgage Registration fee is $153.

The mortgage registration ensures that the mortgage can be viewed by a simple title search.

This therefore prevents you from selling your home and not paying back the lender – because the transfer of ownership wouldn’t be able to happen unless the previous mortgage was discharged.

Mortgage Discharge Registration (when you are refinancing or selling)

This is payable when your existing mortgage is being discharged (released).

  • Mortgage Discharge Registration Fee as at 1st July 2019 is $153.

This is usually payable when you’re refinancing.

However, if you’re purchasing a property, your new lender may prepare a Mortgage Discharge and charge you this fee.  Your solicitor arranging the settlement, will pass on that fee to the seller so that you’re not out of pocket.

Resources

If you’d like more information on Stamp Duty in South Australia from the State Government Resources, you can try here:

Online Stamp Duty Calculator

About ACT Transfer Duty
https://www.revenue.act.gov.au/duties/conveyance-duty

ACT Stamp duty concessions and exemptions
https://www.revenue.act.gov.au/home-buyer-assistance

Home Buyer Concessions
http://www.revenue.act.gov.au/home-buyer-assistance/home-buyer-concession-scheme

Transfer of Land Act (for Transfer Registration, Mortgage Registration, and other lodgement fees)
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2108#!tabs-4

Not purchasing in the ACT?

If you’re not purchasing in the ACT, click the below link and then choose your State:

Calculating Stamp Duty on Property Purchases in Australia

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *