Stamp Duty NSW
Everything you need to know about stamp duty NSW
At Settle Easy, we know that buying or selling property is a big deal. It can be especially stressful if you are a first home buyer, or if you haven’t been in the property market for a few years.
And whether you are interested in foreign ownership, pensioner concessions or whether you still live at home with mum and dad and are thinking about buying your first place, our property law experts will help you with all the legal paperwork that forms part of your property transaction and guide you through the entire conveyancing process from start to finish.
Our easy-to-use online conveyancing platform streamlines the whole process end to end. You’ll work with one of the best conveyancers or property lawyers in the business who’ll be your main point of contact throughout.
And because Settle Easy’s online conveyancing is designed for you, you’ll be able to get the job done whenever and wherever it suits you.
We specialise in residential, off the plan and commercial conveyancing to help you reach all your property goals.
One of the areas our customers often ask us about is stamp duty – also known as transfer duty.
The good news is that our team are passionate about conveyancing and genuinely care about our customers. We look forward to answering all your NSW conveyancing related questions and explaining how the NSW government determines stamp duty costs.
As a starting point, here’s a short list of our most frequently asked stamp duty related questions.
Your questions answered
- What is stamp duty?
- How much does it cost?
- When do I have to pay?
- Am I eligible for any concessions?
What is stamp duty?
Transfer duty or stamp duty as it’s more commonly known, is a tax or duty that must be paid when you acquire a property – even if you receive that property as a gift or if it is obtained through a company or trust.
Calculating stamp duty
The simple answer is that stamp duty costs a lot.
Apart from your home deposit, if you buy property in NSW, stamp duty is likely to be one of your biggest expenses.
And it’s something that is calculated on a case-by-case basis. For individuals purchasing residential property in New South Wales, you might find this additional information helpful.
It’s important to budget for this cost because it’s an expense that is on top of mortgage fees and any other costs that are part of acquiring property.
We recommend you ask your conveyancing expert at Settle Easy to help work out exactly how much stamp duty you will need to pay.
You can also try our easy-to-use free stamp duty calculator. That way, you can anticipate what your stamp duty costs will be and budget accordingly.
When do I have to pay stamp duty?
In NSW, stamp duty must be paid within three months of signing a contract for sale. It cannot be paid in installments and is payable on settlement day.
The exception to this is if you buy a home off-the-plan, which you intend to use as your main residence. In this case, you can defer your transfer duty for up to 12 months after you sign the agreement, or until the property is completed or handed over – whichever comes first.
Our customers sometimes ask where stamp duty goes once it is paid. The simple answer is that like all taxes, this money is invested into the economy by the NSW State Government.
Am I eligible for stamp duty concessions?
Here’s the good news.
Although most property buyers in NSW will need to pay stamp duty, if you are a first home buyer, you might be eligible for an exemption or a concession.
The First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme (FHBAS) offers stamp duty exemptions if you are:
- buying an existing home
- buying a new home
- buying vacant land on which you intend to build a home.
You can find out more about stamp duty exemptions and stamp duty concessions at the NSW Government’s State Revenue Office here.
It’s really important that you spend time finding out what stamp duty you may have to pay before making one of the biggest financial commitments of your life.
Understanding NSW stamp duty
There are so many decisions you need to make on the way to home ownership, but with Settle Easy we’re here to help you every step of the way.
We’ll use easy to understand language to help you become a homeowner and reach your big property goals. So if whether you need conveyancing services in Sydney, Parramatta, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Hunter Valley or anywhere in NSW, we can help you Settle Easy.
What our customers are saying
Ryan SlavieroAssisted us with purchasing our first home, fantastic from start to finish. Incredible transparency and quick responses. Made the stressful experience enjoyable! More specifically a thanks to Ziya.MattZiya is expectionally friendly and professional. He helped me throughout the settlement process, and successfully advocated for my best interest. I would recommend Settle Easy to anyone!Amanda SMe and my partner want to thank Ziya. When we started looking for properties, Ziya was very quick in reviewing the contracts of sale, providing advice and making sure we understood the whole process. We have just bought our first property, everything went smooth and he dealt with everything professionally. Any questions we had he would always be quick to respond and made sure we were not stressing. Would highly recommend Ziya at Settle Easy and have referred a few friends. Thank you again!Liz MccabeGreat service from Settle Easy.Thanks to Natalie& Team.Very efficient service.Every question dealt with quickly and confidently . Highly recommend,Thanks Guys.Karen OrnopiaAs a first home buyer, we had an amazing experience with Settle Easy. The journey started back in Aug. 2021 with Jelena and our account was then handled by Samantha & Natalie recently. Free contract review, prompt email/call response, sound portal interface were the highlights that I share to some friends in the future.Will RichardsI had a seemless experience as a first home buy with Settle Easy. The free contract review was a useful tool and Natalie guided me through the entire process. I've recommended to a few friends.David OxnamWe purchased interstate and off the plan and found Settle Easy very helpful. In the pre purchase due diligence we escalated and sought help from a senior consultant and got sound and thorough advice. The web site is a great tool and settlement went without a hitch with strong support from Natalie and Samantha even over the Christmas break. We recommend this service as cost effective, tech savvy, and professionally sound. David and KathrynElisa KingSam was a delight to deal with throughout the sale of my investment property. She was a true professional, the Settle Easy digital platform that manages your documents made it super easy as everything was in one place. I'd highly recommend Sam at Settle Easy.anuwinder kaurHighly recommend Settle Easy. Had amazing experience and special Thanks to Dishani🤩
