First home buyers · Australian Capital Territory
First home buyers in the ACT
From 1 July 2026 the ACT charges no conveyance duty to eligible home buyers at any price, and you don't strictly need to be a first home buyer to qualify. There is no grant, so the duty concession and the federal schemes are the whole picture.
On this page
What’s different in the ACT
The ACT’s Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS) is unusually broad. For transactions from 1 July 2026, eligible buyers pay no duty on a new or established home, or on vacant land, at any price. The income and property value caps that used to apply have been removed.
The test is not “have you ever owned a home”. You (and any domestic partner) have not held an interest in land anywhere (ACT, Australia or overseas) in the previous 5 years. You don't have to be a first home buyer. That opens the scheme to people who owned a home years ago, in Australia or overseas, as long as it was more than five years before.
The ACT First Home Owner Grant ended on 1 July 2019. There is no ACT home buyer grant. So the help in the ACT comes through duty and the federal deposit schemes, not a cash grant.
Who qualifies
Home Buyer Concession Scheme
- Nil duty on a home (new or established) or vacant land at any price — no income or property value cap for transactions from 1 July 2026.
- All buyers are individuals aged 18 or over.
- You (and any domestic partner) have not held an interest in land anywhere (ACT, Australia or overseas) in the previous 5 years. You don't have to be a first home buyer.
- At least one buyer lives in the property as their principal place of residence within 1 year, for at least 1 continuous year.
- No citizenship or residency requirement.
Citizens, permanent residents and visa holders
Most first home schemes need at least one buyer who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Here is how Australian Capital Territory treats each group. The visa guides go into detail.
| Buyer | Duty concession | First home grant | Foreign buyer surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian citizen | Yes | No grant | No |
| Permanent resident | Yes | No grant (closed) | No surcharge |
| New Zealand citizen (444) | Yes | No grant (closed) | No surcharge |
| Temporary visa holder | Confirm | No grant (closed) | No surcharge |
Stamp duty calculator for the ACT
Set to a first home buyer who will live in the home. Change the price and property type to see the concession and grant for your purchase.
Estimated stamp duty
$0
No transfer duty under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, if you meet its conditions.
- Transfer dutyConveyance duty — eligible owner-occupier (Table 1)
- $19,208
- Less Home Buyer Concession Scheme
- −$19,208
- Mortgage registration fee
- $184
- Transfer registration fee
- $496
- Total government costs
- $680
Notes for this purchase (4)
- The ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme also applies if you haven't owned property in the last 5 years (you don't need to be a first home buyer).
- Pensioner duty concession: Nil duty (no value cap from 1 July 2026) when at least one buyer receives an eligible pension or holds a DVA Gold Card and sells their former home within 1 year. Once only.
- Disability duty concession: Nil duty on the principal place of residence of an NDIS participant with an individualised funding package (threshold removed 1 July 2026).
- First Home Owner Grant: The ACT First Home Owner Grant ended on 1 July 2019. There is no ACT home buyer grant.
A 60-minute consultation with Sulav Adhikari, by phone or video. We check these numbers against real lender policy.
Checked against ACT Revenue Office on (2026-27 rules)
- Conveyance duty — eligible owner-occupier (Table 1): legislation, page, official calculator · checked
- Conveyance duty, residential — not an eligible owner-occupier (Table 2): legislation · checked
- Home Buyer Concession Scheme: legislation, page · checked
- Access Canberra (Land Titles): registration fees: legislation · checked
- Pensioner duty concession: legislation · checked
- Disability duty concession: legislation · checked
- First Home Owner Grant: page · checked
Assumptions
- The price you enter is treated as the dutiable value (the higher of the price and the market value).
- Every buyer is in the same residency group and buys the whole property. Mixed purchases (for example one foreign co-buyer) are worked out differently; use the revenue office calculator.
- Concessions and grants assume you meet all their conditions, including living in the home for the required time.
- Government fees are the land titles office registration fees for one transfer and one mortgage. Conveyancing, inspections and lender fees are not included.
- Your conveyancer or solicitor confirms the duty payable before settlement.
Estimates only, not a quote or credit approval. Important information about our calculators.
More options, including investors and foreign buyers: the ACT stamp duty calculator.
Worked examples at three prices
| Item | Unit (established) | Townhouse (established) | House (established) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $600,000 | $900,000 | $1,300,000 |
| Duty before concession | $12,728 | $28,058 | $53,158 |
| First home concession | −$12,728 | −$28,058 | −$53,158 |
| Duty payable | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Registration fees | $680.00 | $680.00 | $680.00 |
| Government costs | $680.00 | $680.00 | $680.00 |
| First Home Owner Grant | Not eligible | Not eligible | Not eligible |
| Under 5% scheme cap | Yes | Yes | No |
| 5% deposit | $30,000 | $45,000 | $65,000 |
- First home buyer, owner-occupier, at least one buyer an Australian citizen or permanent resident, buying with a loan.
- 5% Deposit Scheme cap check uses the all of the ACT cap; confirm your postcode with the official tool.
- Calculated from ACT Revenue Office rules checked on 26 October 2026. Excludes conveyancing, inspections, lender fees and LMI.
All three pay no duty under the HBCS, which is why the “duty payable” row is the same at every price. The saving grows with the price: on the $1,300,000 house it is $53,158, measured against the owner-occupier rate any home buyer would otherwise pay. The only government costs left are the land titles fees.
The 5% Deposit Scheme cap in the ACT is $1,000,000 across the territory, so the house in this table is over the cap. Help to Buy’s ACT cap is $1,000,000.
5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy in the ACT
Both federal schemes apply in the ACT with their own price caps. The 5% Deposit Scheme replaces LMI with a Government guarantee; Help to Buy is shared equity for citizens only.
| Area | 5% Deposit Scheme | Help to Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Whole of the ACT | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
Eligibility for both schemes, and the First Home Super Saver Scheme, is set out on our first home buyers overview.
Other ACT exemptions, and costs after you buy
Off-the-plan unit duty exemption. A unit (apartment or townhouse) in a units plan, bought off the plan before the plan is registered. House-and-land packages don't qualify. No value cap (removed 1 July 2026), no income or prior-ownership test.
Newly unit titled duty exemption. Nil duty for a completed, never-occupied unit bought directly from the developer within 2 years of the units plan being registered, if you live in it for 1 year (not for off-the-plan contracts). No value cap.
Foreign owners. The ACT doesn’t charge a foreign buyer surcharge on duty. Foreign owners of residential land pay an annual foreign ownership land tax surcharge (0.75% of the base value for 2026-27) unless they live in the property as their principal place of residence — an ongoing cost, not a purchase cost.
How and when to apply in the ACT
Step 1: Check the five-year test for you and your partner
Neither of you can have held an interest in land anywhere, including overseas, in the previous five years.Step 2: Confirm every buyer is an individual
All buyers must be individuals aged 18 or over, buying in their own right, not through a company or trust.Step 3: Claim the concession with the duty
The HBCS is claimed with the ACT Revenue Office as part of the duty assessment, usually by your conveyancer or solicitor. Tell them at the start that you intend to claim it.Step 4: Move in and stay
At least one buyer lives in the property as their principal place of residence within 1 year, for at least 1 continuous year.
For the general buying process, see first home loans.
Documents to have ready
- Passport or other identification for every buyer
- Payslips and an employment letter, or tax returns if self-employed
- Bank statements showing savings and the deposit
- Contract of sale, or the land and building contracts
- Details of any land you or your partner have owned in the last five years, anywhere
Lender requirements differ; this is a typical list, not a government rule.
Common mistakes in the ACT
Forgetting land owned overseas
The five-year test counts land anywhere. A share in property overseas within the last five years can rule you out.Expecting a grant
The ACT First Home Owner Grant ended in 2019. Don't budget for one.Assuming investors qualify
The concession is for a home you live in. Renting it out instead of moving in breaks the condition.Using an old calculator
Calculators set up before 1 July 2026 apply income and price caps that no longer exist.
First home buyer questions in the ACT
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in the ACT?
Not if they qualify for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme. For transactions from 1 July 2026 it is nil duty at any price, with no income test.
Do I have to be a first home buyer for the ACT concession?
No. You and your partner must not have held an interest in land anywhere in the previous five years, but owning a home before that doesn't rule you out.
Is there a First Home Owner Grant in the ACT?
No. The ACT grant ended for transactions from 1 July 2019.
Can temporary visa holders use the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme?
The scheme’s determination has no citizenship or visa requirement on its face, but we haven’t been able to confirm with ACT Revenue how it treats temporary residents, so check before relying on it. FIRB approval and the established-home ban still apply. See the visa guides and the 482 guide.
Does the ACT charge foreign buyers extra duty?
Not on duty. Foreign owners may pay an annual foreign ownership surcharge on land tax unless they live in the property as their principal place of residence.
Check your first home numbers with Sulav
We work out which concession and grant apply to you, what you can borrow and how much cash you need at settlement.
First home buyer guides for other states
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page comes from these official sources. Dates show when we last checked each one.
- Home Buyer Concession Scheme
- Home Buyer Concession Scheme (claim the home buyer concession)
- Newly unit titled duty exemption
- Newly unit titled duty exemption (newly unit titled duty exemption)
- Pensioner duty concession
- Disability duty concession
- First Home Owner Grant (closed)
- Foreign purchaser duty surcharge
- Foreign purchaser duty surcharge (legislation)
- Foreign purchaser duty surcharge (foreign ownership surcharge for land tax)
- Conveyance duty, residential — not an eligible owner-occupier (Table 2)
- Conveyance duty, residential — not an eligible owner-occupier (Table 2) (official calculator)
- Access Canberra (Land Titles) fees
- 5% Deposit Scheme property price caps
- Australian government 5 percent deposit scheme
- 69409
- 69410
- Uncapped 5 cent deposits available first home buyers today
- Help to Buy scheme
- Help buy property price caps
- Htb thresholds
- First Home Super Saver Scheme
- Duties Act 1999 (ACT)
- Home Buyer Concession Scheme determination (DI2026-157)