First home buyers · Victoria
First home buyers in Victoria
Victoria's first home buyer duty exemption covers new and established homes alike, with a lower price ceiling than NSW. Here is what applies, what the thresholds mean at real prices, and how Melbourne compares with the rest of the state for the deposit schemes.
On this page
What’s different in VIC
In Victoria a first home buyer pays no land transfer duty on a home valued up to $600,000, and reduced duty up to $750,000. It applies to established homes as well as new ones, and to vacant land you will build your first home on (assessed on the land value). There is no income test.
The ceiling matters in Melbourne. Above $750,000 there is no first home concession at all, and general rates apply to the whole price. Many townhouses and houses sit above that line, so the price you bid at changes the duty bill by tens of thousands of dollars.
Victoria also has a principal place of residence concession that any owner-occupier can use on a property worth up to $550,000. First home buyers at that price get the full exemption anyway, but it helps people who don’t qualify as first home buyers.
The ownership test is worded differently from NSW. The rule we checked says the exemption isn’t available if you or your partner have received a First Home Owner Grant or first home duty concession before, or owned and lived in a home in Australia. If you own property you have never lived in, ask your conveyancer to confirm the position with the State Revenue Office before you rely on it.
Who qualifies
First home buyer duty exemption or concession
- No duty up to $600,000; reduced duty from $600,001 to $750,000. New or established homes, and vacant land to build your first home (land value only).
- All buyers are natural persons aged 18 or over; at least one is an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- Not available if you or your partner have received a First Home Owner Grant or first home buyer duty concession before, or owned and lived in a home in Australia.
- At least one buyer lives there for 12 continuous months starting within 12 months of settlement. No income test.
First Home Owner Grant
- $10,000 for a new home (newly built or never occupied) valued up to $750,000 — for off-the-plan, the contract price; when building, land plus construction.
- At least one applicant an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- Live in the home for 12 months, starting within 12 months of settlement or completion. Not available for established homes.
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 Victoria treats each group. The visa guides go into detail.
| Buyer | Duty concession | First home grant | Foreign buyer surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian citizen | Yes | Yes | No |
| Permanent resident | Yes | Yes, $10,000, new homes | No |
| New Zealand citizen (444) | Yes | Yes, $10,000, new homes | 8% unless the 6-month residence test is met |
| Temporary visa holder | Only with a citizen or PR co-buyer | Only with a citizen or PR co-applicant ($10,000) | Yes, 8% |
Stamp duty calculator for VIC
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
$11,356
Includes $22,714 off under the First home buyer duty exemption or concession.
- Transfer dutyGeneral land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence)
- $34,070
- Less First home buyer duty exemption or concession
- −$22,714
- Mortgage registration fee
- $129.20
- Transfer registration fee
- $1,626
- Total government costs
- $13,111.20
Notes for this purchase (2)
- First Home Owner Grant: not eligible (established homes are not eligible).
- Pensioner and concession card holder duty reduction: Exempt up to $600,000 and reduced to $750,000 (same formula as first home buyers) for eligible card holders buying their home. Once only; choose this or the first home buyer concession.
A 60-minute consultation with Sulav Adhikari, by phone or video. We check these numbers against real lender policy.
Checked against State Revenue Office Victoria on (2026-27 rules)
- General land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence): page, legislation, official calculator · checked
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession: page · checked
- Land Use Victoria: registration fees: legislation, page · checked
- First Home Owner Grant: page 1, page 2 · checked
- Pensioner and concession card holder duty reduction: 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: VIC stamp duty calculator.
Worked examples at three prices
| Item | Unit (established) | Townhouse (established) | House (established) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $550,000 | $680,000 | $820,000 |
| Duty before concession | $24,970 | $35,870 | $44,270 |
| First home concession | −$24,970 | −$16,740 | None |
| Duty payable | $0 | $19,130 | $44,270 |
| Registration fees | $1,521.20 | $1,825.20 | $2,153.20 |
| Government costs | $1,521.20 | $20,955.20 | $46,423.20 |
| First Home Owner Grant | Not eligible | Not eligible | Not eligible |
| Under 5% scheme cap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5% deposit | $27,500 | $34,000 | $41,000 |
- 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 Melbourne and listed regional centres cap; confirm your postcode with the official tool.
- Calculated from State Revenue Office Victoria rules checked on 26 October 2026. Excludes conveyancing, inspections, lender fees and LMI.
The unit is under $600,000, so no duty applies. The townhouse is in the reducing band: duty is charged on a sliding scale that reaches full duty at $750,000. The house is past that point and pays general rates on the full price.
Victoria’s transfer registration fee rises with the price, which is why the fees row climbs across the table. In Melbourne and Geelong the 5% Deposit Scheme cap is $950,000; in the rest of the state it is $650,000, so the $680,000 townhouse would be over the cap in a regional town.
5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy in VIC
Victoria has one listed regional centre on the 5% Deposit Scheme’s capital-city cap: Geelong. Everywhere else outside Melbourne uses the lower cap of $650,000, which sits below the first home concession’s $750,000 ceiling. In regional Victoria the scheme cap, not the duty concession, is usually the limit that bites.
| Area | 5% Deposit Scheme | Help to Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne and Geelong | $950,000 | $950,000 |
| Rest of VIC | $650,000 | $650,000 |
Eligibility for both schemes, and the First Home Super Saver Scheme, is set out on our first home buyers overview.
Off-the-plan apartments and townhouses in Victoria
For contracts from 21 October 2024 and before 21 April 2027, any buyer (incl. investors) of an off-the-plan lot in a strata subdivision with common property can deduct construction costs incurred after the contract date from the dutiable value. No value cap. Doesn't reduce FPAD. Not modelled here — duty may be much lower; your conveyancer applies it. The concession runs to 21 April 2027 for contracts.
Outside the temporary concession, the construction-cost deduction is only for buyers eligible for the PPR concession (value after deduction ≤ $550,000) or first home buyer concession (≤ $750,000).
If you are a first home buyer buying off the plan under $600,000, the first home exemption already removes duty. The off-the-plan rules matter more for prices above that, where the construction-cost deduction can bring the dutiable value down into or below the reducing band.
How and when to apply in VIC
Step 1: Check the ownership test for both of you
The exemption looks at you and your partner: any previous first home grant or concession, and any home in Australia you have owned and lived in.Step 2: Price the duty before you bid
Between $600,000 and $750,000 the duty rises quickly with the price. Use the calculator on this page for your top price, and get pre-approval on that figure.Step 3: Your conveyancer claims the exemption
The exemption or concession is applied for as part of the duty lodgement before settlement, usually by your conveyancer or solicitor. Confirm early that they are claiming it.Step 4: Apply for the grant on a new home
If the home is new and valued up to $750,000, you can apply for the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant, often through your lender, or directly with the State Revenue Office.Step 5: Move in and stay
At least one buyer lives there for 12 continuous months starting within 12 months of settlement. No income test.
The steps from saving to settlement are on first home loans.
Documents to have ready
- Passport, and proof of citizenship, permanent residence or New Zealand citizenship
- Payslips and an employment letter, or tax returns if self-employed
- Bank statements showing savings and the deposit
- Contract of sale, and the building contract if you are building
- Your partner's details for the ownership test
Lender requirements differ; this is a typical list, not a government rule.
Common mistakes in VIC
Assuming the NSW thresholds
Victoria's exemption ends at $600,000 and the concession at $750,000, both lower than NSW.Expecting a grant on an established home
The Victorian First Home Owner Grant is for new homes only.Forgetting land is valued separately
For vacant land, the first home exemption is assessed on the land value. The build cost doesn't count towards that test.Moving out too soon
Someone on the title needs to live there for 12 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement.
First home buyer questions in VIC
How much stamp duty does a first home buyer pay in Victoria?
None on a home valued up to $600,000, reduced duty up to $750,000, and general rates above that, if you meet the conditions. The same thresholds apply to new and established homes.
Can New Zealand citizens get the Victorian first home exemption?
Yes. At least one buyer must be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident. See our guide for New Zealand citizens for the foreign purchaser duty rules.
Is the Victorian First Home Owner Grant available for established homes?
No. The $10,000 grant is for new homes valued up to $750,000.
Is the Victorian first home buyer exemption income tested?
No. The rules we checked have no income test.
I'm on a temporary visa. Can I buy in Victoria?
You need FIRB approval and can only buy a new home or vacant land while the established-home ban applies. Victoria charges foreign purchaser additional duty of 8% to temporary visa holders. See the visa guides.
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.
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession (legislation)
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession (official calculator)
- First Home Owner Grant
- First Home Owner Grant (first home owner grant current rates)
- Temporary off-the-plan concession (apartments and townhouses)
- Off-the-plan concession (ongoing)
- Pensioner and concession card holder duty reduction
- Foreign purchaser additional duty (FPAD)
- Foreign purchaser additional duty (FPAD) (confirming your foreign purchaser status)
- Foreign purchaser additional duty: exemptions and rules
- General land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence)
- Principal place of residence (PPR) concession rates
- Principal place of residence (PPR) concession rates (principal place residence duty concession)
- Land Use Victoria fees
- Land Use Victoria fees (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
- Foreign purchaser additional duty