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Stamp duty is a state tax, and the scale here is New South Wales

Transfer duty is levied by the states and territories, each on its own banded scale, and the calculator uses the Revenue NSW scale as the largest single market. Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the rest run their own bands and their own first-home concessions, so a Melbourne or Brisbane buyer should check their state revenue office before trusting the completion figure.

The NSW scale is genuinely progressive, from 1.25% at the bottom to a 7% premium rate on high-value homes, applied marginally. Revenue NSW indexes the band thresholds to CPI every 1 July and publishes rounded base amounts per band rather than the marginal arithmetic used here, so a result can sit a little away from their current table.

Every state also runs first-home buyer concessions and exemptions, none of which are modelled. For a first purchase under the relevant threshold the duty shown may be far too high, sometimes zero in reality.

LMI is priced by the insurer, and added to the loan

Lenders mortgage insurance protects the lender, not you, and is charged above 80% loan-to-value. It rises steeply with the ratio, roughly 1% of the loan at 85%, 2% at 90% and 3.5% at 95%, and unlike Canadian CMHC premiums it is set by the insurer and the lender rather than by statute, so your quote will differ from the mid-market tiers used here.

It is capitalised, so it does not appear in your cash to complete; it appears as a larger loan carrying interest for thirty years. Getting to a 20% deposit avoids it outright, which on a typical purchase is worth more than a year of repayments.

Council rates are a flat annual charge set by each council, not a percentage of value, so the running-cost field asks for a yearly amount. Strata fees on an apartment are separate again and can be substantial.

For how the calculation works, the formula behind it and what it leaves out, see the full guide.

Data sources

  • Australian transfer duty and lenders mortgage insurance

    Effective 2025-07-01 onward · retrieved 2026-08-30

    Stamp duty is a state tax and the New South Wales scale is the default here. Every state also runs first-home concessions, which are not modelled.

    How we checked these figures

    Revenue NSW published scale: 1.25% on the first 14,000 rising to 7% above 3,000,000. The bands are applied marginally here, whereas Revenue NSW publishes rounded base amounts per band, so a result can differ from their table by a few dollars.

    Current

This calculator in other countries

Each country has its own rates, thresholds and rules, and its own page with the official sources they came from.

CentExact Editorial · Research & verification

Every CentExact calculator is built from the published finance formula, tested against spreadsheet, lender and tax-authority figures, and reviewed when the underlying rates or rules change.

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This calculator is for general information only and is not financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the stated formula; lenders and providers may round or calculate differently. Check any decision with the institution involved or a qualified adviser.