Do I pay stamp duty on an investment property, and are there concessions?
Yes, investment properties attract standard stamp duty in every state. Most concessions are for owner-occupiers, not investors. Here's how it works.
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Stamp duty is usually the single biggest upfront cost of buying a property in Australia, after the deposit itself. Whether you’re buying a home to live in or a property to rent out changes very little about the duty bill — but it changes a lot about which concessions you can access. Here’s what applies to an investment property purchase, and where the line actually falls.
Do I pay stamp duty on an investment property?
Yes. Stamp duty — also called transfer duty in some states — is charged on the transfer of property title, and that charge doesn’t care whether you plan to live in the home or rent it out to a tenant. Moneysmart describes it plainly: stamp duty is “a one-off state government property-transfer tax,” and buyers typically “need to pay within 30 days of settlement,” with the actual amount set by each state or territory government rather than the Commonwealth.
There’s no general exemption in any state for buying purely as an investment. If a concession or exemption applies to your purchase at all, it’s because you meet that concession’s own eligibility test (see below) — not because of anything special about being an investor.
How is stamp duty on an investment property calculated?
The mechanics are the same as for any other residential purchase in that state: duty is worked out on a sliding scale against the purchase price (or the property’s market value, if that’s higher), and every state and territory runs its own scale, its own thresholds and its own exemptions. There’s no single national duty rate, and because these scales are revised at most state budgets, printing a fixed rate table here would go stale quickly.
The reliable way to get a current figure for your own purchase is to check directly with the revenue office in the state or territory where you’re buying:
| State/territory | Revenue office |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | Revenue NSW |
| Victoria | State Revenue Office Victoria |
| Queensland | Queensland Revenue Office |
| Western Australia | WA Government |
| South Australia | RevenueSA |
| Tasmania | State Revenue Office Tasmania |
| Australian Capital Territory | ACT Revenue Office |
| Northern Territory | Territory Revenue Office (NT) |
A conveyancer or solicitor handling your purchase will normally calculate the exact figure as part of settlement.
Are there stamp duty concessions for investment properties?
Generally, no. In every state, the concessions and exemptions worth the most money are built around living in the property, not renting it out. A first home buyer concession or a principal-place-of-residence exemption typically requires you to move into the property within a set time of settlement and keep it as your home for a minimum period set by that state’s revenue office. Buying a property specifically to rent out to a tenant doesn’t meet that test, so an investment purchase is usually charged the standard duty rate for that price bracket, with no concession applied.
Two things can complicate that general position: buying a property you intend to move into later (or move out of and rent out later), and buying through a structure other than your own name (see below). Both can change your duty outcome, and the rules for each are state-specific and can carry clawback provisions if your intended use changes after settlement.
Tax outcomes depend on your circumstances — speak with a registered tax agent before acting.
Do foreign investors pay extra stamp duty on residential property?
Yes, in most states. If you’re a foreign person buying residential property, six states charge an added foreign purchaser duty surcharge on top of the standard transfer duty. As at 17 July 2026, the headline surcharge rates are:
| State/territory | Foreign purchaser duty surcharge |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 9% |
| Victoria | 8% |
| Queensland | 8% |
| South Australia | 7% |
| Western Australia | 7% |
| Tasmania | 8% |
| Australian Capital Territory | No purchase surcharge — but an ongoing 0.75% of Average Unimproved Value per year applies as a foreign-ownership land tax surcharge |
| Northern Territory | No surcharge |
These are added on top of standard duty, not instead of it, and they apply regardless of whether the foreign purchaser is buying to live in the property or to rent it out. Each state defines “foreign person” differently and administers its own exemptions — official guidance on exemptions isn’t fully consistent between states as at July 2026, so never assume a treaty or citizenship exemption applies without confirming it directly with that state’s revenue office.
Is stamp duty the same as land tax on an investment property?
No — they’re two separate state taxes, and it’s an easy pair to mix up when you’re new to investing. Stamp duty is a one-off cost charged when you buy the property. Land tax is a different, ongoing annual tax that some states charge for as long as you continue to hold an investment property, calculated on the land’s value rather than the purchase price. Rules, thresholds and rates differ significantly between states, and the Northern Territory doesn’t charge land tax at all.
This guide covers stamp duty only — land tax settings move often enough between state budgets that they’re best checked directly with your state’s revenue office when you need a current figure.
Tax outcomes depend on your circumstances — speak with a registered tax agent before acting.
Does how you hold the property change what stamp duty you pay?
Buying as an individual, through a company, via a discretionary trust, or inside a self-managed super fund (SMSF) changes more than how your rental income and any eventual capital gain are taxed — in several states it can also affect how much duty you pay, because a company or trust that’s entirely Australian on paper can still be treated as a “foreign person” for surcharge purposes. As at July 2026, Revenue NSW treats an Australian-incorporated company as foreign for surcharge purchaser duty if a foreign person holds a 20% or greater interest in it, and treats a discretionary trust as foreign unless its deed permanently excludes foreign beneficiaries — a self-managed super fund is generally treated as a fixed trust for this purpose and isn’t automatically exempt just because it’s an SMSF. Western Australia and the ACT apply a similar principle using a 50% controlling-interest test rather than NSW’s 20%/40% thresholds. Exact thresholds, exemptions and how “foreign” is defined for these purposes differ by state, so check the settings that apply to your ownership structure with the revenue office in the state you’re buying in before you settle on one.
This is general information only, not a recommendation for any particular ownership structure. Which structure suits your circumstances depends on factors a registered tax agent and a conveyancer are best placed to weigh up with you, including how duty is assessed in the state you’re buying in.
Tax outcomes depend on your circumstances — speak with a registered tax agent before acting.
Where stamp duty fits into your investment costs
Because stamp duty is usually the largest single upfront cost after your deposit, it’s worth building into your budget before you start looking at properties rather than after you’ve found one you want to buy. For how the rest of the mechanics, costs and risks of property investment fit together, see our guide to property investment in Australia.
Stamp duty is also a different concept again from capital gains tax (CGT) — duty is a cost you pay when you buy, while CGT is a tax that can apply when you eventually sell. See our explainer on capital gains tax on property for how that side works.
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Do investors pay stamp duty? | Yes — the same standard duty as any other purchase in that state. |
| Are there investor-specific concessions? | Generally no — the largest concessions target owner-occupiers, not investors. |
| Do foreign investors pay more? | Yes, in most states — an added foreign purchaser duty surcharge applies on top of standard duty. |
| Is stamp duty the same as land tax? | No — stamp duty is a one-off purchase cost; land tax is a separate, ongoing annual tax. |
Every figure above traces to a state or territory revenue office, or to Moneysmart, as cited — see substantiation/stamp-duty-investment-property-concessions.md for the full source list and verified dates.
