Land transfer duty is the biggest cost most buyers forget to budget for, and in Victoria it ranges from nothing (first home, $600,000) to $66,000 on a $1.2 million family home. This calculator uses the current SRO rates and concessions for first home buyers, owner-occupiers and investors, and tells you when the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant applies. Other states are coming; for now the team can run those for you.
First-home exemption and concession require you to live in the home for 12 months, starting within a year of settlement, and apply once. Off-the-plan apartments and townhouses signed before 21 April 2027 may deduct post-contract construction costs from the dutiable value, which this calculator does not model.
Duty is paid at settlement and lenders will not fund it, so it belongs in the deposit maths.
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Figures checked October 2026. Rates and thresholds change; the team re-checks before every application.
For an owner-occupier who is not a first home buyer: $2,870 plus 6% of the price above $130,000 up to $960,000, then a flat 5.5% to $2 million, then $110,000 plus 6.5%. That is $49,070 on $900,000 and $66,000 on $1.2 million. Investors pay the same general rates. First home buyers pay nothing to $600,000 and a reduced amount to $750,000.
The owner-occupier (principal place of residence) concession only helps between $130,000 and $550,000, which rules out most Melbourne houses, so the general rate is the one most upgraders pay.
Not on a home valued at $600,000 or less, and a sliding concession applies from $600,001 to $750,000. Above $750,000 the normal owner-occupier rate applies. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, never have owned property in Australia, and live in the home for twelve months starting within a year of settlement.
The exemption works alongside the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant on a new home and the federal First Home Guarantee, which lets you buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI. See the first home buyers page for all three together.
It is paid at settlement, usually through your conveyancer, within 30 days of the transfer. Lenders will not fund it: it comes out of your deposit, which is why a 5% deposit under the First Home Guarantee still needs duty and costs on top unless the exemption applies.
Land Use Victoria charges a transfer registration fee that scales with price and a mortgage registration fee of roughly $130, both indexed each July. Add conveyancing (typically $1,200 to $2,500), building and pest inspections, and adjustments for council rates and water. Budget $3,000 to $5,000 on top of duty.
The purchasing power calculator nets all of this off your deposit to show the price you can actually bid to.
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Deposit plus loan, minus duty, LMI and costs: the price you can actually bid to.
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I'm cinchi, Cinch Loans' AI assistant. I explain how Australian home loans and finance work, and when a question needs a current figure I check trusted sources like MoneySmart, Housing Australia, the RBA and the state revenue offices, and show you where it came from. Suvidh and the team give the actual advice. Your questions are saved so they can pick up where we left off, and when a question needs a person, I'll put you straight through on WhatsApp.
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