First Home Buyer Guide: State by State
Buying your first home in Australia comes down to a handful of decisions, and each one changes how much cash you actually need. This guide walks you through those decisions in order — how you fund the deposit, how you avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance, and what stamp duty concession you get — then shows exactly what each state and territory offers, current as of July 2026.
The four decisions that shape your purchase
Before you look at a single listing, these are the levers that decide how much you need saved and what you'll pay:
- New build or established? This is the big one. Several states now give first home buyers zero stamp duty on new builds with no price cap, while charging full duty on an established home at the same price.
- Which state or territory? Stamp duty is state law, and the concessions differ enormously — from "no duty, no cap" to "no first-home concession at all."
- How big a deposit — and which no-LMI pathway? A 20% deposit avoids Lenders Mortgage Insurance; the First Home Guarantee lets eligible buyers in with 5% and no LMI; some professions get a waiver up to 95%.
- Will you use the First Home Super Saver? Saving part of your deposit inside super can add thousands, tax-free, to what you take to settlement.
Step 1 — Fund the deposit
The First Home Super Saver (FHSS)
The FHSS scheme lets you save for a deposit inside super. You make voluntary pre-tax (concessional) contributions — capped at $15,000 a year and $50,000 total per person — then release them, plus deemed earnings, when you buy. Because those contributions are taxed at 15% inside super instead of your marginal rate, the tax you save becomes extra deposit. On release, the assessable amount is taxed at your marginal rate less a 30% offset, which for most earners is small or nil.
Avoiding LMI: the three pathways
- Standard (20% deposit): borrow 80% or less and no LMI applies.
- First Home Guarantee (5% deposit): the government guarantees the gap so eligible first home buyers avoid LMI with just 5% down. Property price caps and eligibility criteria apply and vary by location.
- Professional waiver: some lenders waive LMI up to 90–95% LVR for certain occupations (medical, legal, accounting and others).
Step 2 — Count the buying costs (this is where price gets "brought down")
A broker assessing what you can afford doesn't just look at your deposit — they look at your deposit minus the cost of buying. Your savings have to cover the deposit plus stamp duty, transfer and registration fees, and conveyancing. The bigger those costs, the lower the price you can actually target. Stamp duty is by far the largest and most variable of them, which is why the state you buy in — and whether the home is new or established — matters so much.
Stamp duty for first home buyers, by state
Here's what an eligible first home buyer gets in each jurisdiction as of July 2026. "No cap" means the concession applies at any price.
| State / Territory | What you get |
|---|---|
| NSW | No duty up to $800k; a reducing concession from $800k to $1.0m; full duty above. |
| VIC | No duty up to $600k; a reducing concession from $600k to $750k; full duty above. |
| QLD | New build or vacant land: no duty, no price cap (from 1 May 2025). Established: no duty up to $700k, phasing out to $800k. |
| WA | No duty up to $600k; a reducing concession to $800k (metro figures; regional caps differ). |
| SA | New build or vacant land: no duty, no price cap (from 6 Jun 2024). Established homes pay full duty — there is no first-home concession. |
| TAS | The established-home exemption (up to $750k) expired 30 June 2026 — full duty now applies. Confirm any current relief with SRO Tas. |
| ACT | No duty for eligible first home buyers — no price cap and no income test (from 1 July 2026). |
| NT | No first-home stamp-duty concession; established homes pay full duty. A new house-and-land package bought on a single contract can be fully exempt (HLPE), and grants may apply. |
For the full detail on any one jurisdiction — worked duty figures at a range of prices, the grants that stack on top, and a calculator pre-set to that state — open its dedicated page from the stamp duty by state overview, or go straight to NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT or NT.
Grants are separate from stamp duty
Most states also run a First Home Owner Grant (typically for new homes), and some territories have their own top-ups — SA pays a $15,000 grant on eligible new homes, and the NT's HomeGrown Territory Grant is larger again for new builds. Grants change often and are separate from the duty concessions above, so check your state revenue office for the current amount and eligibility. In planning terms: a duty concession lowers what you need at settlement; a grant adds cash back afterwards.
Putting it together
Work the decisions in order. Pick new vs established and your state — that fixes your stamp duty. Choose your LMI pathway — that fixes your deposit percentage. Add the FHSS if it helps — that boosts the deposit you bring. What's left is a single number: total cash needed at settlement, and how long until you have it. That's exactly what the calculator solves.
This is general information, not financial or tax advice, and stamp-duty rules change with each state budget. Figures are current as of July 2026 — always confirm the exact concession, grant and eligibility with your state or territory revenue office before you buy.