Tasmanian Stamp Duty Explained: Rates Concessions and How to Calculate It

Tasmania offers first home buyers a full duty exemption on established homes up to $750,000. The exemption applies to purchases that settle on or before 30 June 2026, and the 2026-27 State Budget, delivered on 21 May 2026, did not extend it. This guide walks through the 2026 Tasmanian property transfer duty rates, the FHB exemption, the off-the-plan concession and how the calculation actually works.

AgentBridge publishes this for buyers and developers active in Tasmania who need an accurate duty figure for budgeting. Figures are sourced directly from the State Revenue Office Tasmania (SRO) and current as at 22 May 2026.

What Stamp Duty Is in Tasmania

Property transfer duty (the formal name in Tasmania) is a state tax on the dutiable value of a property transfer. The dutiable value is the higher of the unencumbered value or the consideration paid. The State Revenue Office Tasmania (SRO) administers the tax under the Duties Act 2001.

The buyer pays the duty. It falls due within 3 months of the contract becoming dutiable (typically settlement). Late payment attracts interest and penalty tax.

Tasmania uses a single 7-bracket rate schedule for all dutiable transactions. Concessions and exemptions sit on top of the standard schedule, including a generous first home buyer exemption for established homes, an off-the-plan apartment concession and a foreign investor duty surcharge. The pensioner downsizing concession closed on 30 June 2025.

The 2026 Tasmanian Stamp Duty Rate Schedule

A single rate schedule applies to all land transfers in Tasmania. The schedule has applied since 21 October 2013.

The top marginal rate of 4.5% on the portion above $725,000 is one of the lowest in Australia. Tasmania has no premium duty band for ultra-high-value properties.

Worked Example. Calculating Duty on a $750k and $1.5M Purchase

Two worked examples show how the bracket method works in practice.

Example 1. $750,000 established home in Hobart.

The $750,000 purchase falls in the over $725,000 bracket. Duty is $27,810 plus $4.50 per $100 over $725,000.

The amount over $725,000 is $25,000. At $4.50 per $100 the variable component is $1,125. Total duty payable is $27,810 plus $1,125, or $28,935.

An eligible first home buyer purchasing this same established home would pay $0 under the FHB of established homes duty relief, which provides a 100% exemption for properties at or under $750,000. Refer below.

Example 2. $1,500,000 waterfront home in Sandy Bay.

The $1,500,000 purchase falls in the over $725,000 bracket. Duty is $27,810 plus $4.50 per $100 over $725,000.

The amount over $725,000 is $775,000. At $4.50 per $100 the variable component is $34,875. Total duty payable is $27,810 plus $34,875, or $62,685.

Foreign investors add 8% foreign investor duty surcharge on top, set out below.

First Home Buyer Concession or Exemption. Who Qualifies and What You Get

Tasmania currently offers a 100% duty exemption for first home buyers of established homes, sitting alongside the federal-state First Home Owner Grant for new builds.

First Home Buyers of Established Homes Duty Relief.

• Full duty exemption on an established home (one previously occupied or sold as a place of residence) with a dutiable value of $750,000 or less.
• Available for contracts that complete between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026 inclusive.
• No relief above $750,000 (cliff edge, not a sliding scale).

To qualify, all purchasers must be natural persons aged 18 or over and Australian citizens or permanent residents. No applicant (or their spouse / partner) can have previously owned residential property in Australia, received a First Home Owner Grant in any state or territory, or received a comparable duty concession or exemption. All eligible transferees must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of 6 months commencing within 12 months of purchase.

The current 100% exemption is a significant uplift from the previous concession structure (a 50% discount, with lower property value caps), which applied between 7 February 2018 and 17 February 2024. The exemption applies to purchases settling on or before 30 June 2026, and the 2026-27 State Budget did not extend it. Buyers whose purchase will settle after 30 June 2026 should budget for standard duty and confirm the position with the SRO Tasmania. Source: State Revenue Office Tasmania.

The Tasmanian First Home Owner Grant of $30,000 (for eligible transactions commencing between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026) is available for first home buyers of brand new homes (separately from the established-home duty exemption). Detailed in the companion Tasmania FHOG article.

Off-the-Plan and New Home Concessions

Tasmania does not currently offer a broad stamp duty exemption for new homes equivalent to SA's or QLD's regimes. However, two specific concessions apply.

Off-the-plan apartment or unit duty concession. A 50% duty concession applies to an off-the-plan apartment or unit (a strata lot, or a dwelling conjoined with other dwellings) with a dutiable value of $750,000 or less, where the agreement for sale is entered into between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026 inclusive and no occupancy permit had been granted when the agreement was signed. Buyers must be natural persons aged 18 or over, at least one an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and the transfer must occur before 30 June 2031. Confirm eligibility with the SRO.

New home duty exemption. No general new-home duty exemption exists in Tasmania separate from the FHOG and the off-the-plan concession. The FHOG is a cash grant ($30,000 for eligible transactions commencing between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026), not a duty exemption.

Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge

Foreign persons acquiring residential property in Tasmania pay foreign investor duty surcharge (FIDS) of 8% of the dutiable value, charged on top of standard property transfer duty. The 8% rate has applied to agreements on or after 1 April 2020. Primary production property attracts a lower surcharge of 1.5%.

A foreign person includes individuals who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents, foreign corporations and foreign trusts. The surcharge applies to the foreign person's proportional interest in residential property.

On the $1.5M Sandy Bay example, FIDS of 8% adds $120,000 to the duty bill. Total duty for a foreign buyer becomes $62,685 plus $120,000, or $182,685.

Other Concessions Worth Knowing

Several other property transfer duty concessions and exemptions exist in Tasmania outside the first home buyer relief.

Pensioner downsizing duty concession (closed). This concession gave eligible pensioners aged 60 and over a 50% duty reduction on a downsized home valued at up to $600,000. It closed on 30 June 2025 and is not available for current purchases.

Intergenerational rural transfer. Transfers of certain rural primary production property between family members may qualify for a full duty exemption, subject to occupation, use and relationship tests.

Personal relationship and breakdown of relationship transfers. Transfers between spouses, de facto partners or domestic partners of an interest in a principal place of residence, and transfers following the breakdown of a relationship (including under court orders or binding financial agreements), are generally exempt from duty.

Deceased estate transfers. Transfers to a beneficiary in accordance with a will or under the laws of intestacy attract nominal duty only.

How and When You Pay

Property transfer duty in Tasmania is assessed by the SRO based on the executed contract or transfer. The buyer's conveyancer lodges documents through the Tasmanian Revenue Online (TRO) system.

Duty must be paid before the transfer can be registered with the Land Titles Office. In practice, payment is settled through the buyer's conveyancer at settlement, drawn from the buyer's settlement funds.

The strict legal deadline is 3 months from the contract date. Late payment attracts interest at a published market rate and penalty tax that escalates with the length of delay.

Speak to a licensed conveyancer for advice on timing and any concessions that may apply to your specific purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do first home buyers pay any stamp duty in Tasmania on a $750,000 established home? No. Under the First Home Buyers of Established Homes Duty Relief, eligible first home buyers pay $0 stamp duty on an established home valued at $750,000 or less. The relief is available for contracts completing between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026 inclusive. Standard first home buyer eligibility tests apply.

What stamp duty applies to a new home purchase by a first home buyer in Tasmania? Tasmania does not currently offer a duty exemption specifically for new homes (the established-home relief targets only established homes). First home buyers of new homes pay standard duty but may be eligible for the First Home Owner Grant, which is $30,000 for eligible transactions commencing between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. Off-the-plan apartments may attract the separate off-the-plan concession.

Is the Tasmanian first home buyer stamp duty exemption ending in 2026? The relief applies to purchases settling on or before 30 June 2026. The 2026-27 State Budget, delivered on 21 May 2026, did not extend it. Confirm the position with the SRO before signing any contract that will settle after that date.

Does Tasmania have a foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge? Yes. The Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge of 8% applies to residential property purchases by foreign persons, on top of standard property transfer duty. Primary production property attracts a lower 1.5% surcharge. Both rates have applied since 1 April 2020.

How does the Tasmanian pensioner downsizer concession work? The concession closed on 30 June 2025. While it ran, eligible pensioners aged 60 and over who sold their home and downsized received a 50% duty reduction on the new home, capped at a value of $600,000 from 1 January 2022. It is not available for current purchases.

Related Resources

• Australian Stamp Duty Explained State by State: AgentBridge national pillar on transfer duty across all 8 states and territories.
• How to Buy Property in Tasmania: the full Tasmanian purchase process from offer to settlement.
• Tasmania First Home Owner Grant and Duty Exemptions for 2026: companion guide to the FHOG and the wider Tasmanian first home buyer support landscape.

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Figures sourced from the State Revenue Office Tasmania. This article is general information only and does not constitute financial product advice. Confirm current rates and your eligibility directly with the SRO or a licensed conveyancer before signing any contract.