First-Home Stamp Duty Concession Canberra 2026

First-home buyers considering a new apartment in the ACT have access to a stamp duty arrangement that does not exist in NSW or Victoria — one that can reduce the upfront cost of purchase by $15,000 to $30,000 or more depending on the purchase price.

The ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme

Under the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme, eligible buyers may qualify for a full stamp duty concession on their purchase. To qualify, buyers must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, must not have owned ACT residential property in the two years prior to purchase, and must intend to occupy the property as their principal residence. Income and price thresholds apply and should be confirmed with an ACT conveyancer before signing.

Off the plan purchases compound the advantage: stamp duty in the ACT is calculated at exchange on the land component of the purchase price, not the completed dwelling value. For a new apartment, the land value is a fraction of the full price — reducing the duty base well below that of an equivalent established property before any concession is applied.

How the purchase timeline works

Buyers pay a deposit — typically 10 per cent — at exchange, with the balance required at settlement when construction completes, commonly 12 to 24 months later. That gap provides additional time to save toward settlement costs or build loan serviceability. Deposit bonds are available for some buyers as an alternative to cash deposits.

One current first-home buyer option

The Lawson in Belconnen has two-bedroom apartments from under $500,000 in its Haven release — within the range where ACT first-home buyer concessions apply for many eligible purchasers. The project is designed by Fender Katsalidis, built by Kuatro, and includes Club Lawson, a residents-only wellness facility with pool, sauna, gym, yoga studio and meditation rooms.

Sales are handled by Gaurav Pahwa at Apartment Collective, who has guided a number of Canberra first-home buyers through their first off the plan purchase. Details at the-lawson.com or 1800 311 975.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.