Property transfer duty in Tasmania: rates and relief

The rates

The State Revenue Office Tasmania (SRO) states that duty is calculated on the greater of the unencumbered value (the Valuer-General’s last valuation multiplied by the municipality’s adjustment factor) and the purchase price. Values include chattels. For transfers on or after 21 October 2013:

The SRO’s rates page is dated 14 June 2022 and describes these rates as applying to transfers on or after 21 October 2013. Confirm with the SRO calculator that nothing has changed for your contract. Mortgage duty was abolished from 1 July 2007.

When to pay

The SRO states that duty is payable within three months of the date of the dutiable transaction (usually the date of settlement), and that the purchaser (transferee) pays.

First home buyers: what has ended

The SRO’s concessions page lists two measures as no longer available:

• First home buyers of established homes: a 100% exemption for homes with a dutiable value of $750,000 or less that settled from 18 February 2024 to 30 June 2026. The SRO page, published 16 July 2026, states that it “is not available for transactions settling after 30 June 2026” and names no replacement. An earlier 50% concession applied to settlements from 7 February 2018 to 17 February 2024.
• Off-the-plan apartment or unit concession: a 50% reduction of duty, “NOT available for agreements of sale executed after 30 June 2026”.

A pensioners downsizing concession (50% for eligible pensioners who sell a Tasmanian home and buy a new home in Tasmania) is listed without an end date.

First home owner grant for new homes

Tasmania’s first home owner grant is for people building or buying a newly built home. The First Home Owner Grant Amendment Act 2026 (No. 9 of 2026, Royal Assent 10 July 2026, commencing 1 July 2026) sets the amount at $20,000 for an eligible transaction whose commencement date is on or after 1 July 2026 but before 1 July 2027, if the transaction is completed within 24 months of that date. The Act is repealed on the first anniversary of its commencement. The Commissioner may extend the 24-month period for good reasons. Check the SRO for the other eligibility conditions. See first home owner grants compared.

Foreign buyers

From 1 April 2020, the foreign investor duty surcharge is 8% on residential property acquired by a foreign person (and 1.5% on primary production property), calculated on the share of the dutiable value acquired by the foreign person. See foreign purchaser surcharge duty.

Pensioners downsizing

The SRO lists a concession of 50% of property transfer duty for eligible pensioners who sell their former Tasmanian home and buy a new home in Tasmania. The concessions page gives no end date and does not list the eligibility criteria: ask the SRO or your conveyancer for the conditions and the form that applies to your contract date.

Checking the rate for your contract

The SRO says the rates in the table apply to transfers on or after 21 October 2013, and that its online calculator can compute duty for a specific transaction. Because the rates page itself is dated June 2022 and the first home measures changed on 30 June 2026, ask for a written duty assessment before you sign, and compare it with the calculator. Include chattels in the value if the contract does.

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer or solicitor lodges the transfer, calculates duty and tells you whether a concession applies to your contract date: see conveyancers. A mortgage broker can include duty in your funding plan: see mortgage brokers.