Stamp duty in South Australia: how to find your figure

What the Government of South Australia publishes for home buyers

The South Australian Government’s home buyer site (HomeSeeker SA) states that:

• stamp duty is a government charge on certain transactions, including real estate, and it is charged either at a flat rate or at a rate that rises with the property’s price;
• eligible first home buyers pay zero stamp duty when they build or buy a new home, including an off-the-plan apartment, a house and land package, or vacant land to build a new home;
• “the property value thresholds for stamp duty relief have been removed”, so the relief applies regardless of property value;
• the relief covers new homes, not established homes (the site’s list of eligible purchases names only new-home purchases);
• the First Home Owner Grant is up to $15,000 for buying or building a new home, to be used as the principal place of residence;
• stamp duty on a house and land package is paid on the land value, and on a completed home on its full value.

The site gives no dates and no detailed eligibility criteria and refers you to RevenueSA for them: the rules in force on your contract date are what count.

Why this guide gives no rate table

Stamp duty is a state tax. Each state and territory sets its own scale, its own concessions for first home buyers and its own rules for foreign buyers. A figure from New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland does not apply in South Australia. On this site, every rate is quoted only from the revenue office that publishes it, with the date it was read. For South Australia, the official calculator and rate pages on the RevenueSA website are the reference. The federal first home page, which lists the resource for each state, points South Australian buyers to revenuesa.sa.gov.au.

What to check before you sign

Ask your conveyancer or solicitor, and confirm on the RevenueSA website, each of the following for your contract date:

1. The duty on your price. Duty is calculated on a dutiable value, normally the higher of the price and the market value. Ask for the figure in writing before exchange.
2. First home buyer relief. Whether the relief applies to the type of property you are buying (new home, off-the-plan, vacant land or an established home), whether there is a value cap, and the residence rule you must meet after settlement.
3. Other relief. Whether any other concession applies to your situation, and the date from which it applies.
4. Foreign ownership. If any buyer is a foreign person, whether a surcharge applies in addition to duty. Foreign persons must also apply for federal approval before buying residential real estate or land in Australia.
5. Timing. By when the duty must be paid or the documents lodged, and what happens if they are late.
6. Who claims the relief. Whether the claim must be made at settlement or can be made later, and the time limit for a refund.

How South Australia fits in the national picture

Payotte’s other duty guides show how widely the states differ: a sliding scale in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, a formula in the Northern Territory, and different first home buyer rules in each. See:

• Transfer duty in NSW
• Land transfer duty in Victoria
• Transfer duty in Queensland
• First home buyer concessions compared
• First home owner grants compared
• Foreign purchaser surcharge duty compared

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer or solicitor assesses the duty on your contract, lodges it and claims any relief: see conveyancers. A mortgage broker can include duty and other costs in your funding plan: see mortgage brokers.