Funds to complete: the cash you need beyond the loan
Last updated 23 July 2026. Educational only — not credit advice and not a Revenue Office assessment.
Why “20% deposit” is not the whole story
Buyers often quote a deposit percentage as if that is the only money required. Settlement cash is usually deposit (or equity contribution) plus transfer duty and government fees, minus any grant credit you actually receive, plus any lender costs your broker has flagged.
If the loan is less than the purchase price, the gap must be funded. If duty and fees are paid from cash rather than the loan, your available savings need to cover that stack on top of the deposit.
The usual building blocks
A practical funds-to-complete view separates purchase funding from cash at settlement:
- Purchase price
- Less: loan advance (and any genuine equity release used as deposit)
- Plus: stamp duty / transfer duty
- Plus: transfer and mortgage registration fees (state-dependent)
- Less: First Home Owner Grant credit where eligible
- Plus: other cash items your conveyancer lists (adjustments, shortfall, lender fees)
Cash deposit vs equity
A cash deposit reduces the loan dollar-for-dollar. Equity from another property can fund the deposit without draining an offset account — but it does not erase duty. DutyStack’s equity path keeps purchase loan sizing and duty cash separate so the screen does not invent a “buffer” by double-counting.
If equity fully covers the purchase gap, you may still need cash for duty and fees unless those are separately funded.
Grants reduce cash — they do not rewrite duty tables
FHOG (where available) is a grant credit. It can lower cash at settlement when you qualify, but it is not the same as a stamp duty exemption. Some buyers qualify for one and not the other. New builds and vacant land often have different grant settings to established homes.
Use the calculator, then verify the settlement statement
Run price, state, purpose, first-home status, and deposit funding through DutyStack to get an order-of-magnitude cash figure before you bid. Before exchange, replace the estimate with your conveyancer’s adjustment statement and your broker’s final fee list.