Reading a conveyancer settlement statement without panic
Last updated 11 August 2026. Educational only — not credit advice and not a Revenue Office assessment.
The statement wins until proven otherwise
DutyStack estimates order of magnitude. The conveyancer’s adjustment statement is the operational document for settlement funds. If the statement is higher, assume it wins until a line is explained and corrected.
If the statement is materially lower, ask why. A missing duty line is worse than a surplus.
Map every line to your worksheet
Expected lines usually include transfer duty, transfer fees, mortgage registration, and any shortfall. Adjustments for rates, water, or body corporate are usually smaller than duty but still real.
Unexpected lines need a one-sentence explanation from the conveyancer before you transfer funds. Keep the email trail.
Timing and cleared funds
Ask when cleared funds are required and build a two-business-day buffer ahead of that date. Banking delays are boring until they threaten settlement.
Pay from the account story your lender expects when relevant. Surprise transfers from unexplained accounts create credit friction at the worst time.
Align the human stories
If the statement assumes an owner-occupier concession, your broker file and living plans should match. If surcharge is assessed, your title and residency evidence should match. Calculators do not lodge claims — people do.
Use your state learn hub as the briefing you re-read when the statement arrives. Then settle with eyes open.
How this fits DutyStack
Use the calculator for custom numbers after you understand the decision sequence on this page. Use learn hubs for state-specific traps. Use scenarios when you need a forced comparison with engine output.
Nothing here is credit advice under the NCCP or a Revenue Office assessment. Professionals settle the contract; these pages help you decide whether you can afford to start.
We update guides when modelled settings change. Always verify rules for your contract date.
Return to this page when your offer price or household story changes. Static advice from a friend is not a worksheet.
Checklist before you act
Print or save this list and tick it with real names and dates:
- Real offer or ceiling price written down
- Purpose and first-home status agreed for every purchaser
- Foreign purchaser status checked for every purchaser
- Duty and fees modelled at that price
- Grant treated as zero until confirmed
- Conveyancer engaged before auction where required
Related scenarios
Worked engine comparisons for the decisions in this guide.