New South Wales: stamp duty, FHB & settlement cash

Worked example: $4.258m residential (premium band)

Non-FHB owner-occupier, established dwelling, 20% deposit. Revenue NSW 2026–27: $194,137 plus 7% of the excess over $3,870,000. This is the house that used to print 5.5% forever in DutyStack.

Property value

$4,258,000

Stamp duty

$221,297

Government fees

$374

Funds to complete (20%)

$1,073,271

NSW premium property duty (7% above $3.87m)

Worked example: $400k FHB vacant land (not the dwelling path)

Eligible first-home owner-occupier, vacant land, 20% deposit. Dwelling FHBAS would print $0 at $400k. Land FHBAS is $350k / $450k — this price is on the concession slope. FHOG stays $0; the grant is for a new home, not the land contract.

Property value

$400,000

Stamp duty

$7,034

Government fees

$374

Funds to complete (20%)

$87,408

NSW FHB vacant land sliding concession ($350k–$450k)

NSW: FHOG is for a new home, not a vacant land contract

The 2026–27 table, including premium

General transfer duty is CPI-indexed from 1 July 2026. The top general band is $52,237 plus 5.5% over $1,290,000. That is not the last band.

Residential land above $3,870,000 pays premium property duty under Duties Act s32A: $194,137 plus $7 per $100 (or part) over the threshold. $194,137 is exactly general duty at $3,870,000. The extra is 7% on the excess, not 7% on the whole price.

Investment houses still pay premium if the land is residential. Mixed-use and >2 hectare apportionment exist at Revenue NSW; DutyStack treats the entered price as fully residential.

FHB dwellings $800k / $1m; vacant land $350k / $450k

Eligible first-home buyers on a dwelling pay $0 duty at or below $800,000. Between $800,001 and $999,999 a sliding concession applies against standard duty at $800,000. At $1,000,000 the concession is gone.

Vacant land uses a different FHBAS pair: $0 at or below $350,000, sliding concession to $450,000, then the full general (and premium) table. Ticking New dwelling on a land contract is how people invent a $0 duty story the engine no longer prints. Run Vacant land.

A $4m first-home story is still full premium duty. Prior ownership on any purchaser on title can kill FHBAS regardless of price.

FHOG is new-build; Scheme caps are not duty

NSW FHOG is modelled at $10,000 for new homes inside published price caps (about $600,000 purchase / $750,000 house-and-land). Established dwellings and vacant land contracts should be budgeted with grant = $0.

The 5% Deposit Scheme metro cap is $1,500,000 and regional $800,000. Scheme does not cut stamp duty. Over the cap, model 10% or 20% plus LMI instead of pretending the guarantee still applies.

NSW traps that actually move cash

Using 2025–26 brackets on a contract dated after 1 July 2026 understates duty once you are into the top bands, and misses premium entirely above $3.87m.

Purpose (live-in vs investment) does not rewrite the NSW general table the way Queensland does. It still gates Scheme and FHB occupancy rules.

• Premium: $3,870,001+ residential → 7% on the excess
• Counting FHOG on an established dwelling or a vacant land contract
• Using dwelling FHBAS ($800k) on a vacant land price
• Metro Scheme cap on a regional contract (or the reverse)