Stamp duty changes remove one of the biggest upfront barriers to buying a home.
03 July 2026
In brief:
- First home buyers no longer have to pay stamp duty.
- Stamp duty exemptions are also available to pensioners and eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.
- Stamp duty has also been removed for Canberrans buying new unit-titled properties.
Changes introduced on 1 July 2026 mean more Canberrans will no longer have to pay stamp duty.
Stamp duty exemptions are available to:
- first home buyers
- those who haven’t owned a property in the last five years
- pensioners
- eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants
- those who buy new unit-titled properties to live in.
These changes remove one of the biggest upfront barriers to buying a home.
First home buyers
The ACT is the first state or territory in Australia to remove stamp duty for first home buyers.
First home buyers can apply to pay no stamp duty through the Home Buyer Concession (HBC) Scheme.
There is no longer an income threshold or property price limit when applying for the HBC Scheme.
You can also apply for the HBC Scheme if you have not owned a property in the last five years.
To be eligible for the HBC Scheme, all buyers of the property, and domestic partners, must not have owned property in the last five years.
Read more about the Home Buyer Concession Scheme.
Pensioners
Pensioners do not have to pay stamp duty when downsizing.
Pensioners can apply to pay no stamp duty through the Pensioner Duty Concession (PDC) Scheme.
There is no longer a property price limit when applying for the PDC Scheme.
This will make it easier for older Canberrans to move to homes that better suit their needs, while freeing up more larger homes for families.
More Canberrans are now eligible for the PDC Scheme.
- There is no longer a 12-month waiting period for Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Gold Card holders.
- Canberrans who receive a Service Pension from DVA can also apply.
Read more about the Pensioner Duty Concession Scheme.
Eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants
Eligible NDIS participants do not have to pay stamp duty.
Participants can apply to pay no stamp duty through the Disability Duty Concession (DDC) Scheme.
There is no longer a property price limit when applying for the DDC Scheme.
All buyers must not have owned land or property in the two years leading up to the transaction date.
The DDC scheme helps adults with a long-term and permanent disability to find accommodation that suits their needs.
Read more about the Disability Duty Concession Scheme.
Owner-occupiers buying a new unit
Those who buy new unit-titled properties to live in do not have to pay stamp duty.
Buyers can apply to pay no stamp duty through the Off the Plan Unit Duty Exemption or Newly Unit Titled Duty Exemption.
An off-the-plan property is a unit-titled property, such as an apartment or townhouse, that is purchased from a developer before it has been built.
A newly unit titled property is a newly built unit that has never been lived in and is purchased from a developer.
There is no property price limit when applying for either of these exemptions.
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