Highlights

  • Eligible first-home buyers pay no transfer duty on homes valued up to AUD 600,000 for agreements from 7 May 2026.
  • A concessional duty rate applies to qualifying home purchases up to AUD 800,000.
  • Eligible vacant land purchases attract no duty up to AUD 450,000 and reduced duty up to AUD 550,000.
  • Some buyers who settled under earlier rates may seek a reassessment and refund through RevenueWA.
  • The new build-to-sell foreign buyer exemption remains contingent on legislative approval.

Western Australia has expanded transfer duty concessions for eligible first-home buyers under its 2026–27 housing taxation measures. The updated thresholds apply to transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026, including some contracts completed before RevenueWA implemented the revised rates.

Updated Duty Thresholds for Homes

For qualifying newly built or established homes, no duty is payable when the dutiable value does not exceed AUD 600,000, up from AUD 500,000. For homes valued above AUD 600,000 but no more than AUD 800,000, the first home owner rate is AUD 16.15 for each AUD 100, or part thereof, above AUD 600,000. Beyond AUD 800,000, the general transfer duty rate applies.

Eligibility is subject to first-home buyer requirements; the concession is not an automatic exemption for every property purchase within the price limits.

Vacant Land Buyers Receive Higher Limits

For eligible vacant land purchases, the nil-duty threshold has increased from AUD 350,000 to AUD 450,000. A concessional rate applies when the dutiable value is above AUD 450,000 but not more than AUD 550,000. The applicable rate is AUD 20.14 per AUD 100, or part thereof, above AUD 450,000. Land valued above AUD 550,000 does not qualify for this first home owner concession.

Contracts and Refund Eligibility

The crucial date is when a purchase agreement was entered into, rather than the settlement date. Transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026 can qualify for the new thresholds. Eligible transactions entered into before implementation and settled by 28 July 2026 may be reassessed where duty was charged using the earlier thresholds. Applications for eligible refunds can be submitted using RevenueWA connect.

For example, a qualifying buyer who entered a contract for an established home worth AUD 590,000 in June 2026 and settled in July may have paid duty under the former AUD 500,000 nil-duty threshold. Under the revised AUD 600,000 exemption, that purchase could attract no duty, subject to the buyer meeting all applicable conditions.

Grant and Off-the-Plan Measures

The first home owner grant property value cap south of the 26th parallel has also risen to AUD 800,000. Eligibility for the first home owner duty concession is no longer tied to the grant’s property value caps.

A separate off-the-plan duty concession has been extended to 30 June 2028 for qualifying transactions from 12 March 2026. The proposed foreign transfer duty exemption for qualifying build-to-sell developments, by contrast, requires the relevant legislation to take effect.

Key Insights

The higher thresholds reduce Transaction Costs for eligible WA first-home buyers, particularly around the AUD 600,000 home and AUD 450,000 land limits. Buyers who settled during the transition period may be able to recover duty already paid. Contract timing, eligibility criteria and the distinction between enacted concessions and proposed measures remain central to determining the final duty outcome.