The foreign purchaser surcharge
Six states charge foreign purchasers an extra duty on residential property, on top of the ordinary rate. It is not a small addition — on a $1,000,000 purchase in New South Wales it adds $90,000.
Rates as at 27 August 2026.
What each jurisdiction charges
| Where | Surcharge | On a $1,000,000 home, that is |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 9% | $90,000 on top |
| Victoria | 8% | $80,000 on top |
| Queensland | 8% | $80,000 on top |
| Tasmania | 8% | $80,000 on top |
| Western Australia | 7% | $70,000 on top |
| South Australia | 7% | $70,000 on top |
| Australian Capital Territory | None | No conveyance duty surcharge |
| Northern Territory | None | No surcharge in the Stamp Duty Act |
Sources: Revenue NSW, SRO Victoria, Queensland Revenue Office, SRO Tasmania, RevenueWA, RevenueSA.
How it works
The surcharge is charged as a flat percentage of the property's value, and it sits on top of the ordinary transfer duty rather than replacing it. So a foreign purchaser buying a $1,000,000 home in New South Wales pays the normal duty of roughly $39,000 plus $90,000 of surcharge.
It applies to residential property. Where only part of a property is acquired by a foreign purchaser, the surcharge applies to that share rather than the whole value — our calculator shows the surcharge on the full value and says so, because it cannot know your ownership split.
Who counts as a foreign purchaser
Broadly, someone who is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, along with foreign companies and foreign trusts. The precise test differs by state, and the consequences of getting it wrong are expensive, so this is one to confirm with the revenue office or a conveyancer rather than a website.
A first home buyer concession does not remove the surcharge. Most schemes also require at least one buyer to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, so a foreign purchaser will usually fail the concession test and pay the surcharge in the same transaction.
Recent and announced changes
New South Wales raised its surcharge from 8% to 9% for transactions on or after 1 January 2025. Its 2026–27 budget legislation proposes exemptions or refunds for build-to-rent developments and certain retirement village transfers, which had not commenced at the time of writing. Western Australia has announced a new foreign transfer duty exemption for build-to-sell developments that add at least one dwelling to housing supply, which takes effect once its 2026 housing bill receives assent.
See it applied to your price
Tick the foreign purchaser box and the surcharge appears as its own line in the breakdown.