First home buyer in Victoria: the $600,000 duty exemption and the FHOG

If you are buying your first home in Victoria, the single largest saving is on land transfer duty (Victoria's name for stamp duty). An eligible first home buyer pays no duty at all on a home valued up to $600,000, and a reduced amount between $600,000 and $750,000. On top of that, a new home can attract a $10,000 First Home Owner Grant. This guide sets out exactly what you get, with the duty figures computed from the current State Revenue Office Victoria rates, and points you to the official source for the deposit schemes it does not cover.

The $600,000 full duty exemption

The centrepiece of Victoria's first home buyer support is a full exemption from land transfer duty. If you are an eligible first home buyer and the dutiable value of your home is $600,000 or less, you pay no land transfer duty at all. That is not a discount off a smaller bill, it is the whole duty removed, which on a home near the top of that range is tens of thousands of dollars kept in your pocket.

The exemption applies to a new or established home, or to vacant land you intend to build your first home on. It is administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria, which confirms that a first home buyer pays no duty on a home valued up to $600,000.

The $600,000 to $750,000 sliding concession

Above $600,000 the benefit does not vanish at once. Between $600,001 and $750,000 an eligible first home buyer pays a reduced amount of duty, on a sliding scale that starts near zero just above $600,000 and rises to the full duty amount at $750,000. At $750,000 and above, the first home buyer concession has fully phased out and you pay the same duty as any other buyer.

This is a genuine taper, not a cliff: unlike the separate owner-occupier concession (which has a hard $550,000 boundary, explained further down), the first home buyer concession scales smoothly, so buying a few thousand dollars over $600,000 costs you only a small amount of duty rather than a sudden jump. The State Revenue Office Victoria calculates the exact reduced figure for your price.

Worked examples at four prices

Each first home buyer figure below is computed from the current State Revenue Office Victoria rates (verified 13 July 2026), shown against the standard (non first home buyer) duty at the same price so you can see the saving:

Duty computed from the State Revenue Office Victoria general rates and the first home buyer exemption and concession thresholds ($600,000 full exemption, phasing out to $750,000), verified 13 July 2026. Estimate only. Use the official State Revenue Office calculator for a precise figure. For the full rate tables and a calculator, see the stamp duty Victoria guide.

The $10,000 First Home Owner Grant

Separate from the duty exemption is a cash grant. The $10,000 First Home Owner Grant (new homes only) is paid by the State Revenue Office Victoria to eligible first home buyers who buy or build a new home. Its conditions are narrower than the duty exemption: new home purchases (never previously lived in) valued at $750,000 or less, including land, site works and variations.

The key distinction is new versus established. The duty exemption above applies to an established (previously lived in) home as well as a new one, but the grant does not: it is for a newly built or never-occupied home only. If you are buying an existing house, you can still get the duty exemption or concession, but not the grant. Full conditions are on the State Revenue Office Victoria First Home Owner Grant page.

For an eligible new home within the price caps, the duty exemption and the grant can both apply to the same purchase, so a first home buyer of a new home can save duty and receive the grant.

Deposit and shared-equity schemes

The savings above are Victorian rules on duty and the state grant. Two of the most-asked-about first home buyer supports are federal, not part of the Victorian duty system, so this guide does not quote their figures (income and property price caps change, and they are set nationally, not by Victoria):

• The First Home Guarantee (the Australian Government low-deposit scheme, formerly the Home Guarantee Scheme) lets eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. Property price caps and eligibility are set federally and change, so check the current details at the official Australian Government first home buyers site rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
• Shared-equity and super-saver schemes are likewise federal. The same official site is the authoritative source for what is available and the current caps.

Who counts as a first home buyer

The exemption, concession and grant each have their own eligibility rules, but the core first home buyer test for the duty benefit, per the State Revenue Office Victoria, is broadly:

• You (and any co-buyer relying on the benefit) have not previously owned a home in Australia.
• At least one buyer will live in the property as their principal place of residence.
• You move in within 12 months of settlement and live there for at least 12 continuous months. For vacant land you build on, the move-in timeframe is extended (up to 36 months from settlement).

Eligibility can turn on details, for example buying with a partner who has owned before, or trusts and companies, that this general guide cannot resolve for your situation. Confirm your own eligibility with the State Revenue Office Victoria or your conveyancer before you sign.

Do first home buyers also get the owner-occupier rate?

Victoria has a second, separate concession: a lower principal place of residence rate for any owner-occupier, first home buyer or not, on a home valued up to $550,000. A common question is whether a first home buyer gets both. In practice the answer is simple, and it is worth being precise rather than inventing an interaction:

• If you are an eligible first home buyer, the first home buyer exemption is more generous and is what applies. It removes all duty up to $600,000, which already covers the whole range where the owner-occupier rate would matter (that rate only exists up to $550,000). At $500,000, for example, the first home buyer pays nil, whereas the owner-occupier rate would be $21,970 against a general rate of $25,070. There is nothing to gain from the owner-occupier rate on top.
• If you do not qualify as a first home buyer (say you have owned a home before), the principal place of residence rate is your fallback as an owner-occupier: it applies up to and including $550,000, where the duty is $24,970. Above $550,000 it does not apply at all, and above $750,000 neither concession applies.

So the two do not stack in a way that helps an eligible first home buyer, and there is no combination that gives a first home buyer above $750,000 a concessional rate. If your situation sits near one of these boundaries, check it directly with the State Revenue Office Victoria rather than assuming. The owner-occupier rate and the $550,000 boundary are set out in full in the stamp duty Victoria guide.

How to claim

You do not usually apply for the duty exemption or concession separately. Your conveyancer or lawyer lodges the claim as part of the duty assessment at settlement, and you sign a declaration confirming you meet the eligibility criteria. The First Home Owner Grant for a new home is applied for through the State Revenue Office Victoria (often via your lender). Getting a conveyancer engaged early means the exemption and any grant are handled correctly the first time and reflected in your settlement figures.

Conveyancing Explained provides general information about property transactions in Australia. It is not legal advice and does not create a client relationship. For advice on your situation, engage a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent, or property solicitor in your state or territory.