SA Stamp Duty 2026-27: Calculate Your South Australia Conveyance Duty

South Australia’s conveyance duty occupies a middle lane nationally — more expensive than Queensland and Western Australia at most price points, but below Victoria and broadly comparable to New South Wales. On a $550,000 Adelaide property, you’re looking at roughly $24,000 in stamp duty. First home buyers get a powerful deal if they buy new: since February 2025, zero duty on new homes and off-the-plan purchases with no price cap. But buy an existing home and you pay full freight. Here’s exactly how the numbers work and how to calculate your specific bill.

How SA conveyance duty is calculated in 2026-27

South Australia uses a nine-tier marginal-rate system — the most granular of any state. Each band covers a fairly narrow range, which makes the effective rate climb in many small steps rather than a few large jumps. Non-residential and non-primary-production land has been duty-free since 2018, so the following rates apply only to residential property and primary-production land:

• On the first $12,000: 1.0% of the dutiable value.
• $12,001 to $30,000: $120 plus 2.0% of the amount over $12,000.
• $30,001 to $50,000: $480 plus 3.0% of the amount over $30,000.
• $50,001 to $100,000: $1,080 plus 3.5% of the amount over $50,000.
• $100,001 to $200,000: $2,830 plus 4.0% of the amount over $100,000.
• $200,001 to $250,000: $6,830 plus 4.25% of the amount over $200,000.
• $250,001 to $300,000: $8,955 plus 4.75% of the amount over $250,000.
• $300,001 to $500,000: $11,330 plus 5.0% of the amount over $300,000.
• Above $500,000: $21,330 plus 5.5% of the amount over $500,000.

On a $450,000 property, the duty works out to roughly $18,830. At $550,000, approximately $24,080. At $800,000, the bill rises to about $37,830. The effective rate on a $450,000 purchase is about 4.2%, rising to roughly 4.7% at $800,000 — higher than WA and Queensland but competitive with NSW in the same range.

The nine-tier structure means the SA duty curve is smoother than other states’. There are no sudden flat-rate transitions like Victoria’s at $960,000, and the marginal rate increments are small: 1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0%, 3.5%, 4.0%, 4.25%, 4.75%, 5.0%, 5.5%. This makes the effective rate climb gradually rather than in sharp steps — but it also makes manual estimation tedious, which is exactly where the calculator earns its value.

First home buyer relief: zero duty on new homes, no cap — but no relief on existing homes

South Australia introduced a significant reform effective 13 February 2025. First home buyers purchasing a new home (newly constructed house, new apartment, off-the-plan, or house-and-land package) or vacant land to build their first home are fully exempt from conveyance duty — with no upper price cap. Whether the property is $400,000 or $1.2 million, if it’s new construction and you’re an eligible first home buyer, you pay zero duty.

This is structurally similar to Queensland’s 2025 reform, but with one critical difference: South Australia provides no first home buyer relief on existing (established) homes. If you buy an established house or apartment as your first home, you pay the full standard conveyance duty. There is no partial concession, no taper, no threshold — full duty applies regardless of price.

The policy logic is clear: SA wants to incentivise new housing supply and construction, not simply subsidise demand for existing stock. For a first home buyer in Adelaide, this means the financial difference between buying new and buying existing can be stark. On a $550,000 new home, you pay zero duty. On a $550,000 existing home, you pay about $24,080. That $24,000 gap can cover stamp duty, or it can cover the first year of mortgage repayments on a typical loan.

The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) of up to $15,000 for new homes is available separately and can be received alongside the duty exemption. The FHOG has its own eligibility criteria including a maximum property value cap — check the RevenueSA website for the current cap before making an offer.

Foreign ownership surcharge: 7%

South Australia imposes a foreign ownership surcharge of 7% on top of the standard conveyance duty for residential property purchases by foreign persons, foreign companies, and trustees of foreign trusts. The surcharge is calculated on the same dutiable value and is payable at settlement.

On a $550,000 Adelaide property, the foreign surcharge adds $38,500. Combined with the base duty of roughly $24,080, the total bill for a foreign buyer is about $62,580. The new-home first home buyer duty exemption does not eliminate or reduce the foreign surcharge — if a buyer meets the first home buyer criteria but is also a foreign person, the 7% surcharge still applies in full.

Off-the-plan purchases in SA

South Australia’s off-the-plan regime is particularly valuable because the dutiable value is calculated on the land value plus only the construction costs incurred to date — not the finished property value. If you sign a contract when construction is in the early stages, the dutiable value can be substantially lower than the contract price. For a first home buyer, this reduction is largely academic since the new-home exemption already covers the duty entirely, but for investors or buyers of existing off-the-plan resales, the lower dutiable value directly reduces the duty bill.

Use the stamp duty calculator for an exact SA figure

The nine-tier SA rate structure combined with the new-home vs existing-home split for first home buyers creates four distinct calculation paths: first home buyer (new), first home buyer (existing), owner-occupier/investor, and foreign purchaser. Each path produces materially different results at the same property value.

Use the stamp duty calculator to enter your property value, select South Australia, and pick your buyer category. The calculator applies all nine SA rate tiers correctly and automatically determines whether the new-home zero-duty exemption or the foreign surcharge applies. If you’re comparing a new home against an existing property, run both scenarios — the duty difference alone can sway your buying decision by $20,000 or more.

What changes in SA from 2025-26 to 2026-27

The standard conveyance duty rate tiers remain unchanged — South Australia’s rates are set in legislation and do not automatically index with CPI. The first home buyer new-home zero-duty exemption (from 13 February 2025) carries forward unchanged into the 2026-27 year. The FHOG of up to $15,000 continues as before. RevenueSA has not announced any changes for the 2026-27 year, though state budgets can introduce amendments — check the RevenueSA website before settlement.

Related guides

• Stamp duty states compared: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA (2026) — SA within the national comparison
• First home buyer grants by state 2026 — SA’s $15,000 FHOG vs other states
• Foreign buyer stamp duty surcharges across Australia 2026 — SA’s 7% surcharge compared

Data sources and as-at date

All rates, thresholds and concession rules in this article are sourced from RevenueSA and reflect the law as at July 2026 for the 2026-27 financial year. Specific references include the Stamp Duties Act 1923 (SA), the RevenueSA conveyance duty rates page, the first home buyer duty relief guidelines (new homes and vacant land from 13 February 2025), the foreign ownership surcharge page, and the FHOG information page on the RevenueSA website. The non-residential duty exemption has been in place since 2018. Rates are verified against official published sources but may change — always confirm the current rate at the RevenueSA website or with your conveyancer before settlement.

Data current as at: July 2026. RevenueSA rates, thresholds and concessions may be updated after this date. Always verify your specific duty with the RevenueSA calculator or a qualified conveyancer before making a purchase decision.

Use the calculator, then talk to a broker

South Australia’s new-home zero-duty deal for first home buyers is generous, but the absence of any relief on existing homes means the wrong property choice can cost you $20,000–$30,000 in unexpected duty. Before you make an offer, run the stamp duty calculator with your specific property details. It takes less than a minute and the number you get can change which property you pursue.

If you’re trying to work out whether the new-home duty saving is worth the construction timeline, or how stamp duty affects your borrowing power and deposit, speak with an Arrivau licensed mortgage broker. They can assess your full financial situation and provide guidance within one business day.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Conveyance duty rates, thresholds, concessions, and surcharges are set by RevenueSA and may change without notice. The actual duty payable on your purchase depends on your specific circumstances, including the dutiable value, contract date, buyer residency status, and eligibility for concessions. Always verify the current rate with RevenueSA or a qualified conveyancer before making a purchase decision. For tax implications — including the capital gains treatment of stamp duty — consult a registered tax agent.