Top tips to save on stamp duty as a nurse or midwife

First home buyers in NSW pay no stamp duty on properties valued up to $800,000, with a sliding concession available on homes valued between $800,001 and $1,000,000. For a registered nurse or midwife earning a clinical salary, that concession can mean the difference between entering the market this year or waiting another two.

Buyers must move into the home within 12 months of settlement and reside in the property as their principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months. That residency requirement aligns with most home loans for nurses that come with profession-specific benefits, so the stamp duty saving and the loan structure work together rather than pulling in opposite directions.

How the NSW first home buyer stamp duty exemption works

A full transfer duty exemption applies to new and established homes valued up to $800,000, and a sliding concession applies on properties valued between $800,001 and $1,000,000.

Consider a midwife purchasing an apartment in Kogarah at the suburb's current median. The full exemption on homes valued up to $800,000 means no stamp duty is payable on the transfer. That saving sits somewhere between $30,000 and $32,000 depending on the exact purchase price, which covers most of the buyer's conveyancing, building inspection, and strata report costs without needing to draw further on savings or add those costs to the loan.

For nurses looking at suburbs further west, where property values sit comfortably below the $800,000 threshold, the exemption delivers the same dollar saving but represents a larger percentage of the deposit required. A nurse purchasing in Blacktown or Liverpool can redirect the entire stamp duty saving toward the deposit, which reduces the loan amount and can sometimes eliminate the need for Lenders Mortgage Insurance if the buyer was already close to the 80 percent loan-to-value threshold.

Victoria's stamp duty concession for nurses buying their first home

Stamp duty relief is available for first home buyers through a full exemption on properties valued up to $600,000 and a sliding scale concession on properties valued from $600,001 to $750,000. The exemption and concession apply to both new and established homes where the property will be the buyer's principal place of residence.

In a scenario like this: a registered nurse working at Footscray Hospital purchases a unit in Footscray at the suburb's current median. The full exemption on properties valued up to $600,000 removes the stamp duty liability entirely. The nurse moves into the property within 12 months and meets the residency requirement without needing to adjust their living arrangements.

Victoria's concession tapers off at $750,000, which puts most inner-city apartments within reach but excludes house purchases in suburbs like Prahran or Box Hill. Nurses considering first home buyer loans in Victoria should calculate the stamp duty liability at the upper end of their budget before committing to a specific property type or suburb.

Queensland's first home concession and how it applies to established homes

Duty is calculated at the standard home concession rate with an additional first home concession amount deducted. For contracts signed on or after 9 June 2024, the maximum first home concession deduction is $17,350 for properties valued up to $709,999. The concession phases out in $10,000 property value bands and reaches nil for properties valued at $800,000 or more.

A nurse purchasing in Chermside at the suburb's current median would receive a partial concession that reduces the stamp duty bill by several thousand dollars, but not to zero. The maximum first home concession deduction is $17,350 for properties valued up to $709,999. Once the purchase price moves above that threshold, the concession tapers quickly.

For nurses working at hospitals in South Brisbane or Woolloongabba, where property values exceed the $800,000 phase-out point, no first home concession applies to established homes. Full transfer duty concession applies with no price cap for contracts signed on or after 1 May 2025, reducing duty to nil on the residential land component for new homes. That split between new and established home treatment means a nurse purchasing an off-the-plan apartment pays no stamp duty regardless of price, while a nurse purchasing an established apartment two streets away at the same price pays full duty.

South Australia's stamp duty relief on new homes only

Stamp duty relief is available on new homes and vacant land only. Stamp duty relief is not available on the purchase of an established home in SA. No property value cap applies for eligible contracts entered into on or after 6 June 2024.

That restriction to new homes changes the way nurses structure their property search in Adelaide. A registered nurse working at the Royal Adelaide Hospital who wants to live within walking distance of the hospital will pay full stamp duty on an established apartment in Adelaide or North Adelaide, but would pay no stamp duty on a newly completed apartment in the same precinct if the contract was signed after 6 June 2024.

For nurses purchasing in outer suburbs like Elizabeth Vale, where the house median sits below $700,000, the stamp duty on an established home is lower in dollar terms than it would be on a comparable property closer to the city. But the concession is still unavailable. Stamp duty relief is available on new homes and vacant land only. A nurse purchasing vacant land in Elizabeth Vale and building would access the full relief, while a nurse purchasing an established home next door would not.

Western Australia's statewide first home owner rate from May 2026

A single statewide threshold applies regardless of location. For homes: no duty is payable on homes valued up to $600,000. A concessional rate applies on homes valued between $600,001 and $800,000, at a rate of $16.15 for every $100 or part thereof above $600,000.

A midwife purchasing in Midland at the suburb's current median pays no stamp duty. The full exemption at that price point saves approximately $23,000 to $25,000, which is roughly equivalent to three months of after-tax income for a clinical midwife on a standard enterprise agreement rate. That saving can be redirected into the deposit, used to cover settlement costs, or held as an offset account balance from day one.

For nurses purchasing closer to the major hospital precincts in Subiaco or Nedlands, property values sit well above the $800,000 cap and the concession does not apply. The maximum dutiable value to access the concession is $800,000. A nurse purchasing in those suburbs pays stamp duty at the standard rate, which at a $2 million purchase price exceeds $100,000.

The removal of the geographic distinction between Perth Metropolitan and regional areas from May 2026 means nurses working in regional WA hospitals now access the same thresholds as nurses working in Perth. A nurse purchasing in a regional centre no longer faces a lower cap or a different rate structure.

ACT's full duty exemption for all first home buyers from July 2026

Eligible buyers are fully exempt from conveyance duty regardless of the value of the property purchased and regardless of household income. The property value limit and income threshold that applied to transactions before 1 July 2026 have both been removed.

That change makes the ACT the most generous jurisdiction in Australia for first home buyers, and it applies to both new and established homes without a price cap. A nurse purchasing in Garran or Curtin near The Canberra Hospital pays no stamp duty whether the purchase price is $800,000 or $1.5 million.

The removal of the income threshold from 1 July 2026 is particularly relevant for nurses in senior clinical roles, nurse practitioners, or midwives in management positions whose household income previously exceeded the cap. The property value limit and income threshold that applied to transactions before 1 July 2026 have both been removed. Those buyers are now eligible for the full exemption without needing to structure their purchase around income limits.

Combining stamp duty concessions with the 5% Deposit Scheme

State and territory grants and stamp duty concessions can generally be used alongside both schemes, though restrictions vary by jurisdiction and program.

A registered nurse purchasing in Victoria at $650,000 can access the stamp duty concession, apply for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, and structure the loan with a 5 percent deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance. The stamp duty concession reduces the upfront cost, the 5% Deposit Scheme removes the LMI cost, and the nurse moves into the property with a smaller total cash outlay than would have been required under standard lending settings.

That combination works across most states, but the interaction between state concessions and federal schemes needs to be confirmed with a mortgage broker for nurses before signing a contract. Some state-based shared equity schemes or grants carry restrictions that prevent buyers from using the 5% Deposit Scheme at the same time, and those restrictions are not always clearly stated in the online eligibility tools.

Off-the-plan duty concessions in Victoria and Western Australia

An off-the-plan duty concession applies to strata or community title contracts signed on or before 31 October 2026 for properties not yet titled or substantially completed. Duty is calculated on the land value at the contract date only.

A nurse purchasing an off-the-plan apartment in Melbourne under a contract signed before 31 October 2026 pays duty only on the land component, not on the construction value. That can reduce the duty payable by 50 percent or more depending on the split between land and building value in the contract.

For pre-construction contracts: a 100% concession (capped at $50,000) applies on dwellings valued up to $800,000, reducing proportionally to 50% for dwellings valued between $800,001 and $899,999, and a 50% concession applies on dwellings valued at $900,000 or more. Western Australia's off-the-plan concession runs until 30 June 2028 and applies statewide.

Nurses considering off-the-plan purchases need to account for the construction timeline and the settlement date when structuring their finance. A contract signed in 2026 for a property settling in 2028 locks in the duty concession at the time of contract, but the loan pre-approval and the deposit funds need to remain available through to practical completion.

Call one of our team or book an appointment at a time that works for you. We work with registered nurses and midwives across Australia and can walk you through the stamp duty concessions available in your state, confirm your eligibility, and structure a loan that fits your roster and your deposit position.

Frequently Asked Questions