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Disability Duty Concession Scheme

The ACT Government announced the Disability Duty Concession Scheme (DDCS) as part of the 2016-17 Budget. The DDCS encourages adults with a long-term and permanent disability, who may otherwise rely on government accommodation, to find long term‑ accommodation to suit their needs.

The DDCS provides a (full or partial) concession from having to pay conveyance duty if you have a long-term and permanent disability and you want to purchase a home as your principal residence under the eligible property threshold.

It’s available to ACT residents who have qualified for an individual funding package under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). NDIS participants are individuals with a long-term and permanent intellectual, physical, sensory or psychiatric disability that significantly impacts their level of function.

From 1 July 2025, the benefit of the concession is capped at the duty payable for owner occupier property purchases valued at $1,020,000.

This means that if you’re eligible and acquiring a property for $1,020,000 million or under you will not pay duty. Those acquiring property over $1,020,000 million may be eligible for a reduction in duty up to $35,238. (Before 1 July 2024, the DDCS was limited to purchases of properties at or below a property threshold value.)

Eligible transactions

The DDCS can apply to the purchase of a home (new or established) or a block of vacant residential land with a transaction date of 1 July 2016 or later. The transaction date is the date of grant, transfer, or agreement for transfer (whichever is first - not the settlement date).

Eligibility

From 1 July 2025, to claim the DDCS, you need to meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • you must qualify for an individual funding package as an NDIS participant
  • you must lodge your DDCS application - see ‘How to Claim?’ below
  • you must acquire at least a 51 per cent interest in the home
  • all transferees, including your domestic partner (if any), must meet the home ownership test
  • you must meet the residence requirements.

A partner includes your spouse, civil union partner, civil partner or de facto partner.

The questionnaire is intended to be used by you as a guide only, to help you better understand whether you may be eligible for any ACT Government home buyer assistance schemes.

If the eligibility assessment result states that you may be eligible, this is indicative only and should not be relied on as confirmation of eligibility or approval.

Users should use their own judgement in using the eligibility assessment tool and carefully evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the information it provides.

All concessions and exemption applications at the ACT Revenue Office are self-assessed. You are obligated to ensure that all the eligibility criteria have been met (or will be met) before applying for any concession or exemption code in the Buyer Verification Declaration.

You should undertake your own inquiries into the eligibility requirements. This may include obtaining information from this website, legislation, or independent professional advice.

Find out if you're eligible

Property requirements

All transferees cannot have owned any land or property - other than the home you’re buying under the DDCS - in the two years leading up to the transaction date.

This requirement doesn’t apply to the property that you or any other transferee must give up ownership of because of any of the following:

  • a court order
  • a financial agreement or part VIIIAB financial agreement under the Commonwealth’s Family Law Act 1975
  • a written domestic relationship agreement or termination agreement under the Domestic Relationships Act 1994
  • the Commissioner is satisfied that you and your spouse have separated but have not yet divorced.
  • an agreement to purchase another home in the two years leading up to the transaction date that was subsequently cancelled.

Please note these orders or agreements must be made before the transaction date.

Residency requirements

If you’re eligible for the DDCS, you must live in the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least one year, beginning within one year of the settlement date or the date the construction of your new home is complete.

The Commissioner for ACT Revenue can exempt you from the residence requirements, in full or in part, but only if:

  • you cannot live at the home because of an unforeseen circumstance, such as a health-related issue; and
  • you request an exemption in writing no later than 18 months after:
    • the settlement date (for an eligible home)
    • the date you receive the Certificate of Occupancy and Use once construction of the new home is finished (for vacant land).

If you have any concerns about your residency, you should contact us as early as possible.

Previous concessions

To be eligible for the DDCS, you also cannot have previously received a concession under the:

How to claim?

If you're eligible, to claim the DDCS you will need to reference the concession code 010 on your completed questionnaire on the Buyer Verification Declaration before you register the title transfer with Access Canberra. You do not need to give us any other documents at this time. You can find out your eligibility for the DDCS and the documents you need to keep by completing the online questionnaire.

If you do not claim the concession code number on the Buyer Verification Declaration before you register your transfer, you can submit a late claim using the Application for concession, exemption or correction of duty after registration of title form. When we receive your claim, we will issue you a notice of reassessment with the concession applied.

To apply using the Separation from a domestic partner (spouse) provisions - DPS25

For agreements made on or after 1 July 2025, if you are legally married but separated from your spouse; their property interests may be excluded from the DDCS requirements, provided the Commissioner is satisfied that:

  • there has been a dissolution, annulment or irretrievable breakdown of the domestic relationship, and
  • you are not cohabitating with the spouse and there is no likelihood of cohabitation being resumed.

You will be required to provide evidence of separation from your spouse.

How to claim?

If you are eligible under the DDCS for a full duty concession with reference to the separation provisions, you will need to declare concession code DPS25 on the Buyer Verification Declaration. If you are eligible for a partial duty concession, you may choose to defer the balance by using code DP25D. This should be done before you register the title transfer with Access Canberra.

If you do not declare the DDCS concession code number on the Buyer Verification Declaration before you register your title transfer, you can submit a late claim using the Application for concession, exemption or correction of duty after registration of title. When we receive your claim, we will issue you a Notice of Reassessment with the concession applied.

What happens next?

When you claim the DDCS on your Buyer Verification Declaration, we’ll issue you a Notice of Assessment for the duty with the concession applied. No further action is needed for full concessions. For partial concessions, you must pay the duty shown on the notice.

After you’ve received your notice, we may contact you to verify your eligibility for the concession. For example, we may require you to give us copies of any documents that support your eligibility, or we may ask you to prove your residency at the home.

You need to keep copies of your supporting documents for at least five years after the transaction. We review claims and conduct investigations into the DDCS on an ongoing basis.

Reference Material

Further information on the DDCS can be located using the information below: