The greater of purchase price or market value (include GST if it applies)
enter an amount. e.g. 455000
Date of contract for sale, grant, transfer or agreement for transfer (whichever is first)
Transactions entered into on or before 30 June 2019
Eligible transactions
For transactions entered into on or before 30 June 2019, the HBCS applies to the purchase of a new home or a block of vacant residential land.
A new home means a home that has not been previously occupied, and that has not previously been sold as a place of residence. This is a two-limbed test where both conditions must be satisfied.
An ‘off the plan’ purchase agreement, where a home is built on the land before settlement of the agreement, is treated as a new home under the HBCS.
Vacant land means land without a home or other dwelling built on it.
As of 7 June 2017 a substantially renovated home is no longer eligible for the HBCS.
Eligibility
To claim the HBCS, you need to meet the following requirements:
- you must be purchasing a new home or vacant land; and
- the home’s total value must be less than the upper property value threshold amount; and
- all buyers of the home or land must be at least 18 years old; and
- the total gross income of all buyers including their partners (if any) must not be greater than the relevant total gross income threshold amount. A partner includes your spouse, civil union partner, civil partner or de facto partner; and
- all buyers including their partners (if any) must satisfy a current and previous home ownership test; and
- at least one buyer must satisfy the residence requirements.
To assist you in determining your eligibility and to find out what documents you will need to keep, you can complete the following questionnaire.
Thresholds
We update the upper and lower property value thresholds for new or substantially renovated homes and residential land regularly and calculate the concessional rate of duty based on these thresholds. You can view the thresholds relevant to your transaction by selecting the applicable date range below.
New or substantially renovated home
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
|---|---|
$468,000 or less | $20 (minimum duty) |
More than $468,000 but less than $590,000 | $14.70 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $468,000 ($20 minimum duty) |
$590,000 or more | No concession |
Vacant land
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
|---|---|
$280,000 or less | $20 (minimum duty) |
More than $280,000 but less than $323,300 | $15.55 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $280,000 ($20 minimum duty) |
$323,300 or more | No concession |
New home only
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
|---|---|
$470,000 or less | $20 (minimum duty) |
More than $470,000 but less than $607,000 | $13.05 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $470,000 ($20 minimum duty) |
$607,000 or more | No concession |
Vacant land
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
|---|---|
$281,200 or less | $20 (minimum duty) |
More than $281,200 but less than $329,500 | $13.05 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $281,200 ($20 minimum duty) |
$329,500 or more | No concession |
New home only
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
$470,000 or less | $0 (zero duty) |
More than $470,000 but less than $607,000 | $13.05 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $470,000 ($20 minimum duty) |
$607,000 or more | No concession |
Vacant land
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
$281,200 or less | $0 (zero duty) |
More than $281,200 but less than $329,500 | $13.05 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $281,200 ($20 minimum duty) |
$329,500 or more | No concession |
New home only
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
$470,000 or less | $0 (zero duty) |
More than $470,000 but less than $607,000 | $12.35 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $470,000 ($20 minimum duty) |
$607,000 or more | No concession |
Vacant land
Dutiable value | Concessional duty payable |
$281,200 or less | $0 (zero duty) |
More than $281,200 but less than $329,500 | $12.30 for each $100 (or part of $100) that the dutiable value is more than $281,200 ($20 minimum duty) |
$329,500 or more | No concession |
Are you applying for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme?
Are you applying for the Pensioner Duty Concession Scheme?
Is this an Owner Occupier purchase?
Duty payable
You could be eligible for
- Pensioner Duty Concession Scheme
- Home Buyer Concession Scheme
- Owner occupier purchase
Duty concession:
Duty payable with concession
Duty concession:
Duty payable with concession
Duty concession:
Duty payable for an owner occupier
This calculation is based on
Income requirements
To be eligible for the HBCS you must satisfy the total gross income test. The total gross income of all home buyers and their partners (if any) over the full financial year before the transaction date must be less than or equal to the relevant total gross income threshold in the table below.
Your partner’s income must be included, even if the partner will not be an owner of the home.
Number of dependent children | Total gross income threshold |
0 | $160,000 |
1 | $163,330 |
2 | $166,660 |
3 | $169,990 |
4 | $173,320 |
5 or more | $176,650 |
Property requirements
Every buyer of the home must not have owned any other properties in the two years leading up to the transaction date, with limited exceptions*. This requirement also applies to the partner of a buyer, even if the partner will not be an owner of this home.
* Exceptions include court orders and agreements made under the Family Law Act 1975 and the Domestic Relationships Act 1994. These orders or agreements must be made before the transaction date.
Residence requirements
At least one person who will own the home must live in the home continuously for at least one year, beginning within 12 months of settlement date or completion of construction.
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 unavoidable or 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).
Buyers who do not meet the residency requirement and that do not have an exemption will need to pay full duty. Penalty tax or interest may also apply if the requirements are not met.
If you have any concerns about your residency, you should contact us as early as possible.
For further information on eligibility requirements please visit Revenue Circular GEN011.1.
How to claim?
From 18 September 2017, you do not need to fill out an application for the HBCS; you can self-assess your eligibility.
If you're eligible, to claim the concession you will need to reference the concession code number on the Buyer Verification Declaration before you register the title transfer with Access Canberra in Dickson. You do not need to give us any other documents at this time.
If you do not claim the HBCS 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.
What happens next?
We'll issue you a Notice of Assessment for duty with the concession applied. You do not have to take any further action, unless your circumstances change, in which case you will need to notify our office.
After you’ve received your assessment, 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 date.
We review claims and conduct investigations into the HBCS on an ongoing basis.
For transactions dated before 18 September 2017, you have a limited window to apply for the HBCS. We must receive your completed application by the date the duty must be paid, which is either:
- within 90 days of the transaction date, or
- for an off-the-plan agreement, within 14 days of whichever comes first:
- the agreement is completed
- the buyer’s interest is transferred
- it’s been one year since the date of the agreement, or
- a Certificate of Occupancy and Use has been issued.
Everyone who will own the home must be part of the application, as well as the partner of any owner, even if the partner will not be an owner.
Use the HBCS SmartForm to submit your application along with all the necessary supporting documents. This should be done at least 10 working days before you need approval. Late applications should be submitted using the same form. Incomplete applications will delay processing time.
For more information visit our Transactions before 18 September 2017 page.
What happens next?
The standard time for processing applications is 10 working days once you’ve supplied all the necessary documentation. Please allow 10 working days before checking on the status of your application. We’ll let you know the result of your application in writing.