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Home builders bonus

The Home Builders Bonus is available for purchases made before 1 July 2012.

The NSW Home Builders Bonus (HBB) applied only to new homes or vacant land purchased between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2012.

It offered exemptions and concessions on transfer duty based on the value of your property when you bought it and was available for:

  • new homes valued below $600,000
  • vacant land valued below $400,000.

Transfer duty concessions and exemptions

There was no limit to the number of new homes a person could apply for under the HBB.

Property Concession or exemption
Vacant land and off-the-plan purchases where building hadn’t commenced Full transfer duty (stamp duty) exemption
Completed homes or off-the-plan purchases where building was underway Partial concession of 25 per cent of duty applied

Who was eligible for the HBB?

To qualify, your property had to be

  • a constructed home that had not been sold or lived in before you bought it
  • a home bought off the plan or
  • vacant land on which you built a new home.

For vacant land, you must have

  • started construction and laid foundations within 26 weeks of the purchase date
  • purchased the whole property
  • not used the property for any purpose other than residential since you bought it.

Exemption for seniors

People over 65 years old who were selling their current home and purchasing a new home they then occupied as their main home were entitled to a full exemption under the Duties Amendment (Senior's Principal Place of Residence Duty Exemption) Act 2011.

  • From 1 July 2011, the qualification age for this exemption was reduced to 55 years.
  • For married or de facto couples, only one partner had to meet this requirement.

To receive the Senior's Principal Place of Residence Duty Exemption, you must have

  • owned and lived in a home in NSW within 12 months before purchasing your new home
  • sold your old home no later than six months after purchasing your new home and
  • you or your spouse or partner must also never have never previously received the exemption.

You must also have

  • moved into your home within 12 months of purchasing it
  • lived there for at least 12 continuous months
  • been an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of purchase.

This exemption also does not apply to contracts entered after 1 July 2012.

Replacement agreements

While the HBB was not available for transfers entered into before 1 July 2010, it is available for agreements replacing an agreement that qualified under this scheme, so long as

  • both agreements are for off-the-plan purchases
  • they are for substantially the same property, and
  • the purchasers are the same.

How to apply

To apply for the HBB or the Senior's Principal Place of Residence Duty Exemption download and complete a NSW Home Builders Bonus application form (ODA 065).

You’ll find all the information you need in the form, including which supporting documents you need to provide.

For homes bought off the plan where construction had already commenced, you will need to complete an ‘Off the Plan' Purchases form (ODA 014).

You can submit your application online using our electronic duties return tool or in person at our Parramatta office.

Contact us

  • Contact us for more information on the HBB and the Senior's Principal Place of Residence Duty Exemption.
  • Developers are encouraged to contact our office for advice on their specific circumstances.