The real costs for overseas buyers

1) ATO approval fees (FIRB residential applications)

Residential application fees are tiered to the property price. The ATO maintains the current schedule and notes the 2025–26 fee bands. Always check the live table before contracting. Australian Taxation Office

Application timing

The ATO indicates applications are considered after full payment of the fee, with typical consideration up to 30 days once paid (complex cases can differ). Plan this into your contract timeline. Australian Taxation Office

2) ATO vacancy fee (ongoing)

If you’re a foreign owner of residential real estate, you must lodge a vacancy fee return each year; examples on the ATO site show how the fee is determined for the relevant “vacancy year.” Australian Taxation Office

3) State/Territory surcharges (headline rates & where to confirm)

Always confirm the live rate with the state revenue office linked below. Percentages can change.

• NSW – Surcharge purchaser duty (on top of transfer duty) and a surcharge land tax for foreign owners. Start with Revenue NSW’s summaries. Revenue NSW+1
• VIC – Foreign Purchaser Additional Duty (FPAD) currently 8%, plus Absentee Owner Surcharge 4% from the 2024 land tax year. State Revenue Office+1
• QLD – Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty (AFAD) 8% on AFAD residential land; worked examples and assessment guidance available. Queensland Revenue Office+1
• WA – Foreign Buyers Duty 7% on residential property acquisitions by foreign persons, with transfer-duty guidance. Western Australian Government+1
• SA – Foreign Ownership Surcharge 7% on residential land acquisitions. revenuesa.sa.gov.au
• TAS – Foreign Investor Duty Surcharge (FIDS) and Foreign Investor Land Tax Surcharge (FILTS)—rates and calculators via SRO Tasmania. sro.tas.gov.au+2sro.tas.gov.au+2
• ACT – Foreign ownership land tax surcharge (in addition to normal land tax). ACT Revenue Office - Website+1
• NT – No foreign buyer surcharge, but standard stamp duty applies; see NT Treasury/TRO and NT.gov.au for duty rules. treasury.nt.gov.auNT Government+1

Worked example (illustrative only):

• Buyer is a foreign person purchasing a new apartment in Victoria for AUD 900,000.
• ATO application fee: see current tier for ≤ $1m (link above). Australian Taxation Office
• Transfer duty: calculated per VIC scale (varies with price/usage).
• FPAD: 8% of the dutiable value component applicable to the foreign purchaser. State Revenue Office
• Absentee Owner Surcharge (land tax): if the owner is an absentee for VIC land-tax purposes (4% from 2024). State Revenue Office

Fee waivers & variations (edge cases)

The ATO provides a process to request a waiver of a variation fee in limited circumstances (supporting evidence required). Australian Taxation Office