What changed (27 September 2026): added the government registration and PEXA fees that took effect on 1 July 2026, average professional fees by state from a September 2026 survey, and an itemised cost for a typical Sydney purchase. Victoria’s transfer fee base is corrected to $104.30 and the PEXA fee to $146.30.
Key points
- Average conveyancing professional fees were $1,650 in NSW, $1,280 in Victoria and $1,050 in Queensland, according to OpenAgent (updated 17 September 2026).
- From 1 July 2026, NSW Land Registry Services charges $182.73 to register a transfer and the same again to register a mortgage.
- PEXA’s fee for a buyer’s electronic settlement is $146.30 in NSW, Victoria and Queensland from 1 July 2026, up 4.1% in line with CPI.
- A Sydney buyer with a home loan and an average-priced conveyancer pays about $2,254 all up, before stamp duty (OurTop10 calculation, 27 September 2026).
What are conveyancing fees?
Conveyancing fees are what you pay to have the legal transfer of a property handled for you: reviewing the contract, running the searches, getting you to settlement. The bill has two parts, and mixing them up is the main reason quotes are so hard to compare.
The first part is the professional fee: what the conveyancer or solicitor charges for their work. Most quote a fixed fee for standard residential jobs. The second part is disbursements, which is money your conveyancer pays out on your behalf for title searches, certificates and government registration charges, then passes on to you at cost. A “$899 conveyancing” ad is almost always the professional fee only. Disbursements land on top, every time.
How much does conveyancing cost in Australia?
For a standard residential purchase or sale in 2026, expect $800 to $2,500 in professional fees, plus $300 to $800 in disbursements. Solicitors generally sit at the top of that range, licensed conveyancers below them.
Where you fall in the range depends on four things: which state the property is in (Queensland and the ACT restrict conveyancing work to solicitors, which pushes prices up), whether it’s a house or a strata unit (strata adds searches), how complex the deal is (off-the-plan, rural land and deceased estates all cost more), and whether you’re buying or selling — selling is usually a few hundred dollars cheaper because there are fewer searches to run.
Work out your own conveyancing cost
Average conveyancing fees at a glance
| Typical professional fee | Disbursements | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying (house) | $1,000 – $2,500 | $300 – $800 |
| Buying (strata/unit) | $1,100 – $2,600 | $400 – $900 |
| Selling only | $700 – $1,800 | $100 – $400 |
| Refinancing | $400 – $900 | $150 – $400 |
Conveyancing fees by state
Fees move around a lot between states — different rules about who can do the work, and very different government charges. The registration fees below are the official 2026–27 rates, current from 1 July 2026.
Conveyancing fees in NSW
Sydney and NSW professional fees typically run $1,000–$2,500 for a licensed conveyancer and $1,500–$3,200 for a solicitor. On top of that, NSW Land Registry Services charges $182.73 (incl GST) to register the transfer and the same again for a mortgage, so a buyer with a home loan pays roughly $365 in registration charges before a single search is ordered.
If you’re comparing quotes, see how Sydney’s top-rated conveyancers stack up — reviews, pricing and response times side by side.
Conveyancing fees in VIC
Victorian professional fees are among the cheapest in the country: roughly $600–$1,400 for a conveyancer, $1,200–$2,500 for a solicitor. Government charges are where Victoria stings. Registering the transfer costs $104.30 plus $2.34 for every $1,000 of the purchase price, capped at $3,614. On an $800,000 Melbourne home that works out to about $1,977, which is more than many Victorians pay their conveyancer. Mortgage registration is a flat $129.20.
Buying in Melbourne? Compare Melbourne’s best-reviewed conveyancers here before you sign a costs agreement.
Conveyancing fees in QLD
Queensland only allows solicitors to do conveyancing, so budget $1,000–$3,000. There’s no cheaper licensed-conveyancer tier like NSW and Victoria have. Titles Queensland charges $248.04 to register a transfer, plus $46.56 for every $10,000 of the price above $180,000, which puts a $700,000 Brisbane property at about $2,670 in transfer registration. Searches are also dearer in QLD because body corporate and council records cost more to pull.
The professional fee is the part you can actually shop on: these are Brisbane’s top-rated conveyancing solicitors, ranked on reviews and pricing.
One timing trap in Queensland: the standard REIQ contract ties your finance date to settlement, and a valuation that comes back short can cost you the deposit. A Brisbane mortgage broker will tell you before you sign whether the dates are realistic for your lender.
Conveyancing fees in WA, SA and the other states
WA and SA conveyancers (called settlement agents in WA) typically charge $700–$1,600, with disbursements of $300–$600. Tasmania sits in a similar band. The ACT works like Queensland — solicitors only — so budget $1,800–$3,000.
Gold Coast, Newcastle, Geelong and other regional buyers: pricing tracks your state’s ranges, not your suburb. A Gold Coast purchase is priced like Brisbane; fixed-fee firms rarely charge more outside the capitals.
What’s included in conveyancing fees?
A proper fixed quote should cover contract review before you sign, all standard searches, preparing and lodging the transfer documents, stamp duty handling, liaising with your lender, and attending settlement. Ask for the inclusions list in writing.
Typical disbursements in 2026 look like this:
| Disbursement | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Title search | $40 – $100 |
| Council, water and property certificates | $50 – $250 |
| Transfer registration (government) | $182.73 in NSW; $105 + $2.34/$1,000 in VIC; $248.04 + scaling in QLD |
| Mortgage registration (government) | $182.73 in NSW; $129.20 in VIC; ~$248 in QLD |
| PEXA electronic settlement fee | $146.30 for a buyer’s transfer (PEXA, from 1 July 2026) |
| Settlement agent / admin | $40 – $150 |
Worked example: a Sydney purchase
A buyer purchases a house in Sydney with a home loan and uses a licensed conveyancer charging the NSW average.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Professional fee | $1,650.00 |
| NSW LRS transfer registration | $182.73 |
| NSW LRS mortgage registration | $182.73 |
| PEXA transfer with financial settlement | $146.30 |
| PEXA mortgage with financial settlement | $73.04 |
| Title search | $18.70 |
| Total | $2,253.50 |
OurTop10 calculation, 27 September 2026. Assumes a single title, electronic settlement, one mortgage, no strata. NSW registration fees are flat, so the purchase price does not change them. Some lenders pass the mortgage fees on through the loan rather than the conveyancer’s invoice. Excludes stamp duty, inspections and loan fees.
Disbursements come to $603.50 of that total. With a solicitor at the top of the NSW range ($3,200), the same purchase costs $3,803.50. For an apartment, add a strata report at $350 to $450. Stamp duty is a separate and far larger cost; our guide to stamp duty concessions covers who pays less.
Are conveyancing fees paid upfront?
Usually no. Most firms bill at settlement, taking their fee out of the settlement funds. Some ask for searches to be paid as they’re ordered, and a few discount firms want the professional fee upfront — treat that as a yellow flag, not a red one, but ask why. If your sale falls over before settlement, expect to pay for work done and searches already ordered; most firms charge a reduced fee for a terminated contract.
Cheap conveyancing: what a $500 quote actually buys
There’s real cheap conveyancing in Australia — online firms running volume models can do a simple sale for $500–$900 and do it fine. The catch is in the word simple. Low quotes usually assume a freestanding house, no off-the-plan complications, a cooperative lender, and communication by portal rather than phone. Every departure from that becomes a line item.
“One of the biggest mistakes we see buyers make is choosing based purely on cheapest advertised fees. Low upfront quotes become costlier after searches, certificates, and settlement costs are added.”
— Ryan Rodriguez, Director, bspoke Finance
The comparison that matters isn’t the headline fee. It’s a fixed, written, all-inclusive quote held up against the same thing from two other firms.
Commercial conveyancing fees
Commercial property runs on a different meter: $2,500–$8,000+ in professional fees depending on the deal. Leases, GST treatment, due diligence on the tenant covenant and zoning all add hours, and commercial work is almost always done by solicitors billing partly on time. If a firm quotes commercial work as a flat fee sight unseen, ask what’s excluded.
How to save on conveyancing costs
Get three fixed-fee quotes in writing and make each one confirm what’s included. That single step exposes most of the pricing games. Beyond that: use a licensed conveyancer rather than a solicitor where your state allows it and the deal is standard; ask whether the firm charges extra for off-the-plan or strata before you engage them; and don’t pay for a “pre-purchase contract review” separately if the firm includes the first one free, as many do.
What not to do: skip the contract review to save $300, or DIY the conveyancing on a purchase. Sellers can sometimes get away with DIY kits; buyers carry all the risk of a missed easement or unregistered covenant.
“Settlement rarely goes exactly to plan. Having a responsive conveyancer who communicates quickly can differ between smooth settlement and expensive delay.”
— Emmanuel Guignard, Director & Principal, Loanscope
Conveyancing costs by property type
First-home buyers — same fee ranges, but check your conveyancer handles your state’s first-home grants and stamp duty concessions paperwork inside the fixed fee.
Off-the-plan — add $300–$800. Longer contracts, sunset clauses, staged deposits.
Investment properties — comparable to owner-occupier fees; keep the invoice, conveyancing costs form part of your CGT cost base.
Rural property — add for water rights, boundary and access searches; quotes vary more, get them itemised.
FAQs about conveyancing fees
How much does conveyancing cost in 2026? Between $800 and $2,500 in professional fees for a standard residential deal, plus $300–$800 in disbursements. QLD and ACT sit higher because only solicitors can act.
What’s the average conveyancing fee? Around $1,400–$1,800 all-in for a typical purchase with a conveyancer; more with a solicitor, less for a sale.
Are conveyancing fees tax deductible? Not for your own home. For an investment property they’re not deductible either, but they’re added to your cost base and reduce capital gains tax when you sell. Check with your accountant.
Who pays conveyancing fees — buyer or seller? Each side pays their own conveyancer. Neither pays the other’s.
Can I do my own conveyancing? Legally yes in most states, practically don’t — especially as a buyer. One missed encumbrance costs more than a decade of conveyancing fees.
What happens if settlement is delayed? Expect extra charges — penalty interest to the seller under most contracts, plus your conveyancer’s fee for extra settlement bookings. This is where a responsive conveyancer earns their fee. See our guide to the settlement process.
Not sure which conveyancer to use?
Tell us about the property and where it is, and we will match you with conveyancers who handle that kind of transaction every day. It takes about a minute and costs you nothing.
Match me with a conveyancerSources
- OpenAgent, how much does a conveyancer cost (updated 17 September 2026): openagent.com.au
- NSW Land Registry Services, 2026/27 fees update (effective 1 July 2026): nswlrs.com.au
- Land Use Victoria, 2026-27 fees: land.vic.gov.au; figures as reported by allconveyancingaustralia.com.au (28 August 2026)
- Titles Queensland, FY2026/27 registry fees: titlesqld.com.au
- PEXA pricing from 1 July 2026: NSW, VIC, QLD
- Coutts Legal, conveyancer cost NSW (updated 24 August 2026): couttslegal.com.au
- westla.com.au, conveyancing costs NSW (8 September 2026): westla.com.au
- Chamberlains Law, the real cost of conveyancing (6 January 2026): chamberlains.com.au
Mansour Soltani
Financial Services Expert
With over two decades of experience in Australia’s real estate sector, Mansour has built a career specialising in the acquisition and sale of investment and commercial properties, spanning major metropolitan hubs and regional areas. As the founder and owner of a finance brokerage firm, he manages a loan portfolio exceeding $200 million while serving a broad range of clients nationwide.
A frequent contributor to money.com.au, Mansour has developed a deep understanding of diverse investment strategies, enabling him to provide valuable, well-informed perspectives on market trends and opportunities.