How Much Does It Cost to Add a Name to a Property Title?

Prices checked October 2026. Land registry fees are the 2026-27 government fees that took effect on 1 July 2026. Conveyancing fee ranges are typical quotes including GST, exclude disbursements, and vary by firm, state and property.

What are the costs of adding a name to a property title?

There are four main costs, and which ones you pay depends on your state, your relationship to the person being added and whether there is a mortgage.

• Land registry fee: a government fee to register the transfer, from about $104 to $496 in most cases, and more in South Australia.
• Transfer duty: charged on the market value of the share being transferred, unless an exemption applies. For a spouse or partner sharing the family home, it is often nil.
• Conveyancing fee: typically about $700 to $1,500 including GST, plus disbursements, for preparing and lodging the transfer.
• Lender costs: if there is a mortgage, the lender's own fees plus registry fees for any new mortgage or discharge.

Adding a name is a transfer of part of the property, so it follows the same process as other transfers. Our guide to how to transfer a property title covers the steps, and adding a partner to a property title explains the paperwork and the conditions for each state's spouse exemption.

Land registry fees to add a name, by state

Each land registry sets its own fees, which changed on 1 July 2026. Four states charge a flat fee for any transfer; the others scale the fee to the price or value in some cases.

The NSW fee includes GST, while WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT state that no GST applies to theirs. Victoria charges slightly more for paper lodgement. In Queensland, transfers made under the Family Law Act's property provisions have no lodgement fee.

Do you pay stamp duty on the share you add?

Yes, unless an exemption applies. Duty is charged on the share being transferred, valued at the higher of any price paid and its market value, so it applies even when no money changes hands.

For example, if you add your partner as an equal owner of a home worth $800,000, duty is assessed on the $400,000 half share at your state's general rates. On a share that size, that can be the largest cost by far.

Every state and territory has an exemption for transferring a share of the couple's home to a spouse or de facto partner, if its conditions are met. Common conditions are that the property is your principal place of residence, that you end up owning it jointly or in equal shares, and, for de facto partners in some states, a minimum period living together. The exemptions do not cover investment property or transfers to children, parents or friends.

If the exemption does not apply, other concessions may reduce the duty. In Queensland, for example, the home concession can apply to the share acquired. For rates in each state, see our stamp duty guide.

What does a conveyancer charge to add a name to a title?

Professional fees for a transfer with no sale typically fall between about $700 and $1,500 including GST, plus disbursements. That is usually less than buying or selling, because there is no contract to negotiate and fewer searches.

The fee depends on:

• The mortgage: coordinating a lender's consent, a new loan or a refinance at settlement adds work.
• The duty position: preparing an exemption claim with relationship evidence, or arranging a valuation for duty.
• The parties: more owners, a trust or a company, or owners in different places all add time.
• Your state: local forms, lodgement rules and representation requirements differ.

Disbursements are the third-party costs passed on to you, such as the title search, identity verification, the electronic lodgement fee and the registry fee. Our guide to conveyancing disbursements explains them, and a fixed-fee quote for a property transfer should list them separately.

What will your lender charge?

If there is a mortgage, the lender must consent before a name is added, and it will usually want the new owner on the loan. Lender fees vary widely and are set out in your loan documents or the lender's fee schedule.

• Adding a borrower or a new loan: an application or variation fee, and possibly a valuation fee.
• Moving to a new lender: a discharge fee from the old lender, break costs if the loan is on a fixed rate, and the new lender's setup fees.
• Lenders mortgage insurance: possible if the new loan is large compared with the property's value, usually where equity is below 20%.
• Registry fees: a fee to register any new mortgage and to discharge the old one, as shown in the table above.

Ask your lender for its fees in writing before you start. If you are changing loans anyway, our refinancing service can run the transfer and the new mortgage through one settlement.

Other costs to plan for

• Valuation: if duty is payable, or the revenue office asks for evidence of value, you may need a sworn valuation.
• Capital gains tax: transferring a share is a CGT event for the owner. The main residence exemption usually covers your home, but an investment property can produce a tax bill based on market value.
• First home buyer benefits: once your partner owns a share of the home you live in, they will generally lose access to first home grants and concessions on a later purchase.
• Legal advice: some couples pay for a cohabitation or binding financial agreement at the same time.
• Land tax: generally not an issue for your own home, but adding a name to an investment property can change land tax.

How to keep the cost of adding a name down

• Check the exemption first. Make sure the transfer is structured to meet your state's spouse exemption, such as ending up with equal shares where that is required.
• Combine it with a refinance. If you are changing loans anyway, lodge the transfer and new mortgage together so you pay for one settlement.
• Get a fixed-fee quote. Compare professional fees and disbursements separately. Our guide to conveyancing costs in Australia shows what else to compare.
• Avoid paper where it costs more. Electronic lodgement is cheaper in Victoria and is standard practice for conveyancers.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules, fees and timeframes change and differ between states, so confirm your own situation with a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent or solicitor.