Conveyancing Cost NSW

Conveyancing Cost NSW: Fixed Fee vs Hourly and Disbursements

Buying or selling property comes with a long list of costs, and legal fees are one part you will want to clarify early. If you are comparing conveyancing cost NSW, the cheapest headline price may not tell you what you will pay from contract to settlement.

A conveyancing quote can contain professional fees, searches, registration costs, electronic settlement charges and other third-party expenses. Buyers may need to budget for transfer duty too.

Knowing which costs are fixed, which depend on your property and which come from external organisations makes it much easier to compare quotes fairly.

Key Takeaways

• A fixed conveyancing fee and your total transaction cost are not the same thing. Government fees and third-party expenses can sit outside the professional fee.
• Ask what is included before comparing quotes. A lower advertised price may cover a narrower scope of work.
• Conveyancing disbursements can include searches, certificates, registration charges and electronic settlement costs.
• Buyers need to allow for NSW transfer duty unless an exemption or concession applies.
• A clear fixed-fee quote can make budgeting easier by setting out the professional fee and likely external costs before you proceed.

What You Pay For

Your conveyancer handles the legal work connected with transferring property ownership. The exact work depends on whether you are buying, selling or completing another type of property transfer.

If you are planning to buy a property, your conveyancer can review the contract, explain your obligations, complete required searches and prepare the matter for settlement.

For a standard purchase or sale, professional work may cover:

• reviewing or preparing the contract
• explaining contract terms and legal obligations
• communicating with the other party’s conveyancer or solicitor
• liaising with agents, brokers or lenders where required
• monitoring important dates
• preparing for settlement
• coordinating settlement
• keeping you informed about required actions.

Fixed fee vs hourly conveyancing

The pricing structure can have a major effect on how easy your legal costs are to budget.

Pricing model	How it works	Main budgeting point
Fixed fee	You receive an agreed professional fee for a stated scope of work	You know the professional charge before the matter progresses
Hourly fee	You are charged according to time spent on the matter	Your professional fee can rise when more time is required
Fixed fee with stated extras	Core work has an agreed price, with defined charges for work outside the original scope	You can see which events may create extra costs

Fixed pricing does not mean every possible cost connected with your property is included in one figure. A good quote should state what the fixed professional fee covers and identify likely third-party expenses.

If cost certainty matters to you, ask for a written quote that separates professional work from external charges.

Want a clearer figure before you commit? Get a fixed-fee quote from Lauren Guy Conveyancing and see what is included in your matter upfront.

Professional Fees vs Disbursements

One of the biggest sources of confusion when comparing conveyancing fees NSW is the difference between the conveyancer’s professional fee and conveyancing disbursements.

Professional fees

Professional fees pay for the conveyancer’s legal work.

They can cover tasks such as:

• preparing or reviewing documents
• giving advice about the contract
• correspondence
• settlement preparation
• managing legal requirements connected with the transaction.

With a fixed-fee service, the agreed professional work is priced at the start.

Contract review is particularly relevant for buyers before signing or bidding at auction. Reviewing common contract review red flags can help you recognise clauses or property issues that may need closer legal attention before you commit.

What are conveyancing disbursements?

Disbursements are expenses paid to another organisation as part of your matter.

Depending on the property and transaction, these may involve:

• property or title searches
• council or authority certificates
• NSW Land Registry Services charges
• electronic settlement platform fees
• extra searches requested for the property
• other statutory or third-party costs.

These costs can differ from one property to another. Two buyers using the same conveyancer may have different total bills when one property requires extra searches or registrations.

Why quote wording matters

Suppose one conveyancer advertises a low professional fee and another gives a higher figure.

The first quote may exclude several costs that appear later. The second may provide a broader scope or clearer estimate of external expenses.

Instead of comparing one headline number, compare:

1. the professional fee
2. what work it covers
3. estimated disbursements
4. government charges
5. circumstances that can lead to extra professional work.

This gives you a more useful view of the likely total conveyancing cost NSW.

Government Charges to Plan For

Some of the largest property transaction costs do not go to your conveyancer.

NSW transfer duty

NSW transfer duty, commonly known by its former name of stamp duty, is a state tax that commonly applies when you purchase property in NSW. Sellers do not pay transfer duty on the sale of their property.

For the 2026–27 financial year, general transfer duty uses the following sliding scale:

Dutiable value	2026–27 transfer duty rate
$0–$18,000	$1.25 per $100, subject to a $20 minimum
$18,001–$38,000	$225 + $1.50 per $100 over $18,000
$38,001–$103,000	$525 + $1.75 per $100 over $38,000
$103,001–$387,000	$1,662 + $3.50 per $100 over $103,000
$387,001–$1,290,000	$11,602 + $4.50 per $100 over $387,000
Above $1,290,000	$52,237 + $5.50 per $100 over $1,290,000

Revenue NSW states that the applicable rate year is based on the contract date, or the transfer date where there is no contract. Rates and thresholds can change.

For context, Revenue NSW gives standard transfer duty of $39,187 on a $1 million residential purchase under the 2026–27 rates.

That is why transfer duty needs its own place in your buying budget rather than being treated as part of the conveyancer’s fee.

First-home buyer concessions

Eligible first-home buyers may pay less transfer duty.

Under the current First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme:

• eligible new or existing homes valued at $800,000 or less can receive a full transfer duty exemption
• homes valued above $800,000 and below $1 million may receive a concessional rate
• eligible vacant land valued at $350,000 or less can receive an exemption
• vacant land above $350,000 and below $450,000 may receive a concessional rate.

Eligibility rules apply, so do not assume the concession applies from the purchase price alone.

Premium property duty

Higher-value residential property can attract premium duty.

For 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the premium threshold is $3.87 million. The applicable formula is $194,137 plus $7 for every $100 above that threshold.

Foreign purchaser surcharge

People treated as foreign persons under NSW duty law can face surcharge purchaser duty on residential-related property.

The current surcharge rate is 9% of the dutiable value, payable on top of standard transfer duty where the rules apply.

If your residency or ownership position may affect your duty liability, raise it with your conveyancer early.

NSW Land Registry Services fees

NSW LRS fees are another external expense to allow for.

The NSW LRS 2026–27 fee schedule lists a transfer under section 46 of the Real Property Act at $182.73 including GST. Different dealings can attract different charges.

Registration fees are reviewed from time to time, so your quote should use the fee applicable to your transaction.

Electronic settlement costs

Most NSW property settlements are handled electronically.

PEXA lists its NSW fee for a single-title Transfer Titles transaction with financial settlement at $146.30 including GST from 1 July 2026. Other transaction types carry different fees. PEXA states that its service fees are separate from Land Registry statutory charges.

This is another reason a quote containing “fixed fee conveyancing” should be read carefully. The professional fee may remain fixed, yet external charges can still form part of your final settlement costs.

Questions to Ask for Fee Certainty

Before choosing a conveyancer, ask questions that help you compare the complete service rather than one advertised figure.

1. Is this quote fixed or hourly?

Ask how the professional fee is calculated and whether it covers the whole standard transaction.

2. What work is included?

Confirm whether the quote covers contract work, correspondence, settlement preparation and communication with your lender, broker or agent where needed.

If you plan to sell a property, ask whether contract preparation, required searches, agent liaison and settlement work are included in the quoted professional fee.

3. Which disbursements are separate?

Ask for an estimate of expected searches, registration fees, electronic settlement fees and other third-party expenses.

4. What could trigger an extra fee?

Extra work may arise from matters such as unusual title issues, substantial contract negotiations, extra searches or work outside the original scope.

A clear quote should explain how work outside the agreed scope is handled.

5. Are government charges included in the quoted total?

Transfer duty can be far larger than the professional conveyancing fee. Ask whether any total estimate shown to you includes duty or whether it needs to be budgeted separately.

6. Will I be told before extra work is charged?

Price certainty is easier when your conveyancer explains a change in scope and the cost connected with it before proceeding.

If you are buying, selling or transferring property in NSW, request a fixed-fee quote before you commit. We’re here to help you see the likely costs clearly from the start.

Get Clear on Your Conveyancing Costs Before You Commit

Property costs can add up quickly, so knowing what you are paying for can remove a lot of uncertainty.

When reviewing conveyancing costs in NSW, separate the professional fee from conveyancing disbursements, NSW transfer duty, NSW LRS fees and electronic settlement costs. Ask what the quote includes, what sits outside it and what events could create extra charges.

Lauren Guy Conveyancing offers fixed-fee conveyancing with clear pricing and personal support for buyers, sellers and property owners across NSW.

Ready to get a clearer figure for your property transaction? Get a fixed-fee quote from Lauren Guy Conveyancing and know what to expect before you move ahead.