Malaysia Budget 2027: How Much Could First-Time Buyers Save on Stamp Duty?

Malaysia’s Budget 2027, tabled on 9 October 2026, proposes to widen stamp duty relief for eligible first-time buyers, with partial relief extending to homes priced up to RM750,000. If the proposal is formalised as announced, a Malaysian buying a RM650,000 first home could save an estimated RM11,250 on transfer duty alone. The Budget also provides up to RM20 billion in housing loan guarantees under SJKP, aimed at first-time buyers without a fixed income.

These are proposals announced in the Budget, so they still need to be formalised before they take effect. Here’s what’s changing, how much you could save, and what to check before you sign.

Malaysia Budget 2027: First-Home Stamp Duty Relief at a Glance

Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the measures in the Budget 2027 speech. The Ministry of Finance sets out the details in its Budget 2027 Tax Measures document. Here’s the proposal:

• Homes priced up to RM500,000: full (100%) stamp duty exemption on the loan agreement and the instrument of transfer.
• Homes priced above RM500,000 and up to RM750,000: the first RM500,000 is fully exempt, and the balance gets a 50% exemption.
• Who it’s for: the purchase of a first residential home. The Ministry of Finance describes the aim as supporting first home ownership among Malaysian citizens.
• When it applies: sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) executed from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2030.

That’s a meaningful step up. The current exemption covers first homes priced up to RM500,000 for SPAs executed until 31 December 2027. Budget 2027 widens the price range and pushes the end date out by three years.

A separate stamp duty exemption applies to rescued abandoned housing projects, which we cover in our companion piece on housing supply and growth corridors.

How Much Could You Save?

Stamp duty on a property transfer is tiered. The Inland Revenue Board’s stamp duty guideline sets the rates at 1% on the first RM100,000, 2% from RM100,001 to RM500,000, 3% from RM500,001 to RM1 million, and 4% above that. Using those rates, here’s what the transfer would cost on four first-home prices, with and without the proposed relief:

Home Price	Transfer Duty Without Relief	Payable under the Budget 2027 proposal	You save
RM450,000	RM8,000	RM0	RM8,000
RM500,000	RM9,000	RM0	RM9,000
RM650,000	RM13,500	RM2,250	RM11,250
RM750,000	RM16,500	RM3,750	RM12,750

The biggest change is in the new band. Today’s exemption stops at RM500,000, so a RM650,000 home gets no relief at all. Under the proposal, that buyer would save RM11,250 on the transfer alone.

How we calculated it: the figures cover the instrument of transfer only. We assumed the price equals the property’s market value, and that the 50% exemption applies to the duty charged on the portion above RM500,000. The final calculation will depend on how the exemption is formalised.

The relief also covers your loan agreement, but the stamp duty on that depends on your loan amount, so your lawyer’s quote will show the full saving. Legal fees and other costs aren’t included.

Should You Sign Your SPA Before or After 1 January 2027?

It depends on your price range. The proposal is tied to the date your SPA is executed, not the date you collect your keys.

• RM500,000 or below: The current exemption already covers SPAs executed up to 31 December 2027, and Budget 2027 proposes to extend it to 31 December 2030.
• RM500,001 to RM750,000: The current exemption doesn’t cover this band, and the new partial relief is proposed for SPAs executed from 1 January 2027.
• Above RM750,000: Budget 2027 doesn’t propose relief at this level.

If you’re about to sign for a home in the middle band, ask your conveyancing lawyer and developer whether the SPA execution date can fall on or after 1 January 2027. Since the relief is still a proposal, check which exemption applies on your SPA date, and confirm the final exemption order once it’s formalised, before you make a timing decision.

SJKP Guarantees: More Help for the Self-Employed and Gig Workers

For many buyers, getting the loan is harder than paying the stamp duty, especially without a regular payslip. Budget 2027 provides housing financing guarantees of up to RM20 billion under the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SJKP). The speech says this will open the door to home ownership for 80,000 first-time buyers, particularly the self-employed without a fixed income.

In simple terms, SJKP lets people without a fixed income secure housing loans through government guarantees, as the Ministry of Finance has explained.

Gig workers get a separate boost. BSN will provide RM100 million in housing financing for gig workers under its SJKP scheme, and separate financing is available for gig workers who want to start a business. Agrobank is also providing RM50 million in home financing, but this is for eligible agricultural communities rather than gig workers.

If you’re self-employed or work freelance, talk to your bank early about whether this route suits you. You can also use iProperty’s home loan eligibility calculator to get a sense of how much you could borrow.

More Room in Your Monthly Budget

Budget 2027 also puts a little more money in household pockets, which can help with a deposit and monthly instalments:

• Higher individual tax relief: the threshold, not reviewed since 2010, rises from RM9,000 to RM12,000.
• Lower tax rates: one percentage point off two income bands. Chargeable income of RM70,001 to RM100,000 will be taxed at 18%, and RM100,001 to RM150,000 at 24%.
• Combined effect: the Government says the higher relief and lower rates give about 5 million taxpayers up to RM1,600 in additional disposable income.
• Higher minimum wage: from RM1,700 to RM2,000 from June 2027, benefiting more than 4 million workers. MSMEs with annual sales below RM50 million are exempted.

What Budget 2027 Doesn’t Change

The relief is welcome, but it has limits:

• Homes above RM750,000: the proposal doesn’t cover them.
• Other upfront costs: the housing section of the speech focuses on stamp duty, guarantees and supply. It doesn’t address your deposit or legal fees.
• Eligibility: the relief is for first time residential home purchases, so upgraders and investors shouldn’t count on it.

Your Checklist Before You Buy

• Check which price band your home falls into: up to RM500,000, RM500,001 to RM750,000, or above.
• Ask when your SPA will be executed, since that date decides whether the relief applies.
• Confirm that the purchase qualifies as your first residential home.
• Ask your lawyer for the stamp duty quote with and without the relief, for both the transfer and the loan agreement.
• If you’re self-employed or a gig worker, speak to your bank early about SJKP-backed financing.
• Run your numbers with iProperty’s mortgage calculator, and read our first-time home buyer guides.
• Check the Ministry of Finance and Inland Revenue Board websites for updates once the relief is formalised.

The Bottom Line

Budget 2027 won’t make a home cheap, but it makes the upfront cost of a first home noticeably lighter, especially for buyers in the RM500,001 to RM750,000 range. If that’s you, the timing of your SPA is worth a conversation with your lawyer.