2017 to today
Depreciation on a property built in 2023
A residential building whose construction began in 2023 is deducted at 2.5% of its construction cost a year, for construction begun after 15 September 1987. Counting from 30 June 2023, its 40 years run from the 2023–24 income year to 2062–63, and from 2026–27 it has 37 income years left. Our national series puts new houses at $1,727 per m² of floor area in the year to 30 June 2023, 0.6% up on 2022's $1,717.
- Rate
- 2.5%
- Years left
- 37
- Last year
- 2062–63
What a house built in 2023 cost, state by state
A standard 200 m² single-storey brick veneer house at 2023 rates, less the builder's plant (3.1% of its cost that year), listed separately; the deduction is 2.5% of it a year.
| State | Rate per m² in 2023 | Construction cost | Deduction a year | Left to claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $2,138 | $388,542 | $9,714 | $359,418 |
| Victoria | $1,828 | $332,191 | $8,305 | $307,285 |
| Queensland | $1,878 | $341,382 | $8,535 | $315,795 |
| Western Australia | $1,490 | $270,882 | $6,772 | $250,564 |
| South Australia | $1,283 | $233,218 | $5,830 | $215,710 |
| Tasmania | $2,038 | $370,447 | $9,261 | $342,657 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $1,815 | $329,846 | $8,246 | $305,102 |
| Northern Territory | $2,320 | $421,599 | $10,540 | $389,980 |
Indicative. "Left to claim" is the deduction a year times the 37 income years left; the first and last are usually part years.
The cost per m² around 2023
From 2022 to 2023 the standard house's rate per m² rose 10%, from $1,652 to $1,815: the 4th steepest of the 40 year-on-year changes since 1985. In 2024 it rose 4% again, to $1,893. At 2025's rates it costs $347,938 to build, 1.1 times its 2023 cost of $329,884, and the deduction is worked from the 2023 figure.
Building in 2023, nationally
The ABS measure: the value of new houses built (land excluded) over their floor area, so it follows the kind of house as well as prices, and its 2023 is the year to 30 June 2023.
The rate per m²
Our national series puts new houses in the year to 30 June 2023 at $1,727 per m² of floor area, 0.6% up on 2022's $1,717 and 45% up over the ten years from 2013's $1,189.
The average new house
We put the average new house of 2023 at about 235 m² of floor area, read between the ABS figures for 2022 (232.3 m²) and 2025 (241.5 m²): at 2023's $1,727 per m², it cost about $406,000 to build.
How the figure was reached
How 2023's figure was arrived at: a published figure of medium or low confidence, blended with the interpolation. It rests on 1 source and is graded B, from A (a published figure) to D (an assumed rate of growth).
2023 in Division 43's history
- Counting the calendar year each began in as its first, 2023 is the 39th year of capital works for homes (from 18 July 1985), the 37th year of the rate of 2.5% over 40 years (from 16 September 1987), the 32nd year of structural improvements' claims (from 27 February 1992) and the 7th year of section 40-27 on second-hand plant (from 7.30 pm on 9 May 2017).
Where it stands in 2026–27
2026–27 is the 4th of its 40 income years at 2.5%. 37 income years, this one counted, carry 92.5% of its construction cost; the 7.5% of the 3 years before is spent, whoever owned it then. The first half of its years ends with 2042–43.
A kitchen replaced ten years on, in 2033, is new capital works with 40 years of its own, claimed until 2073: 10 years past 2023's own last income year, 2062–63. Every renovation since 2023 is the same, whatever the house's own date; its invoices and photos date it.
Renovating a rental built in 2023: the old plant and works Houses of 2017 to today beside the other years Using a previous owner's scheduleA standard house's plant, fitted new in 2023
In 2023 the builder's plant was about 3.1% of a standard house's cost, listed apart from the building; plant prices stood at 116% of 2020's by our plant index, and the ABS house construction price index for Australia stood at 136% of its June quarter 2020 level in the June quarter 2023. Fitted in 2023, with each life counted from 30 June 2023 as the building's years are, none below has passed its effective life, the first ending in 2030–31; a replacement bought new for a let property starts its own.
| Item | Installed new, 2023 prices | Effective life | Life ends, income year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven | $1,848 | 12 years | 2034–35 |
| Cooktop | $728 | 12 years | 2034–35 |
| Dishwasher | $1,232 | 8 years | 2030–31 |
| Electric hot water system | $1,675 | 12 years | 2034–35 |
| Carpet | $4,389 | 8 years | 2030–31 |
| Blinds | $1,675 | 10 years | 2032–33 |
Common questions
How much depreciation can I claim on a house built in 2023?
On a 2023 building, 2.5% of what it cost to construct, each year until 2062–63. For a standard 200 m² brick veneer house that is about $9,714 a year in New South Wales, $8,305 in Victoria and $8,535 in Queensland, with 37 income years left. Plant new to you adds to that, as does any renovation since 2023.
I bought a 2023 property second-hand. Does the deduction start again?
No: a 2023 building's 40 years run from its completion, not from your purchase, so a buyer claims the 37 income years left, 2026–27 to 2062–63, on the original construction cost rather than the price paid. Fitted new in 2023, 7 of the 181 kinds of plant our catalogue prices have passed their effective lives, and the other 174 end from 2026–27 to 2052–53. A 2023 house has only ever been under section 40-27, from 7.30 pm on 9 May 2017: bought from an earlier owner, the plant that came with a 2023 house is generally not deductible (the 2017 rules set out who it reaches and the exceptions). Bought new, nobody having lived in it, its plant is generally deductible as well, provided no earlier owner could deduct for it, unless you live in it before renting it out.
What was the rate for 2023?
2.5% a year over 40 years, for construction begun after 15 September 1987: counting from 30 June 2023, the 2023–24 to 2062–63 income years. Construction begun on any day of 2023 qualifies, the window having opened on 16 September 1987, and 3 of its 40 income years have passed.
What did it cost to build a house in 2023?
In the year to 30 June 2023, our national series puts new houses at $1,727 per m² of floor area, 45% up over the ten years from 2013's $1,189, and the average new house, about 235 m², cost about $406,000 to build. At 2023's rates, our standard 200 m² single-storey brick veneer house, less the plant listed separately, cost about $329,884 at the national rate, against $300,494 in 2022 and $345,172 in 2024. In 2023 it was cheapest in South Australia, at $233,218, and dearest in the Northern Territory, at $421,599. Where the 2023 build's own cost is not documented, a schedule estimates it at 2023's rates, about $329,884 for that house nationally, by an appropriately qualified person, as Taxation Ruling TR 97/25 accepts.
General information only, not advice about your circumstances. Speak to a registered tax agent before relying on it.