NT LMI Calculator

Estimate LMI for a Northern Territory home loan: the likely range, the 10% NT duty on it, and the 5% Deposit Scheme caps for Darwin and the rest of the NT.

Free · No sign-up · Checked 29 September 2026

Estimate your NT LMI

Step 1: LMI check

Is this your first home?

Or you have not owned property in Australia in the last 10 years

Will you live in it?

No means an investment property

Are you a single parent or legal guardian?

Do you work in medicine, law or accounting?

Step 2: Your loan

Property value

Purchase price or valuation. Lenders use the lower of the two.

Deposit

State or territory

Area

Capital cities and regional centres use the higher cap. Regional centres are, in NSW, the Central Coast, Coffs Harbour to Grafton, Illawarra, the Mid North Coast, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, and Richmond to Tweed; in VIC, Geelong; in QLD, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. In the NT the higher cap is for Darwin. The area only affects the 5% Deposit Scheme cap.

Paying the LMI

Your result

You may not need to pay LMI. The 5% Deposit Scheme lets eligible buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and no LMI, up to $750,000 in this area. The estimate below is what you would pay without it.

Loan: $630,000
LVR: 90.0%

Likely LMI

$9,400 to $18,300

Typical lender figure: $12,600

Duty on LMI in Northern Territory: 10% of the premium. Lenders' examples do not say whether they include it, so the top of the range adds it. This is the state's general insurance duty rate, so confirm it with your lender.
LVR after adding LMI to the loan: 91.3% to 92.6%.
To avoid LMI: add $70,000 to your deposit to reach 20%. Try the home deposit calculator.

Closest published lender figures

Range built from 27 LMI figures published by 8 Australian lenders, checked 29 September 2026. How this is calculated.

Estimate only. General information, not credit or financial advice. Your lender and its insurer set the actual LMI premium.

Buying in another state? Use the LMI calculator for every state.

NT first home buyers can get a $50,000 grant on a new home, and a house and land package can be exempt from stamp duty. Neither changes LMI.

How much is LMI in the NT?

On a $647,259 home in Darwin with a 10% deposit, published lender figures put LMI at about $8,700 to $16,900, with a typical figure of $11,700. The top of that range includes the NT's 10% duty. $647,259 was Darwin's median dwelling value as at 31 August 2026 (Cotality Home Value Index, published 1 September 2026).

$647,259 home in Darwin, owner-occupier. Built from lender figures checked 29 September 2026.
Deposit	Loan	LVR	Typical LMI	Likely range, top incl 10% duty	With the 5% Deposit Scheme
15%	$550,170	85.0%	$5,500	$4,200 to $12,500	$0 if eligible
10%	$582,533	90.0%	$11,700	$8,700 to $16,900	$0 if eligible
5%	$614,896	95.0%	$25,800	$18,100 to $35,600	$0 if eligible

At $600,000, the scheme cap outside Greater Darwin, a 5% deposit means LMI of about $16,800 to $33,000 without the scheme, and $0 with it if you are eligible. For every state and deposit, see how much LMI costs.

What duty does the NT charge on LMI?

The Northern Territory charges 10% duty on the LMI premium, including the GST.

The Territory Revenue Office's guideline CG-SD-006 charges duty on general insurance and lists mortgage insurance by name, split by where the secured property sits. The Stamp Duty Act sets the rate at 10% of the premium, and the premium includes GST. LMI is not on the Act's list of exempt insurance.

Queensland charges 9% on the same premium and NSW nothing. In the calculator, the 10% is added to the top of the range for an NT home.

Do NT first home buyers pay duty on LMI?

Yes, at 10%. The NT has had no first home stamp duty concession since the Territory Home Owner Discount closed on 30 June 2021, and none of its insurance exemptions covers LMI. Life insurance policies issued after 1 July 2015 carry no NT duty, so there is no second "mortgage insurance" rate to confuse with LMI.

5% Deposit Scheme price caps in the NT

In the NT the 5% Deposit Scheme cap is $750,000 in Greater Darwin, and $600,000 in the rest of the territory. The scheme was called the Home Guarantee Scheme until 1 October 2025, and its first home stream is still the First Home Guarantee in the law.

Area	Cap now	5% deposit at the cap	2% deposit at the cap (single parents)	Cap before 1 October 2025
Greater Darwin	$750,000	$37,500	$15,000	$600,000
Rest of the NT	$600,000	$30,000	$12,000	$600,000

Greater Darwin, including Palmerston, Humpty Doo, Howard Springs and Berry Springs, gets $750,000. Alice Springs and Katherine are on the $600,000 cap.

Both the price and the lender's valuation must be at or under the cap.

The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee closed to new applicants on 1 October 2025. Regional buyers now use these caps.

What first home buyer help does the NT offer?

The NT offers first home buyers a $50,000 grant on a new home with no price cap, but no stamp duty concession. A house and land package bought from a builder can be exempt from stamp duty for any buyer. None of it reduces LMI.

Help	What it is worth	Value limit	Main conditions	Source
HomeGrown Territory Grant	$50,000	No cap on the build or purchase price. New homes only, not vacant land alone.	Contracts signed, or foundations laid, from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027; at least one buyer is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, one aged 18 or over; live there for at least 12 months. The grant can be released early to help with your deposit, if your lender agrees.	NT Government, modified 13 May 2026
House and Land Package Exemption	No stamp duty	No value cap and no means test.	A house and land package bought from a building contractor in one transaction; contracts from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2027; not only for first home buyers; one buyer lives there for 6 continuous months, starting within 12 months of completion.	NT Government

Eligibility is decided by the revenue office, not by this page. Work out transfer duty with your state revenue office's own calculator.

HomeBuild Access: NT Government loans with no LMI

HomeBuild Access offers two loans for new homes or land to build on, and both charge no LMI. The Low Deposit Loan needs 2.5% and has no income or asset test; the Subsidised Interest Rate Loan needs 2% and is for first home buyers under income and asset limits. The price must be up to $475,000 for one or two bedrooms or $550,000 for three or more, and you must live there for at least 3 years. HomeBuild Access

Where NT help and the 5% Deposit Scheme overlap

In the NT the stamp duty help does not depend on price (only house and land packages are exempt), while the 5% Deposit Scheme stops at $750,000 in Greater Darwin and $600,000 elsewhere.

NT Government and the 5% Deposit Scheme price caps, checked 29 September 2026.
Price	NT stamp duty for first home buyers	5% Deposit Scheme	LMI below a 20% deposit
Up to $600,000	No concession (house and land packages exempt)	All of the NT	None if eligible for the scheme, otherwise applies
$600,001 to $750,000	No concession (house and land packages exempt)	Greater Darwin	None if eligible for the scheme, otherwise applies
Above $750,000	No concession (house and land packages exempt)	Not available	Applies

Darwin's median is under the scheme cap

Darwin's median dwelling value, $647,259, is under the $750,000 Greater Darwin cap (Cotality, as at 31 August 2026). The cap was $600,000 before it rose.

At the median with a 5% deposit, an eligible first home buyer could use the 5% Deposit Scheme and pay no LMI. Without it, published lender figures put the LMI at about $18,100 to $35,600, including the 10% duty at the top. If the home is new, the $50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant can go into the deposit, subject to your lender.

NT LMI calculator FAQs

Is the HomeGrown Territory Grant still open?

Yes, for contracts signed, or foundations laid, up to 30 September 2027. An older NT page still says 2026; the NT Government pages updated in May 2026 say 2027.

Do NT first home buyers get a stamp duty concession?

No. The first home concession closed on 30 June 2021. The only relief is the House and Land Package Exemption, which is open to any buyer of a house and land package from a builder.

Does HomeBuild Access charge LMI?

No. Both the Low Deposit Loan and the Subsidised Interest Rate Loan are sold with no lenders mortgage insurance.

How much is LMI in Darwin on a 10% deposit?

On a $647,259 Darwin home with a 10% deposit, published lender figures put LMI at about $8,700 to $16,900. The top of that range includes the 10% NT duty.