First home buyers · Queensland
First home buyers in Queensland
Queensland splits first home buyers in two. Buy a new home and you pay no transfer duty at any price, and may get a grant. Buy an established home and the concession phases out by a set price. Here is how each works today.
On this page
What’s different in QLD
Queensland has three first home duty concessions. For an established home you pay no transfer duty up to about $700,000, and the concession steps down to nothing at $800,000. For a new home (never lived in, substantially renovated, or off the plan) and for vacant land you build your first home on, there is no duty at all and no price cap.
The established-home concession is calculated from the home concession rates, which any owner-occupier can use, so even buyers above $800,000 pay less than an investor would. The new-home concession doesn’t cover knocking down an existing house and rebuilding.
Queensland’s ownership test is strict: every buyer must never have held an interest in residential land anywhere, including overseas. Someone who owns, or co-owns, a house or land in their home country is not a first home buyer for these concessions, even if they have never owned anything in Australia.
Who qualifies
First home concession (established home)
- All buyers are individuals aged 18 or over who have never held an interest in residential land anywhere (Australia or overseas).
- For contracts from 1 August 2026 every buyer must be a 'specified resident': an Australian citizen, a permanent resident (incl. a New Zealand citizen on a special category visa) or a specified foreign retiree (Duties Act s 90A).
- Move in within 1 year of settlement. Above $700,000 the price must be at least market value.
First home (new home) concession
- A new home never previously occupied or sold as a residence, a substantially renovated home, or off the plan. No value cap.
- Not available if you demolish an existing home and rebuild.
- Same buyer tests as the first home concession, including the specified-resident rule from 1 August 2026.
First home vacant land concession
- Vacant residential land on which you build your first home and move in within 2 years of settlement. No value cap.
- Same buyer tests as the first home concession, including the specified-resident rule from 1 August 2026.
First Home Owner Grant
- $30,000 for new homes (contracts from 20 November 2023; continued permanently from 1 July 2026). No grants for established homes.
- Value (including land and contract variations) must be less than $750,000.
- At least one applicant an Australian citizen or permanent resident; 18 or over; no previous grant; never owned and lived in a home in Australia since 1 July 2000.
- Move in within 1 year and live there for 6 continuous months. No income test.
Citizens, permanent residents and visa holders
Most first home schemes need at least one buyer who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Here is how Queensland treats each group. The visa guides go into detail.
| Buyer | Duty concession | First home grant | Foreign buyer surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian citizen | Yes | Yes | No |
| Permanent resident | Yes | Yes, $30,000, new homes | No |
| New Zealand citizen (444) | Yes | Yes, $30,000, new homes | No |
| Temporary visa holder | No | Only with a citizen or PR co-applicant ($30,000) | Yes, 8% |
Stamp duty calculator for QLD
Set to a first home buyer who will live in the home. Change the price and property type to see the concession and grant for your purchase.
Estimated stamp duty
$0
No transfer duty under the First home concession (established home), if you meet its conditions.
- Transfer dutyHome concession rates (owner-occupier)
- $16,450
- Less First home concession (established home)
- −$16,450
- Mortgage registration fee
- $248.04
- Transfer registration fee
- $2,576.04
- Total government costs
- $2,824.08
Notes for this purchase (2)
- First Home Owner Grant: not eligible (established homes are not eligible).
- Specified foreign retirees (405/410 visa) have their own exemptions; this calculator treats every foreign purchaser as paying AFAD at general rates.
A 60-minute consultation with Sulav Adhikari, by phone or video. We check these numbers against real lender policy.
Checked against Queensland Revenue Office on (2026-27 rules)
- Home concession rates (owner-occupier): page 1, page 2, legislation · checked
- General transfer duty rates: page, official calculator · checked
- First home concession (established home): page · checked
- Titles Queensland: registration fees: PDF, page · checked
- First Home Owner Grant: page 1, legislation, page 2 · checked
Assumptions
- The price you enter is treated as the dutiable value (the higher of the price and the market value).
- Every buyer is in the same residency group and buys the whole property. Mixed purchases (for example one foreign co-buyer) are worked out differently; use the revenue office calculator.
- Concessions and grants assume you meet all their conditions, including living in the home for the required time.
- Government fees are the land titles office registration fees for one transfer and one mortgage. Conveyancing, inspections and lender fees are not included.
- Your conveyancer or solicitor confirms the duty payable before settlement.
Estimates only, not a quote or credit approval. Important information about our calculators.
More options, including investors and foreign buyers: QLD stamp duty calculator.
Worked examples at three prices
| Item | Unit (established) | Townhouse (established) | House (new) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $650,000 | $760,000 | $720,000 |
| Duty before concession | $15,100 | $20,050 | $18,250 |
| First home concession | −$15,100 | −$6,940 | −$18,250 |
| Duty payable | $0 | $13,110 | $0 |
| Registration fees | $2,684.40 | $3,196.56 | $3,010.32 |
| Government costs | $2,684.40 | $16,306.56 | $3,010.32 |
| First Home Owner Grant | Not eligible | Not eligible | $30,000 |
| Under 5% scheme cap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5% deposit | $32,500 | $38,000 | $36,000 |
- First home buyer, owner-occupier, at least one buyer an Australian citizen or permanent resident, buying with a loan.
- 5% Deposit Scheme cap check uses the Brisbane and listed regional centres cap; confirm your postcode with the official tool.
- Calculated from Queensland Revenue Office rules checked on 26 October 2026. Excludes conveyancing, inspections, lender fees and LMI.
The established unit is under $700,000, so no duty applies. The townhouse sits in the stepped band, where the concession falls in fixed amounts for each $10,000 of price. The new house pays no duty, and because it is under $750,000 it also qualifies for the $30,000 grant.
Queensland’s transfer registration fee is charged per $10,000 above a base amount, so it is much higher than in NSW at the same price. The 5% Deposit Scheme cap is $1,000,000 in Brisbane and Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, and $700,000 elsewhere.
5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy in QLD
In Queensland the capital-city cap of $1,000,000 also applies in Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. A new home over the cap can still get the no-duty new home concession, because that concession has no price limit, but it would miss out on the 5% Deposit Scheme and possibly the grant.
| Area | 5% Deposit Scheme | Help to Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane and Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Rest of QLD | $700,000 | $700,000 |
Eligibility for both schemes, and the First Home Super Saver Scheme, is set out on our first home buyers overview.
The specified-resident rule from 1 August 2026
For contracts from 1 August 2026, Queensland’s home concessions are only for buyers who are “specified residents”: Australian citizens, permanent residents (including New Zealand citizens on a special category visa) and specified foreign retirees. A temporary visa holder buying alone gets none of the first home concessions, and pays additional foreign acquirer duty of 8% on top of full duty.
Where a citizen or permanent resident buys with a temporary visa holder, each buyer’s share is assessed separately. Queensland also fixes foreign status at the contract date, with no refund if permanent residence comes later. If you are close to a permanent visa grant, sign after it. The 494 guide works through a Queensland example.
How and when to apply in QLD
Step 1: Check the ownership test for every buyer
Each buyer must never have held an interest in residential land anywhere, in Australia or overseas, and must be a specified resident.Step 2: Decide new or established early
The concession, the grant and the price ceiling all depend on it. A new home has no duty cap; an established home's concession ends at $800,000.Step 3: Claim the concession with the duty
Your conveyancer or solicitor claims the concession when the transfer duty is assessed. Make sure they know you are a first home buyer before the contract is lodged.Step 4: Apply for the grant on a new home
For a new home under $750,000, apply for the $30,000 grant, often through your lender, or directly with the Queensland Revenue Office.Step 5: Move in
Move in within 1 year of settlement. Above $700,000 the price must be at least market value.
For the general buying process, see first home loans.
Documents to have ready
- Passport, and proof of citizenship or permanent residence for every buyer
- Payslips and an employment letter, or tax returns if self-employed
- Bank statements showing savings and the deposit
- Contract of sale, or land contract and building contract for a new build
- Details of any property you own or have owned overseas
Lender requirements differ; this is a typical list, not a government rule.
Common mistakes in QLD
Forgetting land overseas
Any interest in residential land anywhere, including a share in a family home overseas, can rule you out of the concession.Assuming established homes are like new
New homes have no duty cap. Established homes lose the concession entirely at $800,000.Knock-down rebuilds
Demolishing an existing home and building a new one doesn't qualify for the new-home concession.Budgeting only for duty
Queensland's transfer registration fee rises with the price. Include it in your cash at settlement.
First home buyer questions in QLD
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in Queensland?
Not on a new home or vacant land for a first home, at any price, if you meet the conditions. On an established home there is no duty up to about $700,000, a stepped concession above that, and none from $800,000.
How much is the Queensland First Home Owner Grant?
$30,000 for a new home valued under $750,000. It isn't available for established homes.
I own land overseas. Am I a first home buyer in Queensland?
Not for the duty concessions. Every buyer must never have held an interest in residential land anywhere, including overseas.
Can a temporary visa holder get the Queensland first home concession?
Not for contracts from 1 August 2026. The concessions are for specified residents. A temporary visa holder's share pays full duty plus 8% additional foreign acquirer duty.
Is there a price cap on the new home concession?
No. First home (new home) concession and the first home vacant land concession have no value cap.
Check your first home numbers with Sulav
We work out which concession and grant apply to you, what you can borrow and how much cash you need at settlement.
First home buyer guides for other states
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page comes from these official sources. Dates show when we last checked each one.
- First home concession
- First home concession (established home)
- First home concession (established home) (legislation)
- First home concession (established home) (official calculator)
- First home (new home) concession
- First home vacant land concession
- First home owner grant: eligibility
- First Home Owner Grant
- First Home Owner Grant (state budget 2026)
- Additional foreign acquirer duty: assessing
- Additional foreign acquirer duty: foreign persons
- Additional foreign acquirer duty (AFAD)
- General transfer duty rates
- Home concession rates (owner-occupier)
- Titles Queensland fees
- Titles Queensland fees (fees)
- 5% Deposit Scheme property price caps
- Australian government 5 percent deposit scheme
- 69409
- 69410
- Uncapped 5 cent deposits available first home buyers today
- Help to Buy scheme
- Help buy property price caps
- Htb thresholds
- First Home Super Saver Scheme