First Home Buyer Guide QLD: $30K Grant, Stamp Duty & Schemes (2026)

$30,000 First Home Owner Grant QLD

Queensland pays a $30,000 First Home Owner Grant to eligible first home buyers purchasing or building a new home — the largest first home grant in the country, locked in by the 2026-27 State Budget.

Eligibility requirements

• At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• All applicants must be 18 years or older
• No applicant can have previously owned residential property in Australia
• At least one applicant must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for at least 12 months within 12 months of completion or settlement

Eligible properties

• New homes (not previously occupied or sold as residential property) with a contract price of $750,000 or less
• Owner-built new homes must have a building contract value of $750,000 or less
• Established properties do not qualify for the FHOG in QLD

When is the grant paid?

For purchases (e.g. off-the-plan), the grant is paid at settlement. For construction contracts, it's paid when the first progress payment is requested by the builder. Apply through the Queensland Revenue Office or via your lender; most lenders process the FHOG alongside your loan.

Stamp duty (transfer duty) concession in QLD

Queensland's first home buyer duty relief is now among the most generous in the country, and it runs on two tracks depending on what you buy.

New homes and vacant land: zero duty

• Eligible first home buyers pay no transfer duty on a new home, with no price cap — made permanent in the 2026-27 Budget (in place since 1 May 2025)
• A separate first home vacant land concession applies on land up to $500,000
• The property must be your first home in Australia and you must move in within the required occupancy window

Established homes: full concession to $700,000

• Full concession (i.e. $0 duty) on established homes up to $700,000
• The concession phases out between $700,000 and $800,000
• Above $800,000, standard duty applies with no first home discount — on an $800,000 buy that's the full $29,025

See our full Queensland stamp duty guide for worked examples, and use the Stamp Duty Calculator for precise figures on your price.

Home Concession (not exclusive to first home buyers)

Queensland also applies a standard Home Concession for all owner-occupiers, not just first home buyers, so even buyers over the first-home thresholds pay less than the general rate on a home they'll live in.

Federal schemes available in QLD

• 5% Deposit Scheme (expanded First Home Guarantee): 5% deposit, no LMI. Since the late-2025 expansion there is no income test and places are uncapped. Property price caps apply by location — check the current QLD cap with Housing Australia. See our 5% Deposit Scheme guide.
• Family Home Guarantee: 2% deposit for eligible single parents and guardians, even if they've owned before.
• Help to Buy (shared equity): Up to 40% government equity on new homes / 30% on existing, with a 2% minimum deposit. From 1 July 2026 the income caps are $103,000 (singles) and $165,000 (joint or single parents), with 10,000 new places for 2026-27. See our Help to Buy guide.

See our national First Home Buyer Guide for full federal scheme detail and how the schemes stack with Queensland's grant and duty relief.

QLD-specific schemes and resources

• Queensland Housing Finance Loan: For low-to-moderate income earners who can't access a loan from a traditional lender. Administered by Homes and Housing QLD. Check eligibility at qld.gov.au/housing.
• Deposit assist (shared equity): Some QLD credit unions and building societies offer shared-equity arrangements for first home buyers. Check with your broker or lender.
• First Home Vacant Land Concession: For buyers purchasing vacant land to build their first home. Reduced transfer duty applies on land valued at $400,000 or less.

Median property prices for first home buyers

South East Queensland has had significant price growth since 2020. First home buyers typically target:

• Brisbane outer suburbs: Ipswich, Logan, and Moreton Bay regions, house medians $600K to $800K
• Moreton Bay region: North Lakes, Caboolture, Redcliffe, popular FHB suburbs with medians $620K to $750K
• Gold Coast hinterland: Ormeau, Coomera, Pimpama, house medians $680K to $800K
• Regional Queensland: Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Mackay, house medians $400K to $600K with high rental yields

Browse QLD suburb profiles for current data.

The QLD buying process

QLD has some distinct features versus other states:

• REIQ contract: QLD uses the Real Estate Institute of Queensland standard contract of sale, with standard conditions for building and pest inspection, finance, and sometimes FIRB.
• Conditions are built in: Unlike NSW, building inspections and finance conditions are typically negotiated into the contract before it's signed, rather than relying on a cooling-off window.
• Cooling-off period: 5 business days from the buyer's receipt of the contract (residential, not auction).
• Auctions: Less common than Sydney/Melbourne. Private treaty (conditional contract) dominates in QLD.
• Settlement: Typically 30 to 60 days; via PEXA.

For the full step-by-step process, see Buying Property in Australia.

Key QLD contacts

• Queensland Revenue Office, FHOG, transfer duty, concessions: qro.qld.gov.au
• Homes and Housing QLD, Queensland Housing Finance Loan and housing assistance: qld.gov.au/housing
• Housing Australia, First Home Guarantee and federal schemes: housingaustralia.gov.au