Help to Buy Scheme QLD (2026): Price Caps, Eligibility and the $30,000 Grant

Help to Buy works the same in Queensland as everywhere else, but Queensland adds more on top than most states: a $30,000 grant on new homes, no transfer duty for first home buyers on new homes, and a published ruling that you get the duty concessions on the full price even though the government owns part of the home.

Price caps and where they apply

The $1,000,000 cap covers Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Everywhere else in Queensland, including Townsville, Cairns and Toowoomba, the cap is $700,000.

A worked example

A $750,000 existing home in Brisbane, with a 2% deposit and the government’s full 30%:

Queensland's first home concession on an established home means no duty up to $700,000 and reduced duty below $800,000, worked out on the full price under the Queensland Revenue Office's Help to Buy ruling. On a new home there would be no transfer duty at all. Run your own figures in the Help to Buy calculator.

Who can use it

• Australian citizens aged 18 or over; permanent residents aren’t eligible.
• Taxable income for 2026–27 of $103,000 or less as a single, $165,000 for a couple or single parent.
• You can’t own property now, but you don’t have to be a first home buyer.
• You must live in the home, and the lender must be satisfied you couldn’t buy without the scheme.

The full rules, including buying back the government’s share, selling, renovating and renting out, are in the Help to Buy guide.

Grants and stamp duty you can add

Help to Buy can be combined with a first home owner grant, stamp duty concessions and the First Home Super Saver Scheme. In Queensland:

• First Home Owner Grant: $30,000 for a new home valued under $750,000 including the land, for contracts signed from 20 November 2023. The 2026–27 Queensland Budget kept the $30,000 for contracts from 1 July 2026, and the Queensland Revenue Office lists no end date.
• No transfer duty on new homes: First home buyers pay no transfer duty on a new home, or on vacant residential land, for contracts from 1 May 2025, with no value cap. You can claim the grant and one first home concession together.
• How Queensland treats the government's share: Public Ruling GEN013.1 treats the Commonwealth's interest as no interest for duty, so you get the concessions as if you bought the whole home, duty is assessed on the full value, and buying the share back later attracts no duty. Housing Australia's interest also doesn't stop a grant claim.
• Citizenship: From 1 August 2026 Queensland's home concessions require Australian citizens, permanent residents or specified retirees. Help to Buy already requires citizenship.
• First home buyer stamp duty on an established home: no duty up to $700,000, with a reduced rate up to $800,000 (first home concession, from 9 June 2024).

You can’t combine Help to Buy with the 5% Deposit Scheme or a state shared equity scheme.

The state’s own scheme

Boost to Buy: Round 2 open with up to 500 places; South East Queensland appointments are all taken, so regional places only. Up to 30% of a new home or 25% of an existing one; 2% deposit; $1 million price cap; income limits $155,000 single, $232,000 couples or with dependants. Official page.

Boost to Buy has higher income limits than Help to Buy, but its current round has regional places only. If you're buying in South East Queensland, Help to Buy is the shared equity option. You can't use both.

Every scheme and its status is in our guide to shared equity schemes in Australia.

How to apply

Apply through a participating lender or a broker that works with one: Bank Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, Queensland Country Bank. Queensland Country Bank joined the scheme on 6 October 2026, through its branches and brokers.The lender’s conditional approval reserves a place for 90 days, and your contract must allow at least 30 days to settlement.