Queensland first home buyers can get real help, but what you're eligible for depends mostly on one question: are you buying a new home or an established one?
Here's what's on offer as at November 2026, and the traps that cost people their concession.
At a glance
- First home concession (established homes): no stamp duty up to $700,000, and a partial concession up to $799,999.
- First home (new home) concession (new homes): no stamp duty, with no value cap.
- First home owner grant (new homes): $30,000, for a home and land valued under $750,000.
- First Home Guarantee (federal, new or established): buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, up to $1,000,000 in Brisbane.
- Boost to Buy (Queensland, new or established): government equity of up to 25% for established homes or 30% for new homes, with a 2% deposit and a price up to $1,000,000.
Buying an established home: the first home concession
If you're buying an established house, unit or townhouse, the big one is the first home concession on transfer (stamp) duty.
- $700,000 or less: no transfer duty.
- $700,001 to $799,999: a partial concession, and you must be paying market value.
- $800,000 or more: the first home concession doesn't apply, though the general home concession may still help.
The Queensland Revenue Office says it can save you up to $24,525. Its own examples, for contracts from 1 August 2026:
- $650,000 home: $0 duty
- $730,000 home: $6,555 duty
- $850,000 home: $24,100 duty (home concession only)
To be eligible, you must:
- buy as an individual, and be at least 18
- never have owned an interest in a home, anywhere in Australia or overseas
- never have claimed the first home vacant land concession
- move in with your belongings within one year of settlement (this can't be extended)
- for contracts from 1 August 2026, be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree
Buying with a partner? Each person claims on their own share. If only one of you qualifies, the other pays duty on their share.
The traps that cost people their concession
These come straight from the Queensland Revenue Office rules, and they're where buyers slip up:
- Renting it out before you move in. Leasing all or part of the home before you live there means losing the concession.
- Renting the whole home within a year of moving in. Renting out a room while you live there is allowed. Renting the whole place within the first year is not.
- Selling within a year. Sell or transfer before moving in and you lose it. Sell within a year of moving in and only a partial concession may apply.
- Buying with a tenant in place. The tenant has to be out by the end of their lease or within six months of settlement, whichever comes first.
- Knocking down before you live there. Demolish without making it your home first and the concession won't apply, even if you build and move in within a year.
If any of these happen, you must tell the Queensland Revenue Office so your duty can be reassessed.
Buying a new home: duty and the $30,000 grant
New homes get the most help.
Stamp duty. For contracts from 1 May 2025, eligible first home buyers of a new home can claim a full concession, with no value cap. There's a matching full concession for vacant land you buy to build your first home on.
The first home owner grant. It's $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, and the Queensland Government has continued it beyond 30 June 2026. The key rules:
- the home must be new, and valued under $750,000 including land
- you must be at least 18, and an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or applying with someone who is)
- you and your spouse can't have received a first home owner grant before, anywhere in Australia
- you or your spouse can't have lived in a home you owned in Australia since 1 July 2000, or owned residential property before then
- you must move in within one year and live there for six months straight
- there's no income test
There's no grant for established homes. A renovated home only counts if it was substantially renovated and sold by a GST registered seller in the course of their business.
The 5% deposit scheme
The federal First Home Guarantee lets you buy with a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. Since 1 October 2025 there are no income caps and no limit on places, and the Brisbane price cap is $1,000,000. Using it doesn't affect your eligibility for the first home owner grant.
Boost to Buy
Boost to Buy is Queensland's shared equity scheme. The government contributes up to 25% of the price of an established home, or up to 30% for a new one, and you need a 2% deposit. The price can't exceed $1,000,000, and income limits apply.
Places are limited and split between South East Queensland and the regions. You can't combine it with a federal home guarantee or federal shared equity scheme, so it's one or the other. Check the Queensland Treasury site to see whether applications are open. The federal Help to Buy shared equity scheme is the other option, and since 22 October 2026, people buying through either scheme can still access Queensland's home concessions and grants.
Before you sign
- Run the Queensland Revenue Office eligibility tester
- Talk to a broker about which scheme suits your deposit and budget
- Have your solicitor confirm your concession before contracts are signed
- Work out where your budget sits against the $700,000 and $800,000 thresholds
The rules change often, and the details above are current as at November 2026. This is general information, not financial or legal advice, so check your situation with the Queensland Revenue Office, your broker or your solicitor.
Buying your first home and not sure where to start? We'll help you work out what you're eligible for and find a home that fits it.