Queensland first home buyer grants and schemes in 2026, explained

What is the Queensland First Home Owner Grant?

It's a $30,000 cash payment from the Queensland Government towards your first home, but only if it's a new home valued under $750,000. That includes new builds, house and land packages, off the plan apartments and townhouses.

The grant is not a discount or a tax break. It's real money, usually applied for through your lender and paid at settlement or at your first construction payment.

The $750,000 limit is a cliff, not a sliding scale. A $749,000 house and land package can get the full $30,000. A $751,000 one gets nothing. If you're near the line, the inclusions in your build contract matter.

The Queensland Government has said it will keep the grant at $30,000 beyond 30 June 2026. Check the current end date before you sign, because these settings change.

Who can get it?

• You and your partner haven't owned a home in Australia before that you lived in.
• You're 18 or older and an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or buying with one).
• You move in within a year and live there for at least six months in a row.

Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in Queensland?

Not on a new home or vacant land, at any price. On an established home, first home buyers pay no transfer duty under $700,000, a reduced amount between $700,000 and $800,000, and the normal home rate above that.

This is where the new or established choice really shows up. At $650,000 both pay $0 duty. At $900,000 a new townhouse still pays $0, while an established house pays duty at the normal home rate, around $26,000 (illustrative).

The concession isn't automatic. Your conveyancer claims it at settlement, and you need to move in within a year.

What is the 5% Deposit Scheme?

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme lets eligible first home buyers buy with a 5% deposit and pay no lenders mortgage insurance. The government guarantees the gap between your deposit and 20%. It's not a cash payment.

Since 1 October 2025 there are no income caps and no limit on places. In Brisbane and surrounding areas, including the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, the price cap is $1,000,000. Other regions have their own caps.

Most major banks and many smaller lenders take part, so using the scheme doesn't lock you into one lender. Policies still differ between them.

One honest point: the scheme removes the LMI cost of a small deposit, not the size of the loan. A 5% deposit means a 95% loan and bigger repayments. The real question is whether those repayments sit comfortably in your budget.

Can you use all three together?

Yes, if you buy a new home under $750,000 and meet each program's rules. You could get the $30,000 grant, pay no stamp duty and buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI.

You're buying	$30k grant	Stamp duty	5% Deposit Scheme
New home, under $750k	Yes	$0	Yes
New home, $750k to $1m	No	$0	Yes
Established home, under $700k	No	$0	Yes
Established home, $700k to $800k	No	Reduced	Yes
Established home, $800k to $1m	No	Normal rate	Yes
Anything over $1m in Brisbane	No	$0 if new	No

Assumes you meet each program's eligibility rules. Illustrative only.

What we tell our clients

Don't buy a new build just to collect the grant. Buy the home that suits your life. But know the numbers before you choose which open homes to go to, because the gap between new and established at the same price can be tens of thousands of dollars.

Want these checked against the homes you're looking at? See how we help Brisbane first home buyers. Nurse, midwife, paramedic or doctor? Your job could also mean no LMI with a smaller deposit.

And check eligibility before you sign anything. The rules on ownership history and living in the home are strict, and the price caps don't bend.

Places in the 5% Deposit Scheme are issued through participating lenders. We're not affiliated with Housing Australia. Eligibility is subject to individual circumstances and current government policy. This is general information only, based on Queensland Revenue Office and Housing Australia settings as at 3 November 2026.

Sources: Queensland Revenue Office, First Home Owner Grant, first home concession, first home vacant land concession and home concession changes from August 2026. Housing Australia, 5% Deposit Scheme and property price caps.