What grants can first home buyers get in Queensland?

There are three separate kinds of help, run by two different governments, and mixing them up costs people money. Queensland runs the First Home Owner Grant and the transfer duty concessions. The Commonwealth runs the Home Guarantee Scheme. You can generally use all of them on the one purchase if you qualify, but each has its own eligibility test, its own deadlines and its own paperwork.

1. The Queensland First Home Owner Grant

This is a cash grant administered by the Queensland Revenue Office and paid toward buying or building a brand-new home — a home nobody has lived in, an off-the-plan purchase, or a substantially renovated one. It is not available for an established home. The grant amount and the property value cap have both been changed several times in recent years, including a temporary boost, so the single most important thing to do is check the current figure at qro.qld.gov.au rather than relying on an article. We confirm the amount that applies to your contract date as part of your application.

Who qualifies for the grant

You must be at least 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or applying with one), and you must never have held an interest in residential property anywhere in Australia — including as an investor. The home has to become your principal place of residence, and you must move in within a set period after completion and live there for at least six continuous months. Every applicant on the title has to meet the test, so one partner's past investment property can disqualify the pair of you.

2. Transfer duty concessions

This is quietly the biggest number for most Queensland first home buyers. Since 1 May 2025 a first home buyer buying a new home or vacant land to build on pays no transfer duty at all, with no price cap. For an established home, the first home concession applies in full up to $700,000 and then tapers away, reaching nil at $800,000. On a typical Brisbane purchase that concession is worth more than the grant. There's a full explanation on our transfer duty answer page and a calculator that shows your figure.

3. The federal Home Guarantee Scheme

Administered by Housing Australia, the scheme lets eligible first home buyers purchase with a small deposit while the government guarantees the gap between your deposit and 20% — so no lenders mortgage insurance is charged. There are separate streams, including one for single parents and one for regional buyers, and each has its own deposit minimum, property price cap and eligibility criteria. Caps and rules have changed repeatedly, so the current parameters and participating lenders need checking at the time you apply, not from memory.

What these schemes don't do

None of them increase your borrowing power. A lender still assesses your income, expenses and debts the same way, still applies the serviceability buffer, and can still decline the property. Grants and concessions change how much cash you need at settlement; they don't change how much you can borrow. Buyers who plan around the grant and never check their serviceability are the ones who get caught out.

Getting it right

Two mistakes cost real money: signing a contract before checking which concession the property qualifies for, and assuming a new build and an established home are treated the same way. Both are avoidable with a conversation before you sign. Bring us the property type, the price and your settlement timeline and we'll confirm what you're entitled to, lodge what needs lodging, and make sure your lender and your solicitor are working from the same information.

The information on this website is general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information you should consider whether it is appropriate for you. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and normal lending criteria apply. Rates are subject to change.