Grants and schemes in Queensland

Beyond duty relief, Queensland offers a first home buyer three things: the First Home Owner Grant, the Boost to Buy shared equity scheme, and the federal 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy. Every one has an eligibility test, which this page summarises but cannot apply.

First Home Owner Grant

The First Home Owner Grant in Queensland is $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023. The revenue office's page states the window as 20 November 2023 to 30 June 2026; the Queensland Government has since announced that the $30,000 continues for eligible contracts signed from 1 July 2026, and the office's own wording for those contracts is not stated here.

The grant is for new homes only, and the home's value including the land must be less than $750,000. The buyer must be an individual aged 18 or over, and neither they nor their spouse can have received the grant anywhere in Australia before. The home must become the buyer's principal place of residence within 1 year of the completed transaction, not an investment. The Queensland Revenue Office sets the minimum period of continuous residence and the deadline for applying.

State schemes

Boost to Buy is open. The Queensland Government contributes towards the purchase in exchange for an ongoing equity share, up to 30% of a new home or 25% of an existing home. It is for first home buyers with at least a 2% deposit, buying at up to $1 million, with income caps of $155,000 for an individual and $232,000 for two adults or for a single applicant with dependants. The government's share moves with the property's value and is repaid on sale or when the loan is paid off.

Places for up to 2,000 buyers are split evenly between South East Queensland and regional Queensland. At the time of checking, round 2 was open with up to 500 more places and the South East Queensland appointments were all allocated; the Treasury page has the current position.

Closed or ended. The $15,000 grant rate ended for contracts from 20 November 2023, and the capped first-home vacant land duty concession (9 June 2024 to 30 April 2025) gave way to full relief; see the stamp duty page.

Federal schemes in Queensland

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme supports a new or existing home at or below the price cap for its location, and from October 2025 has unlimited places, no income cap and higher caps. Queensland's current price caps are published by Housing Australia, on its price caps page and in its postcode tool, and are confirmed with a participating lender.

Help to Buy is the federal shared equity scheme: a contribution of up to 30% of an existing home or 40% of a new home, with applications open from 5 December 2025, in states that have passed enabling legislation. Whether Queensland has passed that legislation, and the scheme's price and income caps there, are not stated here.

How they combine

Duty relief, the grant and a deposit or equity scheme are separate tests run by separate bodies: the revenue office, Treasury and a participating lender. Passing one says nothing about another. A smaller loan means a lower LVR, and with a deposit of 20% or more lenders generally do not charge LMI.

The tests that catch people out

• A spouse's history. The grant looks at the buyer and their spouse; the duty concession asks whether the buyer has ever held an interest in a residence anywhere in the world.
• Moving in late. The grant and the home and first-home duty concessions require moving in within 1 year; the first home vacant land concession allows 2 years from settlement to build and move in. Neither duty period can be extended.
• The contract date. The duty concessions turn on the signing date, not settlement, with changes at 9 June 2024, 1 May 2025 and 1 August 2026; so does the grant amount.
• Citizenship. From 1 August 2026 every duty home concession requires an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree.
• A non-eligible co-buyer. The duty concession is worked out per buyer; mixed claims go to the office's transfer duty calculator.
• What counts as new. The grant is for new homes; the duty concession covers a home not previously occupied or sold as a residence, or one substantially renovated.
• The caps. The grant's $750,000 cap includes the land; the new-home and vacant-land duty concessions have no cap; Boost to Buy stops at $1 million.