Queensland First Home Buyer Changes 2026: $30,000 Grant and New Residency Rule

Short summary

Queensland has made two separate first home buyer changes:

• The $30,000 First Home Owner Grant continues for eligible contracts from 1 July 2026. It applies to a new home valued at less than $750,000 including land.
• From 1 August 2026, home, first home and first home vacant-land duty concessions require each relevant buyer or beneficiary to be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree.

The grant and the duty concession are different programs. A buyer may satisfy one set of rules and not the other. Use the Queensland Stamp Duty Calculator for an indicative duty amount, then check the current Queensland Revenue Office rules before relying on any concession.

What changed from 1 July 2026

The Revenue (Cost of Living Relief Locked-in Law) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 changed the legislated First Home Owner Grant amount from $15,000 to $30,000. The grant amendment commenced on 1 July 2026.

Queensland Government guidance says the continued $30,000 amount applies to eligible contracts signed from 1 July 2026 onwards. The property must be a new home valued at less than $750,000 including land.

There is no Queensland First Home Owner Grant for an established home. An established-home buyer may still qualify for a first home duty concession, but that is a separate assessment.

What changes from 1 August 2026

The same Act adds a specified-resident test to several duty concessions from 1 August 2026.

A specified resident is:

• an Australian citizen,
• a permanent resident, or
• a specified foreign retiree under the Duties Act.

The condition applies to the home concession, the first home concession for an established home, the first home and new home concession, and the first home vacant-land concession. The Act also contains rules for mixed claims and trustee transactions.

This is not a new foreign purchaser surcharge rate. It is a condition on whether the relevant home concession is available.

Grant and duty relief are not interchangeable

The Property Purchase Cost Calculator can help build a general upfront-cost budget. Do not subtract $30,000 from the required cash without checking when the grant would be paid for the particular purchase or construction arrangement.

Worked examples

New home at $700,000

A first home buyer enters a contract for a qualifying new home valued at $700,000 including land after 1 July 2026.

The price is below the published $750,000 grant cap. The buyer may be able to receive the $30,000 grant and may also qualify for a duty concession, but only if all separate ownership, age, occupancy, residency, transaction and application conditions are met.

The result is not automatic. The calculator can estimate duty under the selected first home buyer setting, but it cannot confirm the grant or concession.

Established home at $700,000

There is no First Home Owner Grant for an established home. A qualifying first home buyer may still receive duty relief. For a transaction from 1 August 2026, the new specified-resident condition also needs to be satisfied.

This distinction is easy to miss when a search result refers broadly to a Queensland first home buyer payment.

What this means for the calculators

The grant does not change Queensland's ordinary transfer duty brackets, so it should not be added to or subtracted from the duty formula.

The Queensland Stamp Duty Calculator applies the selected first home buyer scenario as an estimate. It does not collect citizenship or permanent-residency details and cannot determine whether every party satisfies the new condition. Results remain conditional on QRO assessment.

Use the Deposit Savings Calculator to model a savings target without assuming the grant has already been received. The First Home Buyer Checklist covers the other contract, inspection, finance and settlement checks.

What to verify before signing

1. Whether the home is new or established for the grant rules.
2. The total value including land.
3. The contract date and the 1 July or 1 August commencement rule that applies.
4. Every applicant's prior ownership history.
5. Citizenship, permanent residency or other specified-resident status for the duty concession.
6. Occupancy, age and application timing requirements.
7. The lender's treatment and payment timing for the grant.

Sources

• Queensland Government: First Home Owner Grant, updated 30 June 2026 and checked 12 July 2026.
• Queensland Revenue Office: State Budget 2026, issued 23 June 2026 and checked 12 July 2026.
• Queensland legislation: Revenue (Cost of Living Relief Locked-in Law) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026, checked 12 July 2026.

General information disclaimer

This article is general information only. It is not a grant decision, duty assessment, legal advice, tax advice, credit advice or loan approval. Eligibility depends on the legislation, transaction, property and all applicants. Check the latest Queensland Government and QRO guidance and speak with a licensed professional before relying on an estimate.