What grants are available for first home buyers in QLD?
First home buyer grants in QLD, explained for 2026. See what you can claim, who qualifies and how to stack your savings. Read the guide.
If you're buying your first home in Queensland, there are four main forms of government help worth knowing about: the QLD First Home Owner Grant, the federal First Home Guarantee, stamp duty concessions, and the state's Boost to Buy shared equity scheme. Used together, the ones you qualify for can take a serious bite out of your upfront costs. The rules and amounts do change, so here's what's on offer, who qualifies, and how the pieces fit together.
QLD First Home Owner Grant: how much you can get
The Queensland First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is a one-off cash payment from the state government to help eligible first home buyers into a brand-new home. At the time of writing, it's worth $15,000 for an eligible new home valued under $750,000 including land. The grant was temporarily lifted to $30,000 for contracts signed (or, for owner-builders, foundations laid) up to 30 June 2026. For contracts from 1 July 2026, it's back to $15,000.
Worth knowing: the $750,000 cap counts the land plus the build, not just the house. On parts of the Sunshine Coast, new house-and-land packages can sit just above it, so how the contract is structured really matters. Talk to a broker early so a few thousand dollars in value doesn't cost you the grant.
To qualify, the basics are straightforward. You need to be 18 or over, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and you (and your partner) must not have owned a home in Australia before. The property has to be new (not previously lived in) and valued under $750,000 including land. You also need to move in within 12 months of completion and live there for at least six months. Helpfully, the grant isn't means-tested, so your income doesn't affect eligibility.
One point that trips people up: the FHOG is for new homes only. An existing house you buy from a previous owner doesn't qualify for this grant, though other help may apply.
The First Home Guarantee: buy with a 5% deposit, skip LMI
The First Home Guarantee is a federal scheme (run by Housing Australia) that lets eligible first home buyers purchase with as little as a 5% deposit while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance. The government guarantees part of your loan to the lender, which is what removes the LMI. It isn't a cash payment, and you still borrow the rest, but skipping LMI can save many thousands up front.
The scheme became far more accessible from 1 October 2025. The old income caps ($125,000 for singles, $200,000 for couples) and the annual limit on places have been removed, and the property price caps were lifted to match current prices. In Queensland the cap is now $1,000,000 across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and $700,000 for the rest of the state. That brings a lot more Sunshine Coast buyers into range. You still need to pass your lender's serviceability assessment, and you apply through a participating lender or a broker, not directly to Housing Australia.
There are two related schemes worth a mention: the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (also a 5% deposit, for buyers who've lived in their region) and the Family Home Guarantee (a 2% deposit option for eligible single parents and guardians, who don't have to be first home buyers).
Stamp duty: often the biggest saving of all
Stamp duty (transfer duty) is usually one of the largest upfront costs of buying, so the Queensland concessions for first home buyers are a big deal. Since 1 May 2025, eligible first home buyers buying a new home or vacant land to build their first home on can pay no transfer duty, with no price cap. For eligible established homes, the first home concession reduces or removes the duty up to set thresholds (a full concession applies up to around $710,000, then tapers out by $800,000).
In plain terms: on a new build, the stamp duty saving alone can run well into five figures, and it sits on top of the $15,000 First Home Owner Grant. We'll help you work out which concession applies to your purchase so the saving is real, not assumed.
Boost to Buy: a 2% deposit with a hand up on equity
Boost to Buy is a Queensland Government shared equity scheme. You buy with a deposit of just 2%, and the government chips in an equity share towards the purchase, up to 30% for a new home or 25% for an existing one, on properties valued up to $1,000,000. Because the government is covering part of the price, your loan is smaller and you can avoid LMI.
There's a trade-off worth understanding. The government owns a share of your home while you're in the scheme, and you settle that share later (when you sell, or by buying it back over time). Places are limited, released in rounds, with half set aside for regional Queensland, and applications run through the approved lender rather than the full broker panel. It isn't the right fit for everyone, but for the right buyer it can close the deposit gap. We'll talk you through whether it suits you and how it sits next to the other help.
Can you use more than one? Stacking the help
Yes, and this is where it gets interesting. These programs are separate, with separate rules, and being eligible for one generally doesn't rule out the others. A first home buyer building a new home under $750,000 could, in the right circumstances, combine the $15,000 First Home Owner Grant, a stamp duty exemption, and the First Home Guarantee's 5% deposit and LMI saving.
Stacked together, that's still tens of thousands of dollars of help and a far smaller deposit than most people assume they need. Boost to Buy is a different deposit pathway again (you'd usually pick it instead of the First Home Guarantee, not alongside it), so the trick is matching the right combination to your situation. That's the part a broker handles for you.
How to check what you qualify for
The honest answer to 'how much is the first home buyers grant in QLD and will I get it' is: it depends on your situation, the property and the timing. Eligibility rules are specific, and the official sources are the Queensland Revenue Office (for the grant and stamp duty), Housing Australia (for the guarantee schemes), and Queensland Treasury (for Boost to Buy).
As Sunshine Coast brokers who do this every week, we'll check your eligibility for each program, confirm the current figures, and structure your application to make the most of what you qualify for. We can't promise an outcome, but we can give you a clear, honest picture before you commit to anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the first home buyers grant in QLD?
As at the time of writing, the Queensland First Home Owner Grant is $15,000 for an eligible new home valued under $750,000. The amount was temporarily lifted to $30,000 for contracts signed up to 30 June 2026, and from 1 July 2026 it's back to $15,000. The grant is a one-off payment and isn't means-tested. Because amounts and dates are reviewed, confirm the current figure with the Queensland Revenue Office or your broker before relying on it.
Do I qualify for the QLD First Home Owner Grant?
Generally you need to be 18 or over, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and you (and your partner) must not have owned a home in Australia before. The property must be new, under $750,000 including land, and you must live in it within 12 months and stay at least six months. It isn't means-tested. Your exact eligibility depends on the contract and property, so it's worth confirming before you make an offer.
Is the $30,000 first home owner grant still available?
No. The boosted $30,000 amount applied to eligible contracts signed (or owner-builder foundations laid) up to 30 June 2026. From 1 July 2026, the grant is back to $15,000 for eligible new homes. The good news is the other help, the stamp duty exemption on new homes, the First Home Guarantee and Boost to Buy, is separate and still available.
Is the First Home Owner Grant the same as the First Home Guarantee?
No, they're two different things. The First Home Owner Grant is a $15,000 cash payment from the Queensland Government for eligible new homes. The First Home Guarantee is a federal scheme that lets you buy with a 5% deposit and skip Lenders Mortgage Insurance. They have separate rules and, in many cases, can be used together for the same purchase.
Can I get a grant for an existing home, or only a new build?
The Queensland First Home Owner Grant is for new homes only, so an established home bought from a previous owner doesn't qualify for that grant. The good news is that the First Home Guarantee, Boost to Buy and the established-home stamp duty concession can still apply to existing properties for eligible buyers, so there's usually help available either way.
Do these grants count towards my deposit?
Often, yes. Under most lender policies, the First Home Owner Grant can be counted towards your deposit or used for upfront costs like legal fees, though many lenders still want to see some genuine savings of your own, and the grant is usually paid at settlement rather than upfront. How it's treated depends on the lender, which is one more reason it helps to have a broker line up the right one for your situation.