First home buyer stamp duty in Queensland 2026: the full cost breakdown

TL;DR. As a Queensland first home buyer in 2026, you pay no stamp duty (transfer duty) on properties up to $700,000, and a sliding-scale concession up to $800,000. Above $800,000 you pay the full home concession rate. Plan for around $1,800–$2,200 in extra government and lender fees (transfer fee, mortgage registration, search fees) regardless of the property price.

The plain version

Stamp duty in Queensland is officially called transfer duty. It is collected by Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) and it is by far the largest single upfront cost most first home buyers face — unless you qualify for the First Home Concession, in which case it can be the easiest hurdle in the entire deal.

The 2026 concession threshold change (lifted to $700,000 full exemption / $800,000 phase-out, effective 1 May 2025 and still current at the time of writing) means a buyer purchasing their first place in Logan, Carindale or Mount Gravatt for $680,000 pays $0 in stamp duty. A buyer in Bulimba paying $1.1 million pays around $30,000.

Here is exactly how it works, with three worked examples and the other costs people forget about.

What is "transfer duty" — and when do you actually pay it?

Transfer duty is a state tax payable when ownership of a property changes hands. In Queensland it is paid by the buyer, calculated by your conveyancer or solicitor, and due at settlement — not at the contract signing date.

You can find the official rates and concession rules at qro.qld.gov.au. The figures below match the schedule current as of May 2026; always confirm with QRO or your conveyancer before settlement, because thresholds can move at state budget time.

The First Home Concession — the headline number

To qualify as a Queensland first home buyer, you need to tick all of these:

You have never owned a home anywhere in Australia or overseas (jointly or solely)
The property will be your principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months, starting within 1 year of settlement
You are at least 18 years old (or QRO has confirmed an exemption)
The dwelling already exists, OR you are buying vacant land to build on (different concession applies — see below)

If you tick all four, here is how the concession works in 2026:

Purchase price	Transfer duty payable (first home buyer)
Up to $700,000	$0 (full exemption)
$700,001 – $799,999	Sliding-scale concession — partial duty
$800,000 and above	Full home concession rate (no first home benefit)

The sliding scale between $700k and $800k is where most first home buyers in inner Brisbane now land, and the maths is not intuitive. At a $750,000 purchase, you pay roughly $10,675 in duty; at $780,000 you pay roughly $17,000. Crossing the $800,000 threshold to $805,000 jumps the bill to around $21,850 — a $5,000 price difference, but a $5,000 duty difference.

Negotiation tip. If you are bidding on a property in the $790k–$810k zone, even a small price reduction can swing the duty calc significantly. Worth highlighting to your buyers agent or solicitor before you offer.

Worked examples — three Brisbane price points

I have run these on the standard QRO calculator. Numbers are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Example A: $600,000 purchase in Logan, FHB

Cost item	Amount
Transfer duty (First Home Concession)	$0
Title transfer fee	~$2,000
Mortgage registration fee	~$200
Title search + adjustments	~$80
Total government / registration costs	~$2,280

You also pay your conveyancer (typically $1,200–$1,800 fixed fee), building & pest inspection ($600–$900), and lender fees if applicable.

Example B: $750,000 purchase in Carindale, FHB

Cost item	Amount
Transfer duty (FHB sliding-scale concession)	~$10,675
Title transfer fee	~$2,500
Mortgage registration fee	~$200
Total government / registration costs	~$13,375

Example C: $850,000 purchase in Bulimba, FHB

Above $800,000, the first home benefit disappears entirely — you pay the standard home concession rate, which still exists for any owner-occupier.

Cost item	Amount
Transfer duty (standard home concession, no FHB benefit)	~$22,750
Title transfer fee	~$2,800
Mortgage registration fee	~$200
Total government / registration costs	~$25,750

Note the $12,000+ jump in duty between Example B and Example C — almost entirely driven by stepping over $800k. This is the single biggest "cost cliff" Queensland first home buyers face right now.

Building, not buying? The Vacant Land Concession

If you are buying vacant land to build your first home on, a separate concession applies:

Vacant land price	Transfer duty (Vacant Land Concession)
Up to $350,000	$0 (full exemption)
$350,001 – $499,999	Sliding-scale concession
$500,000 and above	Standard rate

The land does need to be vacant at contract date and you do need to genuinely build and live in the home — QRO can claw back the concession if you on-sell within the first 12 months.

If you are working with a builder partner on a house-and-land package, this concession is normally claimed against the land contract only, with the build component being GST-managed separately. Your conveyancer will structure both contracts to maximise the benefit.

The costs people forget about

Stamp duty is the big number, but the full cost-to-keys for a Brisbane first home buyer in 2026 typically also includes:

Conveyancer / solicitor fees: $1,200–$1,800 fixed (most QLD conveyancers)
Building & pest inspection: $600–$900 (mandatory in our view, even if it is not contractually required)
Lender application / valuation fees: $0–$700 depending on the lender — many waive these for first home buyers right now
Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI): if your deposit is under 20%, this can range from $5,000 on a low-LVR loan to $30,000+ on a 95% loan. Worth running the LMI calculator before you decide on deposit size.
First Home Guarantee: if you qualify (income test applies — currently $125k single / $200k couple), the federal government can guarantee up to 15% of your purchase so you avoid LMI with as little as 5% deposit
Council rates adjustment at settlement: usually $300–$800
Insurance from settlement date: building insurance is non-negotiable

A realistic "buffer above your deposit" for a $700k Brisbane FHB purchase in 2026 is $5,000–$8,000 to cover everything that is not the deposit itself.

Quick comparison: FHB vs non-FHB at the same price

Purchase price	First home buyer duty	Standard owner-occupier duty	First home buyer saving
$600,000	$0	~$12,850	~$12,850
$700,000	$0	~$17,350	~$17,350
$750,000	~$10,675	~$19,600	~$8,925
$800,000	~$21,850*	~$21,850	~$0
$900,000	~$26,500	~$26,500	~$0

*At $800k and above, FHB benefit is exhausted but the standard home concession still applies.

The numbers in this table are based on the QLD rate schedule as at May 2026 — always reconfirm with the official QRO calculator before relying on them for your own purchase.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do I lose the First Home Concession if I rent the property out?

Yes, partially or fully. To keep the full concession, you must live in the property as your principal residence for at least 12 continuous months, starting within 1 year of settlement. If you move out earlier, QRO can claw back the duty saving on a pro-rata basis. There are limited exceptions for genuine hardship — talk to your conveyancer.

Q: Can my partner and I claim the concession if only one of us is a first home buyer?

QRO assesses the concession by the buying entity. If you and your partner are both on the contract and one of you has previously owned property, only the first home buyer's share of the duty gets the concession — your partner's share pays standard duty. In practice this halves the benefit.

Q: What about the First Home Owner Grant — is that separate?

Yes. The Queensland First Home Owner Grant ($30,000 as of mid-2025) is a one-off cash grant for buyers building or buying a brand-new home valued under a threshold. It is separate from the duty concession and you can usually receive both. Established homes (previously lived in) do not qualify for the grant. See the QLD Government grants page for current details.

Q: How is the duty calculated when I am buying off the plan?

For off-the-plan apartments, duty is generally assessed on the dutiable value at contract date (often the deposit value plus construction stage). Some developers structure contracts to delay assessment — this can be a legitimate saving but check the terms with an experienced conveyancer.

Q: Can I add stamp duty to my loan?

Most lenders will not lend specifically for stamp duty (it is not an asset). In practice, if you have a deposit of 15% saved and your purchase + costs require 22%, the lender will assess whether the total LVR works — often it means accepting LMI or finding a smaller property.

Q: I am moving to Queensland from interstate — does my previous home count?

Yes. The first home concession requires that you have never owned a residential property anywhere in Australia (or overseas). Owning interstate disqualifies you.

Q: When is duty actually paid?

Duty is calculated by your conveyancer once the contract is unconditional, and it is paid at settlement out of the cleared funds. Your conveyancer or solicitor handles the actual lodgement with QRO.

Working out your number

Every QLD purchase has slightly different mechanics — particularly when you cross the $700k/$800k thresholds, when you are buying off the plan, or when one partner has previously owned. The stamp duty calculator on our site gives you a fast directional figure across all states. For the full picture including the duty cliff, FHB grant eligibility and lender-side costs, book a free 20-minute chat and we will walk through your specific scenario.

Last reviewed: 30 May 2026.

Sources used in this article:

Queensland Revenue Office — Transfer duty rates and calculators
Queensland Government — Buying & owning a home
Housing Australia — Home Guarantee Scheme