First home owners grant QLD: can you get $30,000?

The grant is $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023. For owner-builders, the relevant date is when laying the foundations starts. The Queensland Government has continued the boosted amount beyond 30 June 2026; its current guidance does not give a replacement end date.

If you signed before 20 November 2023, or started laying the foundations before then as an owner-builder, QRO lists the earlier $15,000 grant. You'll still need to meet the application deadline, which I explain below.

You receive one grant per eligible home, rather than one payment for each buyer. There is no income cap for this grant, although a lender still needs to check your income and ability to repay the loan.

The total value must be under $750,000, including land and contract variations. A home valued at exactly $750,000 does not qualify. For a build, check the complete project value rather than the advertised building price on its own.

Say your house-and-land project starts at $740,000 and you add $15,000 in contract variations. In that hypothetical example, the total becomes $755,000 and the home is over the grant limit. I'd check the total before agreeing to upgrades, especially if you've already received the grant.

Check the Queensland Government's extension announcement and QRO's grant eligibility rules against your own contract.

We need to check your partner's history as well as your own. Even if you're buying in your name only, a spouse's previous property ownership or grant can affect whether you qualify.

• Applicants generally need to be individuals aged 18 or older. QRO has limited discretion for exceptional circumstances.
• At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
• You and your spouse must not have received a first home owner grant anywhere in Australia. If an earlier grant was repaid with any penalty, ask QRO whether you can apply again.
• Neither you nor your spouse can have owned residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000, whether you lived in it or not.
• Neither you nor your spouse can have owned and lived in an Australian residential property on or after 1 July 2000.
• The purchase must be for a home you will live in, with the required residence period explained below.

If you owned an investment property on or after 1 July 2000 but never lived in it, you may still qualify. QRO needs evidence covering the whole ownership period, such as leases, utility accounts and tax returns showing the rental property.

New Zealand citizens with a Special Category Visa and a current New Zealand passport are treated as permanent residents for this grant. That does not automatically establish eligibility for a loan or another government scheme.

Off-the-plan purchases, contracts to build and owner-builder projects have different document requirements. A house-and-land package with separate land and building contracts is usually assessed as a contract to build, rather than a single off-the-plan purchase.

QRO also has rules for relocated or manufactured homes and detached dwellings on a relative's land. Confirm the transaction and your legal right to occupy the land before committing to one of these options.

If your family is helping you buy, include that in the application. A gift doesn't automatically rule you out, but QRO may need more detail if the relative helping you will also stay in the home regularly.

Yes, the grant can help fund your purchase. Before you commit that money to a seller or builder, we need to confirm when it will be paid and how your lender will count it.

Your contract might require a deposit well before settlement. Your lender will also work out how much you need to contribute to the purchase overall. We need to allow for both amounts and when they're due.

When Olivia came to us, she was a 28-year-old nurse earning $90,000 a year. She'd saved $35,000 over 18 months and found a new townhouse in Brisbane for $720,000. She qualified for the $30,000 grant, which gave her $65,000 to put towards the purchase price.

Here's the comparison from her purchase. The loan amounts below exclude LMI and other buying costs; I've shown the LMI figures separately.

The grant reduced the amount Olivia needed to borrow towards the price by $30,000. In her case, lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) also fell from $18,000 to $9,000, a $9,000 saving. Those LMI figures relate to her loan at the time; they aren't a current quote for your purchase.

We helped with Olivia's grant application and home loan together. She was approved within 3 weeks and moved into her new home a month later. She could go ahead without waiting to save the extra $30,000. Your approval and settlement timing will depend on your application and contract.

Olivia's loan included LMI. For your purchase, I'd also check the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, which may let you buy with a 5% deposit without LMI. I've shown a separate example of combining it with the grant below.

Allow for buying costs, moving and money you'd like to keep in reserve. Our deposit calculator helps you compare deposit sizes. We can then check how the grant fits and how much cash the lender allows you to retain under the loan or scheme you choose.

The grant adds money to your purchase budget, but it doesn't show a lender that you've been saving regularly. That's what genuine savings requirements are about. We can check what evidence your lender needs and how it treats the grant or a family gift. Those rules vary between loans and schemes.

Applying through an approved bank or lending institution may get the grant paid earlier than applying directly to QRO. I'd check that option when arranging your loan, particularly if you need the money for settlement or the build.

Use these stages as a guide, then confirm the payment date with whoever is handling your application. QRO cautions against relying on the grant for a deposit with a fixed deadline.

For a purchase, apply within 1 year of taking possession of the new home and registering your title. For a build or owner-builder project, apply within 1 year of completion, such as when the final inspection certificate is issued. Your move-in date does not reset the application deadline.

Use QRO's current application page for the online application, paper form and approved-agent list. Include all owners as applicants and disclose a non-applicant spouse. Submit one application for the home.

When we arrange your home loan, we can help you complete the grant application, gather the supporting documents and confirm the payment timing with your lender. The approved lender or QRO processes the grant. Our home loan process guide explains how the loan application fits into your purchase.

Start with your ID. QRO asks for one document from each of these 4 categories, and you can't use the same document twice:

• Category 1: for example, an Australian birth certificate, current Australian passport or citizenship certificate. Visa holders can use a current passport or ImmiCard with their visa.
• Category 2: a current Australian driver licence, proof of age card, firearm licence or passport not already used for category 1.
• Category 3: for example, a valid Medicare card, debit or credit card, or car registration.
• Category 4: your most recent utility bill, bank statement or home insurance policy showing your current name and residential address.

Include evidence of any name or marital-status change, such as a marriage, divorce or change-of-name certificate. Check the QRO document checklist for the full list and any spouse documents you need.

Then gather the documents for the property you're buying or building:

• The signed purchase or building contract and any variations.
• Title registration or other evidence of your relevant interest in the property.
• Completion or inspection evidence where required.
• A vendor statement for a completed new home, or the additional GST and renovation evidence for a substantially renovated home.
• Evidence of previous property ownership that needs explanation.

If you're an owner-builder, you'll also need your construction cost records and supporting evidence. For a land-and-build project, check which land valuation documents QRO needs. The official supporting-document checklist has the requirements for each type of purchase.

If you're receiving financial help, each applicant needs a statutory declaration explaining the help received or expected, the amounts and their relationship with the person providing it. Include any written agreement. If a relative helping you will regularly stay in the home, explain the family reasons in the declaration too.

If your application is refused, read the reason given. Ask which evidence is needed if a document is missing. If QRO says you don't qualify, follow the review or objection instructions in its decision and get advice on the issue identified.

Yes, you may qualify for all 3 on the same purchase. The $30,000 grant contributes cash, a stamp duty concession reduces a buying cost, and the 5% Deposit Scheme lets eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit without LMI. Each has separate eligibility rules.

For eligible new-home contracts dated from 1 May 2025, Queensland's first home (new home) concession can reduce transfer duty to $0, without a value cap on the home and its residential land. Additional non-residential land and foreign-buyer duty need separate checks.

That means a new home above the $750,000 grant limit may still qualify for no stamp duty. The grant doesn't reduce the property's value for the eligibility test: a home valued at $750,000 or more misses out on the grant.

The duty concession has its own ownership and residence tests. Citizenship or residency restrictions also apply to transactions from 1 August 2026. Ask your conveyancer to check your entitlement, especially if you've owned property overseas or you're buying with someone whose history differs from yours.

Ordinary established homes follow different rules: eligible first home buyers pay no duty up to $700,000, with a reducing first-home concession above that price and below $800,000. The ordinary home concession may still apply at higher values. Our stamp duty guide and Queensland calculator explain the difference.

The 5% Deposit Scheme cap is $1 million in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and $700,000 elsewhere in Queensland. Outside those 3 areas, the scheme cap is lower than the $750,000 grant limit. Confirm the property's postcode with the lender; both the purchase price and its valuation must meet the scheme cap.

I've used 2 hypothetical Brisbane new-home purchases below. The buyers qualify for each benefit shown, valuations match the prices and the grant is available at settlement where shown. Each buyer contributes 5% from savings, so these figures are separate from Olivia's loan. They don't establish how much you can borrow.

At $850,000, you miss out on the grant but may still avoid stamp duty and LMI. The table excludes legal fees, inspections, registration fees and other buying costs. Your lender must confirm your required contribution, acceptable savings and any cash you can keep after settlement.

A $30,000 deposit is 5% of $600,000. On a $720,000 purchase, 5% is $36,000 before costs. I'd check your own contribution separately from the grant rather than assume the grant covers the scheme's minimum deposit.

The $30,000 grant is a cash payment. An LMI saving depends on what the lender would otherwise charge; it isn't another fixed $30,000 payment. Avoiding LMI that would have been added to the loan reduces debt, rather than automatically putting that amount into your bank account.

If everything you want costs more, we can still check the stamp duty concession and 5% Deposit Scheme. An ordinary established home won't qualify for the grant, but it may qualify for the scheme and a duty concession. The price and your eligibility decide which benefits apply.

I wouldn't choose a home just to get the $30,000. Send us the properties you're considering and we'll compare the money you need upfront and the repayments. The grant should help you buy a suitable home, rather than dictate which home you buy.

With Boost to Buy and Help to Buy, the government takes a share in your home. Help to Buy cannot be combined with the 5% Deposit Scheme. Queensland's Boost to Buy has limited places, so check current availability for your area before relying on it. Check other combinations and ongoing obligations before including shared equity in your budget.

The government's comparison of home-buyer assistance is a useful starting point. If you're building savings, our First Home Super Saver guide explains another option to consider before committing to a purchase.

Each applicant needs to move in within 1 year of the completed eligible transaction and live there continuously for at least 6 months as their main home. For purchases, completion involves possession and title registration. For builds, it involves the home being ready for occupation and the required completion evidence.

Keep evidence of when you moved in and lived there. If your circumstances change and you can't meet the residence requirements, you must tell QRO within 14 days of that change. You may have to repay the grant. Contact QRO as soon as you know there's a problem; it can consider exceptional circumstances.

There's a separate deadline if the grant was paid before the purchase or build was completed: tell QRO within 28 days if the completed value is $750,000 or more, including contract variations. Read QRO's payment and repayment obligations before agreeing to upgrades that could take you over the limit.

The rules for keeping stamp duty relief differ. For example, meeting the grant's 6-month residence requirement doesn't mean you can rent out the whole home without affecting a duty concession. Check QRO's comparison of the grant and concessions before selling, moving out or changing how the property is used.