First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Concession North Brisbane, QLD, The 2026 Guide
Stamp duty is one of the biggest upfront costs in a home purchase, and for first home buyers in North Brisbane it can also be one of the most misunderstood. Queensland's transfer duty concessions have changed significantly since May 2025, and the rules that apply to you depend on whether you're buying a new home, an established home, or vacant land to build on.
The short version: if you're buying a new home in North Brisbane as a first home buyer, you pay zero transfer duty regardless of price. For established homes, the full exemption cuts out at $700,000, with a partial concession running to $800,000. And from 1 August 2026, a new citizenship and residency condition applies to both.
Our team helps first home buyers across North Brisbane, QLD understand exactly what they qualify for before they sign a contract, comparing options across 60+ lenders. The first home loan structure and the duty concession work together, so understanding both before you commit matters.
Key takeaways
- New homes attract zero transfer duty for first home buyers at any price.
- Established homes are fully exempt up to $700,000, with a taper to $800,000.
- Australian citizenship or permanent residency is required from 1 August 2026.
Does Queensland still charge stamp duty on a first home buyer's purchase?
For a new home, Queensland charges no transfer duty at all. The full exemption on new builds has applied since 1 May 2025 and carries no price cap, so whether you're buying a new townhouse in Bowen Hills or a house-and-land package further out, the duty bill is zero. For an established home up to $700,000, the exemption is also full. It's only once you move above $700,000 that duty starts to phase in on a sliding scale, cutting out entirely above $800,000.
In North Brisbane, that distinction matters. Almost every established house in the approved suburb set sits above $1,000,000 on the current median. The concession is most relevant for units: most unit medians here sit under $1,000,000, and several sit under $700,000 where the full exemption applies outright.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office.
How does the Queensland transfer duty concession actually work for first home buyers?
Queensland's transfer duty concession reduces the duty otherwise payable on a residential purchase to zero, up to the threshold that applies to your property type. It is not a rebate paid after settlement. The duty is simply not charged when you apply correctly through the Queensland Revenue Office as part of your settlement paperwork.
Three separate concessions exist, and they do not overlap. You qualify for one of them depending on what you're buying.
The three pathways:
- › First home new home concession: full exemption on duty · no price cap · new homes only · applies from 1 May 2025
- › First home established home concession: full exemption to $700,000 · partial taper to $800,000 · nil above $800,000 · established homes only
- › First home vacant land concession: full exemption on duty · no price cap · must intend to build your first home · must move in within 2 years
The vacant land concession is worth flagging separately. It is not the established-home concession. There is no $700,000 threshold on vacant land; the full exemption applies regardless of the land price, as long as you genuinely intend to build your first home and occupy it within two years of settlement.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office.
We see first home buyers apply for the wrong concession more often than you'd expect. Buying a newly-constructed townhouse off the plan is a new home purchase; buying a three-year-old unit that was once someone else's home is established. The duty treatment is completely different and the distinction catches people at the contract stage, which is not the time to find out.
Tom Kelly · Director - Home & Car Loans, Kelly Brothers Finance · Chat to Tom →
What eligibility criteria apply to first home buyers claiming the concession?
The Queensland Revenue Office sets the eligibility conditions. You need to meet all of them, not just some, and your conveyancer will ask you to confirm them in the transfer duty return at settlement.
What the QRO verifies:
- › First home status: you must never have owned a home in Australia before. A share in an inherited property can affect this.
- › Occupation: you must move into the home as your principal place of residence within one year of settlement and live there for at least one continuous year.
- › Citizenship or residency (from 1 August 2026): at least one buyer on the title must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or a specified foreign retiree at the date the contract is signed. Temporary visa holders do not qualify for contracts entered into on or after 1 August 2026.
- › Property use: the concession is for a home, not an investment. Buying the property to rent out, even temporarily, can void the concession and trigger a duty assessment.
- › Joint buyers: every person on the title must be a first home buyer to claim the full concession. If one buyer has previously owned, only a partial concession may be available.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office.
How much does transfer duty cost a first home buyer in North Brisbane, QLD?
For first home buyers where the concession applies in full, the duty cost is zero. The question becomes relevant at two points: where your purchase sits above the thresholds, and where you're comparing the duty cost of buying new versus established.
How the thresholds play out in practice:
- › New home, any price:$0 duty · full exemption regardless of purchase price · applies from 1 May 2025
- › Established home under $700,000:$0 duty · full exemption · Bowen Hills units at around $685,000 sit at or just under this threshold
- › Established home $700,001 to $800,000: partial concession · sliding scale · always use the QRO calculator for your exact figure
- › Established home above $800,000: no concession · full duty applies · nearly every house median in North Brisbane sits above this threshold
CoreLogic data shows that most established house medians in North Brisbane run well above $1,000,000. Bowen Hills is the one outlier in the approved suburb set, with a median house price of $753,000, which sits above the full exemption threshold but within the partial concession range. Unit medians across the area are more relevant for first home buyers: Windsor sits at $760,000, Newmarket at $740,000, and Stafford at $760,000, all of which sit within reach of the thresholds depending on your specific purchase price.
Source: CoreLogic (via YIP, mid-2026) and Queensland Revenue Office.
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What government schemes can first home buyers stack alongside the duty concession?
The duty concession sits alongside the other first home buyer support available in Queensland. They are separate entitlements and most first home buyers qualify for more than one at the same time.
What's currently available in North Brisbane:
- › First Home Owner Grant:$30,000 for new homes under $750,000. Not means-tested. Does not apply to established homes.
- › First Home Guarantee: buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI. No income test applies. The price cap for North Brisbane is $1,000,000, which covers most unit purchases in the area.
- › Family Home Guarantee: for eligible single parents, 2% deposit with no LMI. First home buyer status is not required. The same $1,000,000 cap applies.
- › Help to Buy: the federal shared equity scheme currently open to North Brisbane buyers. The government contributes up to 40% equity on a new home or 30% on an established one. Income caps of $103,000 for singles and $165,000 for joint applicants apply. The Boost to Buy state scheme is not currently available in South East Queensland.
A new home purchase under $750,000 is where the schemes converge most powerfully: zero duty, the $30,000 FHOG, and a 5% deposit with no LMI all apply at once. On a $700,000 new build, that combination removes tens of thousands in upfront costs that would otherwise sit between you and settlement.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office and Housing Australia.
When does the stamp duty concession not make sense for first home buyers?
The concession is not always the deciding factor it looks like at first glance. For buyers looking at established houses in North Brisbane, the full exemption threshold of $700,000 is well below most house medians in the area. If the property you want is above $800,000 and established, there is no concession and the duty cost is real, which changes your upfront budget calculation materially.
Buying with a partner who has previously owned a home in Australia is the other situation worth understanding carefully. Where one buyer has prior ownership, the full concession may not apply, and the QRO calculator will give you the partial figure based on the ownership split. It's worth confirming this before the contract is signed, not after, because the duty is assessed at the contract date.
How do mortgage brokers help first home buyers in North Brisbane, QLD claim what they're entitled to?
The lender you choose and the concession you claim are connected in ways that are not always obvious. A lender that accepts the First Home Guarantee means your deposit requirement drops to 5%. A lender that also accepts the FHOG as a genuine savings contribution changes how your deposit is assembled. A lender that does not accept either means you're providing a larger deposit from your own funds and potentially missing the concession timing window.
Three policy differences determine the outcome for first home buyers here, and they sit across lenders, not across brokers.
- › FHOG timing: some lenders release the grant at settlement, others require the slab to be laid before funds are drawn. On a new build, that timing affects your cash flow in the early draw stages.
- › Genuine savings rules: lenders assess your deposit differently. Where the FHOG and gifted funds make up part of the deposit, some lenders require a minimum period of genuine savings on top. Others accept the full deposit combination without that condition.
- › First Home Guarantee panel access: not every lender participates in the scheme. Comparing across a panel that includes the participating lenders is what gives you access to the 5% deposit pathway rather than defaulting to a lender that doesn't offer it.
Comparing across lenders that fit your full situation, including scheme eligibility and the duty concession, is where the outcome is usually decided.
Where a first home buyer is combining the FHOG, the 5% Deposit Scheme and a duty exemption, we'd always look at the lender's genuine savings requirements and their FHOG draw process before we'd look at the rate. Getting those three pieces wrong costs more than a slightly higher rate ever could.
Tom Kelly · Director - Home & Car Loans, Kelly Brothers Finance · Chat to Tom →
What goes wrong when first home buyers apply for the stamp duty concession?
Where buyers lose ground:
- › Claiming the wrong concession type: applying for the established home concession on a newly constructed property, or assuming a recently built unit sold for the first time qualifies as new when it does not, leads to an incorrect duty assessment at settlement.
- › Not meeting the occupation requirement: the concession requires you to move in within one year and live there for at least twelve continuous months. Buyers who rent the property out before moving in, even briefly, risk having the concession clawed back.
- › Contracts signed after 1 August 2026 without checking residency status: the new citizenship and permanent residency condition applies to contracts entered into on or after that date. Buyers on temporary visas who sign after 1 August 2026 will not qualify, regardless of their circumstances before that date.
- › Joint buyers with mixed ownership histories: where one buyer has previously owned, the full first home concession does not apply automatically. The duty is assessed on the proportion of the property owned by the eligible first home buyer, not the full purchase price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Queensland's first home buyer stamp duty exemption apply to units as well as houses?
Yes, the concession applies to any eligible residential property, including units, townhouses and apartments. Whether you qualify depends on whether the property is new or established, not on its type.
Can I claim the stamp duty concession if I've owned land but never owned a home?
No. The Queensland first home concession applies only where you've never previously owned a residential property or vacant residential land in Australia. Prior ownership of any kind disqualifies you from the full concession.
Does the $30,000 FHOG and the stamp duty exemption apply to the same purchase?
Yes, where the property qualifies for both. A new home under $750,000 can attract both the FHOG and the duty exemption at the same time. The two entitlements are assessed separately by the QRO.
What happens to my duty concession if I move out within the first year?
The concession can be clawed back. You must occupy the home as your principal place of residence within one year of settlement and live there for at least twelve continuous months. Moving out before that period ends triggers a reassessment of the duty.
Is there a stamp duty concession for first home buyers purchasing in North Brisbane on a temporary visa?
Not for contracts signed on or after 1 August 2026. From that date, at least one buyer on the title must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to qualify. The Queensland Revenue Office calculator reflects this condition.
Is it better to use a mortgage broker or go direct to a lender for a first home purchase?
A mortgage broker, every time. A first home purchase involves the duty concession, the FHOG, the First Home Guarantee and the lender's own genuine savings and grant-timing policies all working together. A broker compares across the lenders that fit all of those conditions, not just one.
Your Next Steps
Getting the stamp duty concession right as a first home buyer means confirming your concession type before the contract is signed, not after. In North Brisbane, where most house stock sits above the established-home thresholds and the unit market is where the concession applies most often, understanding how your purchase price, property type and deposit interact before you commit is what makes the difference.
The right lender for your situation depends on more than the rate. Contact the Kelly Brothers Finance team or call 07 3847 9450. We'll work through your full position across our 60+ lender panel and make sure you're set up to claim what you're entitled to.
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External Resources
Kelly Brothers Finance · North Brisbane, QLD · Kelly Brothers Brokerage Pty Ltd (ACN 662 331 320), authorised under Australian Credit Licence 517192 · General information only - this article does not constitute financial advice. Please consider your own circumstances and seek professional advice before making any financial decisions.
