First Home Owner Grant North Brisbane, QLD, The 2026 Guide
Queensland's First Home Owner Grant is one of the most straightforward boosts available to first home buyers, but the conditions that determine whether you actually receive $30,000 are easy to get wrong. The grant applies only to new homes, it carries a price cap, and in North Brisbane, QLD the property market means most of the grant-eligible stock sits in the unit market rather than the house market.
Whether you're buying a newly built house, a brand-new apartment, or signing a contract to build from the ground up, the rules differ enough that it's worth understanding exactly where you stand before you make an offer. First home buyers across suburbs like Bowen Hills, Stafford and Kelvin Grove are finding that pairing the grant with the right federal scheme can add up to a meaningful difference on settlement day.
Our team helps first home buyers across North Brisbane, QLD work through which grants and schemes apply to their situation and which lenders are worth approaching, comparing across 60+ lenders. The first home loan structure you choose matters as much as the grant you receive.
Key takeaways
- Queensland's FHOG is $30,000 for new homes under $750,000.
- Established homes don't qualify; a transfer duty concession applies instead.
- The $1,000,000 FHBG price cap means most grant-eligible stock here is units.
What is the First Home Owner Grant in Queensland?
The Queensland First Home Owner Grant is a $30,000 payment from the state government for eligible first home buyers who purchase or build a new home. It's not means-tested, so your income doesn't affect whether you receive it. What determines eligibility is the property type, the purchase price, and whether you've owned a home in Australia before.
The grant applies to new homes only. A new home is one that hasn't been previously occupied or sold as a place of residence. That includes a newly built house, a new apartment sold off the plan, or a home you contract to build on land you purchase. An established home, no matter how recently it was renovated, does not qualify.
The price cap sits at $750,000, including land and any contract variations. Queensland Revenue Office data shows the $30,000 level has been in place for eligible contracts from November 2023, with no published end date.
Source: Queensland Revenue Office.
Who qualifies for the FHOG in North Brisbane, QLD?
First home buyers in North Brisbane qualify where they meet the Queensland Revenue Office's eligibility conditions. The key ones are that you must be buying or building a new home under $750,000, you must not have previously owned residential property in Australia, and you must move in within 12 months of settlement or construction completion.
From 1 August 2026, the concessions are limited to Australian citizens and permanent residents, and specified foreign retirees. Temporary residents are not eligible. Every applicant on the title must meet the first-home-buyer test, so if one person on the contract has owned before, the grant does not apply.
Owner-builders are eligible, but the relevant date is when foundations are laid, not the contract date. That distinction matters for timing the application.
The most common eligibility mistake we see is buyers who've owned property overseas and assume that doesn't count. It doesn't count for stamp duty purposes in most situations, but the FHOG test asks whether you've owned residential property anywhere in Australia — and those are two different questions with different answers.
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What government schemes can first home buyers stack with the FHOG?
The FHOG is a grant, not a scheme, and it can be combined with most federal support programs. Four are relevant to North Brisbane buyers right now.
The main options worth understanding:
- › First Home Guarantee (5% Deposit Scheme): 5% deposit, no LMI, no income cap. The North Brisbane price cap is $1,000,000. Works alongside the FHOG for new home purchases under $750,000.
- › Family Home Guarantee: single parents only, 2% deposit, no LMI. Doesn't require first home buyer status. Price cap $1,000,000. Compatible with the FHOG on eligible new homes.
- › Help to Buy: the federal shared-equity scheme currently open to North Brisbane buyers, with the state Boost to Buy exhausted in South East Queensland. Income cap $103,000 single, $165,000 joint. Price cap $1,000,000. Check whether FHOG eligibility overlaps with your Help to Buy purchase type before applying.
- › Queensland transfer duty concession (new homes): from 1 May 2025, eligible first home buyers pay zero transfer duty on a new home at any price. On an established home up to $700,000, duty is also nil. Both apply separately from the FHOG.
Boost to Buy, Queensland's own shared-equity scheme, is not currently available to North Brisbane buyers. The South East Queensland allocation is exhausted; regional Queensland places remain open.
Source: Housing Australia and Queensland Revenue Office.
What does the FHOG mean for first home buyers' deposits in North Brisbane?
Understanding what the grant actually does to your deposit position is the most practically useful part of this conversation. The $30,000 goes toward your deposit, your purchase costs, or both, depending on how your lender allows you to apply it.
CoreLogic data shows that on North Brisbane's current house medians, only Bowen Hills at $753,000 sits under the $1,000,000 First Home Guarantee cap. Every other approved suburb's house median is above it, which means the FHOG-eligible new home market in this area is overwhelmingly new apartments and units, not houses. Unit medians across the area range from around $685,000 in Bowen Hills to $801,000 in Kelvin Grove and $760,000 in Stafford, all under both the $750,000 FHOG price cap test for houses and the $1,000,000 federal scheme cap.
Where a buyer is purchasing a new apartment at, say, $650,000 with a 5% deposit under the First Home Guarantee, the $30,000 grant effectively reduces the cash they need to bring to settlement. It doesn't change the deposit percentage the lender requires, but it reduces the gap between what you've saved and what the contract needs.
Source: CoreLogic (via YIP, mid-2026).
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When does the FHOG not make sense for first home buyers?
The grant only applies to new homes, and new homes in North Brisbane carry a price premium over comparable established properties. A new apartment built and sold by a developer typically includes the builder's margin and, in some cases, a price that has been inflated to factor in buyer incentives. If the new property is priced materially above an equivalent resale property, the $30,000 grant may not offset the difference.
Buyers who find that all new homes in their target suburb sit above $750,000 are not eligible for the grant on those properties, regardless of how new the build is. In that situation, an established home under $700,000 may attract zero transfer duty and still be a stronger purchase overall. The grant is a useful boost, not a reason to stretch to a property that doesn't otherwise stack up.
If you're buying with a partner who has previously owned residential property in Australia, neither of you qualifies. That's worth confirming early, because the grant application and the buyer's ownership history are checked against title records.
How do mortgage brokers help first home buyers access the FHOG in North Brisbane, QLD?
The lender you choose determines how the grant interacts with your deposit. Not every lender accepts the $30,000 as part of your genuine savings, and some require that your savings component still meet a minimum threshold independently of the grant. Three policy differences move the outcome for first home buyers here, and they're not published side by side anywhere.
- › Grant timing and lender drawdown: the FHOG is paid at settlement or first drawdown on a construction loan, not when you sign. Some lenders require your full deposit to be available before settlement regardless of the grant, others allow you to factor it in. Which policy applies changes your cash-at-settlement requirement.
- › Genuine savings requirements: where a lender applies a genuine savings test, the grant does not count toward that component. A buyer with $35,000 saved and a $30,000 grant expected is assessed differently to a buyer with $65,000 saved, even if the total looks the same.
- › Scheme stacking across the panel: whether a lender participates in the First Home Guarantee or the Family Home Guarantee alongside your grant application affects which products are available to you. Not every lender participates in both.
Comparing across the panel before applying means you know which lender's policy suits your actual position, not the average one.
Where a buyer has the grant confirmed but not yet a lender, we'd usually get the lender sorted first and the grant paperwork moving at the same time, rather than sequentially. The timing between the two creates the most stress when it's left to the last few weeks before settlement, and it doesn't need to be.
Tom Kelly · Director - Home & Car Loans, Kelly Brothers Finance · Chat to Tom →
How to claim the Queensland FHOG in North Brisbane, QLD, step by step
Step 1: Talk to us
We start by confirming whether you and the property you're considering actually meet the Queensland Revenue Office's eligibility criteria before you go further.
Step 2: Confirm your deposit position and lender options
We assess how the grant, your savings and any federal scheme interact with the lenders on our panel, so you know your real cash-at-settlement figure before signing anything.
Step 3: Apply through your lender and lodge the FHOG
Most buyers apply for the FHOG through their lender at the same time as the home loan application. We co-ordinate both so the timing aligns with your settlement or first construction drawdown.
Step 4: Settlement and grant payment
The grant is paid at settlement for a completed new home, or at the first drawdown for a construction contract. We stay across both timelines to make sure nothing is held up.
What goes wrong when first home buyers claim the FHOG?
Where buyers lose ground:
- › Buying an established home expecting the grant: the FHOG does not apply to established homes, no matter how new the kitchen is. Buyers who sign a contract before confirming this sometimes find out at the lender's document stage, which is the worst possible time.
- › Exceeding the $750,000 cap: the cap is inclusive of land, contract variations and any items forming part of the contract price. A $730,000 home with $25,000 of inclusions built into the contract sits above the threshold and the grant does not apply.
- › Co-buyer ownership history not checked: if one buyer on the title has owned residential property in Australia before, neither buyer qualifies. Checking this before signing a contract takes minutes; finding out after costs significantly more.
- › Not moving in within 12 months: the grant requires occupation within 12 months of settlement or practical completion. Renting the property out first, even briefly, can trigger a recovery of the grant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Queensland FHOG $15,000 or $30,000?
It's currently $30,000 for eligible contracts, with no published end date. The base grant is $15,000, but the boosted $30,000 level has been in place since November 2023 and Queensland's own guidance says it continues for eligible contracts going forward.
Can first home buyers use the FHOG and the First Home Guarantee together?
Yes, the two can be combined on an eligible new home purchase under $750,000. The First Home Guarantee allows a 5% deposit with no LMI; the $30,000 grant contributes to that deposit, subject to how your lender treats it.
Does the FHOG apply to apartments and units in North Brisbane?
Yes, provided the apartment is new and the total purchase price including any inclusions is under $750,000. New apartments in suburbs like Bowen Hills, Stafford and Kelvin Grove are the most common eligible purchase type in the area given current house medians.
Is Boost to Buy available to first home buyers in North Brisbane?
Not currently. Boost to Buy is Queensland's shared-equity scheme, but the South East Queensland allocation is exhausted. Help to Buy, the federal shared-equity scheme, is the live pathway for eligible North Brisbane buyers, with income caps of $103,000 single and $165,000 joint.
Do I apply for the FHOG before or after I sign a contract?
You apply after signing the contract, typically through your lender at the same time as your home loan. The grant is paid at settlement, not at exchange, so the contract date is the starting point for the application.
Should first home buyers use a mortgage broker or go to their bank?
A mortgage broker, every time. Not every lender participates in the federal guarantee schemes, and how lenders treat the grant in their deposit calculations varies. Comparing across 60+ lenders means you find the one whose policy suits your actual position, not just the one you already bank with.
Your Next Steps
Getting the Queensland First Home Owner Grant right as a first home buyer means confirming eligibility before you sign, understanding how the grant interacts with your chosen scheme, and working with a lender whose deposit policies suit how your funds are structured. In North Brisbane, QLD the market means most buyers chasing the grant are looking at new apartments, and the scheme-stacking available here can make a genuine difference to what you actually need on settlement day.
Ready to find out which lenders will work best for your first home purchase? Contact the Kelly Brothers Finance team or call 07 3847 9450. We'll canvas our 60+ lender panel and find the most suitable options for your circumstances.
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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.
