By Chaice Paterson, CEO & Founder, Low Deposit Homes | Updated June 2026

Queensland is the most generous state in Australia for first home buyers in 2026 — by a meaningful margin. Between the $30,000 First Home Owner Grant (which drops to $15,000 after 30 June 2026), the stamp duty exemption on new builds, the Federal 5% Deposit Scheme with no LMI, Help to Buy, and Queensland’s exclusive Boost to Buy program, a QLD first home buyer in 2026 can purchase a $1,000,000 new build with around $54,500 cash on hand. At Low Deposit Homes we’ve structured 1000+ families into their first home using exactly this stack — and most clients are genuinely shocked by how far the grants go when applied correctly.

This guide breaks down every Queensland grant available in 2026, the exact eligibility rules, and how the grants stack for maximum benefit.

What Grants Are Available to Queensland First Home Buyers in 2026?

Queensland first home buyers have access to six programs:

1. First Home Owner Grant (FHOG QLD) — $30,000 cash grant for new builds under $750,000 (deadline 30 June 2026, then reverts to $15,000)
2. Stamp duty exemption — Zero stamp duty on new build first home purchases (most cases)
3. Federal 5% Deposit Scheme — 5% deposit, no LMI, no income caps, no place caps
4. Federal Help to Buy — 2% deposit, government takes up to 40% equity on new builds
5. Queensland Boost to Buy — QLD-exclusive shared equity, up to 30% government contribution on new builds, up to $1M
6. First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) — Withdraw up to $50K individual / $100K couple from voluntary super contributions

Each grant has its own rules. The right combination depends on income, savings, and target price point.

How Much Is the QLD First Home Owner Grant in 2026?

The Queensland FHOG in 2026 is $30,000 for new builds with a contract price under $750,000 — but only if your contract is signed before 30 June 2026. After that date, the grant reverts to $15,000.

For the official source, see the Queensland Revenue Office FHOG page.

This deadline matters mostly for smaller-design packages and specific Logan/Toowoomba stages where contracts can still come in under $750K. A client signing a contract on 29 June 2026 walks away with $30K. The same client signing on 1 July 2026 walks away with $15K. Worth understanding even if most LDH QLD packages now sit above the FHOG cap — the 5% Deposit Scheme and stamp duty exemption remain the foundation of the structure regardless.

“The $30K grant disappearing on 30 June isn’t a marketing trick. After that date the grant halves. The savings are real and worth understanding before timing your purchase.” — Chaice Paterson, founder of Low Deposit Homes

How Does the QLD Stamp Duty Exemption Work?

Queensland first home buyers purchasing a new build typically pay zero stamp duty. On a $1,000,000 property, that’s a saving of approximately $38,000.

The exemption applies to:

• New builds (off-the-plan or house and land packages)
• Properties up to certain value thresholds (changes periodically — confirm with conveyancer)
• Genuine first home buyers intending to live in the property

For full criteria and current thresholds, see the Queensland Revenue Office home concession page.

This is one of the biggest reasons new builds beat established homes for first home buyers. On the same $1M property, an established home buyer pays $15K+ in stamp duty. A new build buyer pays $0.

What Is the 5% Deposit Scheme and How Does It Apply in QLD?

The 5% Deposit Scheme is the Federal program letting first home buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and zero LMI. Queensland caps:

• Brisbane and major regional centres: $1,000,000
• Other QLD regional: $700,000

There are no income caps and no place caps in 2026.

For most Queensland first home buyers, the 5% scheme is the foundation of the structure. It eliminates $30,000–$45,000 in LMI and unlocks the path to a brand-new home with the deposit most people thought was impossible.

What About Help to Buy in Queensland?

Help to Buy is the Federal shared equity scheme. The government takes up to 40% ownership of your new build (or 30% on an established home), so your loan size drops to 58–70% of the property value. Deposit can be as low as 2%, and weekly mortgage repayments on a $1M property can drop to around $750–$800/week.

Help to Buy requires:

• Household income under $160,000 (couples) or $100,000 (singles)
• Australian citizenship (not permanent residency — this excludes some buyers who qualify for the 5% scheme)
• Intention to live in the property
• You cannot rent it out at all

Help to Buy and the 5% Deposit Scheme cannot be stacked. You pick one. We assess which is right for your situation on the discovery call.

What Is Queensland’s Boost to Buy?

Boost to Buy is Queensland’s state-level shared equity scheme — exclusive to QLD, separate from the Federal Help to Buy. Under Boost to Buy:

• Government contributes up to 30% on a new home (25% on an existing home)
• Minimum 2% deposit
• Property up to $1 million
• For first home buyers who can’t comfortably service a full loan

Boost to Buy is meaningful because it stacks differently to Help to Buy on income limits and can suit buyers who don’t fit the Federal Help to Buy income caps. It’s a Queensland-only option — Victorian buyers don’t have an equivalent state scheme.

How Do These Grants Stack? A Real Queensland Example

Here’s the full stack on a $1,000,000 new build in metro Queensland for a couple under the 5% Deposit Scheme:

The $30K FHOG cap is $750,000, but the reality of the SE Queensland market in 2026 is that most new build packages — including Beaudesert ($850K+), Ipswich ($850K+), Logan, and Greater Brisbane — sit above this threshold. The FHOG primarily applies to smaller designs or specific Logan/Toowoomba stages under the cap. For most LDH clients, the $30K FHOG isn’t the centrepiece of the structure.

What About the First Home Super Saver Scheme?

The FHSSS lets you withdraw up to $50,000 individual / $100,000 couple from voluntary super contributions to use as part of your deposit. It’s not free money — it’s your own super — but the tax treatment makes it worth using if you’ve been making voluntary contributions.

A recent client unlocked $1,960 from voluntary contributions through FHSSS. Small in absolute terms, but it tipped them across the genuine savings line with their lender. Worth checking your super statement.

For full details: ATO First Home Super Saver Scheme page.

Common Eligibility Traps

Across hundreds of discovery calls, the same traps come up:

• Partner who’s owned before. If your partner owned property in Australia in the last 10 years, the FHOG and stamp duty exemption don’t apply to a joint purchase. Sometimes a solo application works.
• Mismatch between income and grant. If your combined household income is $165K, you exceed the Help to Buy cap. The 5% Deposit Scheme has no income cap — that’s typically the right path instead.
• Over the price cap. $1,005,000 contract price disqualifies you from the 5% Deposit Scheme. We deliberately structure packages between $975K–$995K to land cleanly inside the cap.
• HECS debt impact. Some lenders treat HECS at 3% (the stress test rate), some at 1% (the actual repayment rate). Wrong lender = $50K–$80K less borrowing capacity. Lender choice matters enormously.

Real Client Story: A Queensland First Home Buyer Family — January 2025

We worked with a Queensland first home buyer family in January 2025 — combined income around $150,000, two children, modest deposit savings — looking at new build house and land packages in the Ipswich corridor. At that point in the market, panel builders were still releasing house and land combinations in the $720,000-$745,000 range — under the $750,000 Queensland First Home Owner Grant cap. The package selection mattered because that cap is the difference between capturing the $30,000 FHOG and missing it.

The lever: Disciplined package price to stack the full grant set. We helped the family identify house and land combinations from our panel builders that delivered the four-bedroom format they wanted while staying under the $750,000 cap. The grant stack at that price point: the $30,000 Queensland First Home Owner Grant + full Queensland stamp duty exemption on the new build (FHB, no upper cap on new builds) + 5% Deposit Scheme avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Combined value on a $740,000 new build: approximately $74,000 captured by staying under the FHOG cap.

The reality 12 months later: Queensland new build prices have moved past the $750,000 threshold across most LDH corridors. Land prices, build costs, and corridor demand have all pushed entry-level house and land combinations into the $850,000-$950,000 range. For most first home buyers entering the Queensland market today, the FHOG no longer applies — the cap is a hard $750,000 and current package prices sit above it. What still applies, materially: the Queensland stamp duty exemption on new builds (no upper price cap since 1 May 2025, ~$30,000-$35,000 saved versus an equivalent established purchase), the federal 5% Deposit Scheme (Lenders Mortgage Insurance avoided, saving ~$25,000-$30,000), and the First Home Super Saver Scheme for voluntary super contributions. These three together still deliver $50,000+ of value on a typical 2026 Queensland purchase — without the FHOG layer.

Want to know exactly which Queensland grants and schemes apply at today’s package prices? Run the numbers with us in a 15-minute call.

How Do I Get Started?

Low Deposit Homes structures over 95% of our QLD purchases as 5% Deposit Scheme deals on new builds across Queensland’s growth corridors. We service buyers in six main areas:

• North Brisbane (North Lakes, Caboolture, Narangba, Morayfield, Burpengary)
• Ipswich (Ripley, Springfield, Rosewood, Walloon, Collingwood Park, Deebing Heights)
• Logan (Yarrabilba, Park Ridge, Flagstone, Greenbank, Jimboomba)
• Beaudesert (popular corridor — packages from $850K, larger lots, distinct country-town character)
• Toowoomba (Highfields, Cotswold Hills, Glenvale)
• Gatton and the Lockyer Valley (regional pricing, accessible entry points)

Each corridor has different lifestyle, commute, and pricing profiles. The right corridor depends on where you work, what kind of community fits, and what price point your serviceability supports.

The consultation is 15 minutes, there’s no obligation, and you walk away with a clear path forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get the $30K QLD FHOG and the 5% Deposit Scheme together?

Yes. The two programs are independent and stack cleanly. If your contract is under $750,000 and signed before 30 June 2026, you can claim the $30K FHOG AND use the 5% Deposit Scheme for no-LMI financing on the same property. After 30 June 2026, the FHOG reverts to $15,000.

What if my partner owned property before — can we still get QLD grants?

It depends on the grant. For QLD stamp duty (transfer duty), the concession is assessed on each applicant’s share separately. If you’re a first home buyer purchasing 50/50 with a partner who has previously owned property, you can typically claim the first home concession on your 50% share, while your partner’s 50% share is assessed at the standard home concession rate (if they’re moving in as principal residence). This can deliver meaningful savings even when only one applicant qualifies as a first home buyer.

For the FHOG, the rule is stricter — neither applicant can have previously received a FHOG or owned residential property as a place of residence in Australia. The 5% Deposit Scheme requires both applicants to be genuine first home buyers (or to have not owned property in Australia in the past 10 years).

We assess your specific situation on the discovery call — the right structure depends on which applicant has the prior ownership history and what the value is.

Does the $30K QLD First Home Owner Grant expire?

Yes — the $30,000 amount applies to contracts signed before 30 June 2026. After that date, the grant reverts to $15,000. The grant only applies to contracts under $750,000, which in the current market means smaller-design packages or specific Logan/Toowoomba stages. Most SE Queensland new build packages — including Beaudesert and Ipswich — sit above the $750K threshold, so the FHOG doesn’t typically apply, but the 5% Deposit Scheme and stamp duty exemption still deliver the $122K → $54,500 cash-on-hand saving.

Can I use QLD first home buyer grants on an investment property?

No — none of the major QLD first home buyer schemes apply to investment properties. The specific rules vary slightly:

• QLD First Home Owner Grant ($30K): You must move in within 12 months of settlement and live in the property continuously for at least 6 months
• QLD first home stamp duty concession: You must move in within 12 months of settlement and live there as your principal place of residence for at least 12 months continuously
• 5% Deposit Scheme: Property must be owner-occupied; you must intend to live in it as your principal residence
• Help to Buy: You must live in the property and cannot rent it out at any point under the scheme
• Boost to Buy (QLD-only): Same owner-occupied requirements

After meeting the minimum residency period (typically 6-12 months depending on the scheme), many of our clients later convert their first home to an investment property. The 5% Deposit Scheme and FHOG allow this once the residency requirement is met. Help to Buy does NOT allow renting out the property under any circumstances. If you anticipate needing to relocate for work or convert to an investment quickly, the 5% Deposit Scheme is typically the right choice over Help to Buy.

What’s the difference between Boost to Buy and Help to Buy?

Help to Buy is the Federal scheme (operates nationally) requiring household income under $160K and Australian citizenship. Boost to Buy is Queensland-only (state government) with different income criteria and offers up to 30% government contribution on new builds. The two schemes are independent — you can apply for one or the other, not both. We compare both on the discovery call to see which delivers the better outcome for your situation.

Ready to Find Out What You Qualify For?

Book a free 15-minute consultation with Low Deposit Homes — Book your free call | Call 1800 920 172

We’ve helped 1000+ families stack Queensland’s first home buyer grants correctly and get into their first home. The consultation is free, there’s no obligation, and the $30K FHOG deadline is closer than you think.

Low Deposit Homes operates under Winning Homes Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 633 321 758). All deposit calculations are indicative and based on general scenarios. Individual circumstances may vary. Government grant eligibility is subject to assessment by the relevant authority. This guide is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.