Queensland First Home Owner Grant Guide for North Brisbane

The Queensland First Home Owner Grant is a one-off $30,000 cash payment for eligible first home buyers building or buying a new home under $750,000. It does not apply to established homes or substantially renovated homes. Most North Brisbane first home buyers we work with pair it with the Queensland first home concession on transfer duty and, where eligible, the federal First Home Guarantee scheme.

Important timing note (verify before you contract): the $30,000 grant rate is in place until 30 June 2026 and reverts to $15,000 from 1 July 2026 unless extended. Confirm the current grant amount via the Queensland Revenue Office before signing a contract.

This guide walks through eligibility, timing, common pitfalls, and how the maths actually changes when you stack the schemes.

Last updated 2026-04-30.

Who qualifies for the Queensland First Home Owner Grant

To be eligible for the FHOG in 2026 you need to:

1. Be 18 or older and an Australian citizen or permanent resident
2. Be buying or building a new home valued at under $750,000 in total
3. Not have owned residential property in Australia before
4. Live in the home as your principal place of residence for at least 6 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement or construction completion
5. Apply within 12 months of settlement or final construction inspection

Joint applicants are both tested - if your partner has owned property before, you are not eligible.

A house and land package counts as a new build for FHOG purposes. Off-the-plan apartments count as new homes. Substantially renovated homes do NOT qualify for the Queensland FHOG - the grant is restricted to genuinely new dwellings.

Confirm current eligibility and grant amount with the Queensland Revenue Office before you sign anything - the rules tightened in late 2025, the $30,000 amount is currently scheduled to revert to $15,000 from 1 July 2026, and may shift again.

What does NOT qualify

• Established homes (existing free-standing or apartment stock that someone has lived in)
• Holiday homes or second homes
• Investment properties
• Homes valued at $750,001 or more total
• Properties where you or your partner have owned residential property in Australia at any point

This is the most common point of confusion in North Brisbane. The classic Queenslander or post-war brick veneer cottage on a tightly held Wooloowin or Clayfield street is almost always an established home, so it will not qualify for the FHOG. New townhouse stock around Chermside, Carseldine and along the Bracken Ridge corridor often does.

Stacking the FHOG with the QLD first home concession

The Queensland first home concession on transfer duty is a separate scheme. It reduces or removes the duty payable on a property purchase, depending on price.

For purchases up to $700,000 there is no transfer duty payable for an eligible first home buyer (current 2026, confirm via QRO). Between $700,000 and $800,000 a partial concession applies on a sliding scale. Above $800,000 the standard transfer duty rates apply.

Crucially, the first home concession applies to both new AND established homes. So even if you buy an established Queenslander in Sandgate or Wavell Heights (which would not qualify for the FHOG), you can still get the duty saving.

A North Brisbane first home buyer at $650,000 picking up an established home looks like:

• FHOG: $0 (established home)
• Transfer duty saving: about $14,000 (no duty payable up to $700k)
• Federal First Home Guarantee: potentially eligible (no LMI, 5% deposit)

Versus the same buyer at $650,000 picking up a new townhouse in Chermside or Carseldine:

• FHOG: $30,000
• Transfer duty saving: about $14,000
• Federal First Home Guarantee: potentially eligible

So the difference between a new build and an established home for a $650k purchase is about $30,000 in cash before you even consider the rate or LMI side of the picture. That is a lot of money. The borrowing power guide walks through how that affects what you can afford.

Stacking with the federal First Home Guarantee

The federal First Home Guarantee (formerly First Home Loan Deposit Scheme) lets eligible buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and zero lenders mortgage insurance. The government guarantees the gap.

To qualify in 2026 you need:

• Income under $125,000 single or $200,000 couple (taxable income, prior FY)
• Australian citizenship (permanent residency was added in 2023, confirm current)
• A 5% deposit minimum, plus enough to cover transfer duty and other costs
• The property under the regional or capital city price cap

Brisbane (including the entire North Brisbane area we cover) sits under the capital city cap, currently $700,000 for the standard scheme as at 2026. Schemes change annually - check the latest cap before you contract.

If you stack the FHOG, FHOG-aligned new build, the QLD first home concession, and the First Home Guarantee, you can move into a brand new $700,000 North Brisbane townhouse with a $35,000 deposit. The same purchase without any of those schemes would need closer to $170,000 cash.

Timing - when to apply and when the money lands

You apply for the FHOG via your lender. We submit the application with your home loan paperwork. The grant is paid:

• For new home contracts: at settlement
• For house and land packages: at first progress draw or at land settlement (lender-dependent)
• For owner-builders: at completion of the home, on submission of the final inspection certificate

Plan for it as part of your contribution at settlement, not as a top-up afterwards. We model this in the loan structure.

Common North Brisbane FHOG pitfalls

1. Buying a “new build” that has already been lived in. If a developer rents out a townhouse before you buy it, the property may no longer count as new. Confirm in writing.
2. Substantial renovations do not qualify. A reno in a Stafford or Kedron cottage that adds a new wing or rebuilds the kitchen and bathroom does not qualify for the Queensland FHOG. The grant is restricted to genuinely new dwellings (off-the-plan apartments, house-and-land packages, owner-builder builds). If you are renovating, the FHOG is not your scheme - look at the QLD first home concession on transfer duty instead.
3. The 6-month residency requirement. You need to actually live there. Renting it out for the first 6 months disqualifies you and triggers a clawback.
4. Buying jointly with someone who has owned before. The whole application is disqualified.

What we do for North Brisbane first home buyers

When you submit the form on this page, we:

1. Confirm FHOG eligibility against your situation, the property and the timing
2. Model the deposit, duty and First Home Guarantee math three different ways
3. Run live serviceability across the lender panel to confirm what you can afford
4. Walk you through the application and submit the FHOG paperwork alongside the loan

The borrowing power calculator gives you an instant range to start with. The full conversation happens in the free 30-minute review.

What about Brisbane apartment stock?

Off-the-plan apartments in North Brisbane (around Chermside, Albion and Bracken Ridge) often qualify for the FHOG, with the developer or builder providing the documentation. Make sure your contract is timed correctly - the FHOG counts the date construction commenced, not the date you signed the contract.

Substantially renovated apartments (e.g. converted warehouse stock in Albion) are case by case. Get the QRO ruling in writing.

Ready to plan your first home loan?

Contact us or submit the form on this page for a free 30-minute first home buyer review. We respond within one business day. For deeper context, the borrowing power guide covers what you can actually borrow, and the fixed vs variable home loan rates post explains how the rate type affects affordability.

You can also meet our broker before you book the review.