If you're an eligible first home buyer in Queensland and you sign a contract on or after 1 May 2025, you pay no transfer duty (stamp duty) on a new home. The same applies to vacant land you buy to build your first home on. There's no value cap on either concession.
On a new home, that's a saving of thousands of dollars upfront. Here's who qualifies and how it applies to the ways people buy new.
Two concessions, depending on how you buy
| How you buy | Concession | Duty (from 01/05/2025) |
|---|---|---|
| A new home, including off the plan or on a single contract | First home (new home) concession | Nil on the home and residential land |
| Vacant land, then a building contract (split contracts) | First home vacant land concession | Nil on the residential land |
With split contracts, duty is charged on the land purchase. The building contract is a separate agreement with your builder.
What counts as a new home?
The Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) says a new home is one that hasn't been lived in or sold as a place of residence before. Off-the-plan purchases count, and so do substantially renovated homes that meet QRO's criteria. If part of the land isn't residential, duty still applies to that part.
The date that matters is the date you sign the contract, not the settlement date. A contract signed before 1 May 2025 doesn't qualify for the full concession, even if it settles later.
Who is eligible?
For the new home concession, QRO says you must:
- be an individual aged 18 or over
- never have held an interest in a residence, anywhere
- move into the home within 1 year of settlement
For the vacant land concession, you must also:
- never have claimed that concession before
- pay market value for the land, which must have no building on it when you buy
- build only one home on it
- build your first home, move in and live there within 2 years of settlement. QRO says this period can't be extended.
For transactions entered into on or after 1 August 2026, both concessions also require you to be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a specified foreign retiree.
Watch the 2-year build deadline
On split contracts, the vacant land concession needs the home built and lived in within two years of the land settling. Before you sign, ask the builder for a realistic construction timeframe and check the building contract's time for completion. If the deadline is missed, QRO can reassess the duty.
QRO also lists conditions that apply after you claim, such as not selling or leasing the property before you move in.
Combine it with the grant and the deposit scheme
The duty concessions sit alongside other help for first home buyers:
- the $30,000 First Home Owner Grant for new homes under $750,000
- the 5% Deposit Scheme, which lets you buy with a smaller deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance
Each scheme has its own rules and price limits, so check them one by one.
New homes we have available
Our listings are new homes and house and land packages, most of them on split contracts. You can browse them by area, or read how house and land packages work before you start.
Common questions
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty on a new home in Queensland?
Not if they're eligible and the contract is dated 1 May 2025 or later. The first home (new home) concession reduces transfer duty to nil on the home and its residential land, with no value cap.
What about house and land on split contracts?
With split contracts you buy vacant land and then build. The first home vacant land concession can reduce duty on that land to nil for agreements from 1 May 2025, as long as you build, move in and live there within 2 years of settlement.
Does the concession apply to established homes?
No. Established homes come under the separate first home concession, which has its own value limits. Check the Queensland Revenue Office's concession rates for that.
This article is general information only, current at 30/10/2026. It isn't financial, tax or legal advice. Rules and amounts change, so check the official sources below and speak to a licensed professional about your situation.
