Queensland: stamp duty, FHB & settlement cash

Worked example: $700k FHB established — Live in it

First-home owner-occupier, established home, 20% deposit. Inside the modelled ≤$700,000 full exemption. Flip purpose to Investment on the same ticks and the exemption disappears — that comparison is the QLD scenario page.

Property value

$700,000

Stamp duty

$0

Government fees

$462

Funds to complete (20%)

$140,462

QLD FHB full exemption on established homes (≤ $700k)

Two rate tables, not one toggle

Owner-occupier (“home concession”) rates sit below the standard investment schedule. The same $700,000 can be a home-concession duty bill or a full standard bill depending on purpose. That is not true in NSW.

If you will occupy, start on Live in it. If you will rent, model investment rates and stop calling it a first-home duty strategy.

FHB needs Live in it — new vs established

Queensland first-home duty concessions require the property to be your home. Ticking FHB Yes while leaving purpose on Investment uses standard rates.

Established homes: modelled full exemption ≤ $700,000, sliding to $800,000, then full home-concession (or standard, if investment) rates. New build: modelled $0 duty at any price for eligible FHB owner-occupiers — still not an investment path.

Grant and Scheme are separate from those tables

FHOG is modelled at $15,000 for new homes ≤ $750,000 (the $30,000 temporary boost ended for contracts after 30 June 2026). Established: grant = $0 in the engine.

5% Scheme caps: $1,000,000 metro, $700,000 regional. Scheme still needs owner-occupation. Investment kills it even when first-home status is clean.

Queensland traps

Give the broker and conveyancer the same occupancy story. Mismatched files are how QLD settlements stall after the bid is already in.

• FHB Yes + Investment purpose (false $0 story)
• Assuming established gets the new-home grant
• Using a NSW-style “purpose does not change duty” mental model