Everyone talks about how hard it is to save a deposit, but paying stamp duty is no walk in the park either. The good news? If you’re buying your first property in Queensland, you might be eligible for a waiver or discount.
Stamp duty is a state government tax you pay on property purchases. In Queensland, it's known as transfer duty and it's payable on all transfers of property, within 30 days of signing a contract. It can add up to tens of thousands of dollars – but there are discounts available for those buying a home to live in (rather than an investment property), and even bigger discounts for people buying their first home.
Stamp duty calculator
Use our stamp duty calculator to estimate your costs by filling in the fields and making sure you select QLD as your state/territory.
Note that this is just an estimate and may not reflect your actual costs.
How to use the QLD stamp duty calculator
Enter your property value (or an estimate).
Pick QLD as your state/territory.
Select Live-in (if you're buying a home), Investment (for an investment property) or Vacant land (if building on a vacant lot).
If you've never owned a home before select Yes for First Home Buyer.
How much is stamp duty in Queensland?
Transfer duty in Queensland is calculated based on the greater value of either the amount you offer to pay for the property or the amount the property is valued at. In other words: if a relative is selling you a property for $500,000 but it's actually worth $700,000, you'll pay stamp duty based on the higher value.
The amount you pay also depend on what type of buyer you are:
Buying as a foreign purchaser? You'll pay the full rate, plus an additional duty of 8%.
Buying an investment property? You'll pay the full stamp duty duty.
Buying a home to live in? You're entitled to a concession, which means you'll pay less than investors.
Buying your first home? You'll pay the lowest transfer duty – maybe even nothing at all!
General rates of transfer duty in Queensland – buying an investment property:
Property value
Transfer duty payable
Up to $5,000
N/A
Between $5,000 and $75,000
$1.50 for every $100 over $5,000
Between $75,000 and $540,000
$1,050 plus $3.50 for every $100 over $75,000
Between $540,000 and $1,000,000
$17,325 plus $4.50 for every $100 over $540,000
More than $1,000,000
$38,025 plus $5.75 for every $100 over $1,000,000
General rates of transfer duty in Queensland – buying your own home:
Property value
Transfer duty payable
Up to $350,000
$1 for every $100
Between $350,001 and $540,000
$3,500 plus $3.50 for every $100 over $350,000
Between $540,001 and $1,000,000
$10,150 plus $4.50 for every $100 over $540,000
More than $1,000,000
$30,850 plus $5.75 for every $100 over $1,000,000
General rates of transfer duty in Queensland – buying your first home:
You'll pay the rates outlined above for first home buyers, with the following concessions:
Home priced $700,000 or less - 100% discount. You pay nothing!
Home prices between $700,001 and $800,000 – you can minus the concession amount listed in the table below.
This applies for contracts signed on or after 9 June 2024. Prior to this date, the concession threshold was capped at $550,000.
Purchase price/value
Concession (deduct this amount from the amount calculated using the home concession rate)
Not more than $709,999.99
$17,350
$710,000 to $719,999.99
$15,615
$720,000 to $729,999.99
$13,880
$730,000 to $739,999.99
$12,145
$740,000 to $749,999.99
$10,410
$750,000 to $759,999.99
$8,675
$760,000 to $769,999.99
$6,940
$770,000 to $779,999.99
$5,205
$780,000 to $789,999.99
$3,470
$790,000 to $799,999.99
$1,735
$800,000 or more
Nil
Additional duty of 8% applies to foreign buyers: if you're acquiring residential land as a foreign person, including when using a company or trust, this extra duty applies)
How do you qualify for the first home buyer transfer duty rates?
First home buyers in Queensland who purchase a property valued at less than $800,000 are eligible for the first home concession, which could save you up to $24,525.
To qualify, buyers must:
Be over 18;
Move into the property within one year of settlement, and not sell it prior to moving in;
Not have held any interest in another residence, in Australia or overseas;
Have never claimed the first home vacant land concession in Queensland.
Move into it with your personal belongings and live there on a daily basis within 1 year of settlement (this time cannot be extended);
And not dispose (sell, transfer, lease or otherwise grant exclusive possession) of all or part of the property before you move in.
If the property has existing tenants living in it, they must move out when their lease expires, or within 6 months of settlement, whichever is earlier, for the buyer to be eligible for the concession.
The first home concession applies to buyers who are buying an established property, or land on which to build a home, which they intend to occupy.
Unlike in many other states or territories, if you are buying with a partner and one of you has previously owned a property, but the other has not, that person can still claim their first home concession on their share of the property.
Example: Jade signs an agreement to buy a house in Queensland, which will be her first home. She's agreed to pay $650,000 and plans to move in as soon as possible. She's eligible for both the home concession rate and the additional first home concession. She would ordinarily need to pay $15,100 in stamp duty, but because the home is worth less than $700,000 she won't need to pay any stamp duty.
More questions about Queensland stamp duty
Stamp duty documents need to be lodged within 30 days of a transaction. But most lenders require a borrower to pay stamp duty at settlement. Your conveyancer will help you with the documents.
Yes. Even if you didn't pay a cent for the property, the state charges stamp duty based on the market value of the property. This is a fair estimate of what the property would sell for on the market.
You should talk to a conveyancer if you need help with a property transaction between family members.
A concession applies for Queenslanders buying vacant land on which to build their first home. The first home vacant land concession applies if you are buying vacant land valued at $399,999 or lower.
The concession is applied on a sliding scale, with no stamp duty charged if the land's value is under $250,000. If the land's value is $400,000 or above there is no concession and you have to pay the full stamp duty amount.
Value of land
Concession (deduct from transfer duty rate)
Not more than $250,000
100% of transfer duty
More than $250,000 to $259,999.99
$7,175
$260,000 to $269,999.99
$6,700
$270,000 to $279,999.99
$6,225
$280,000 to $289,999.99
$5,750
$290,000 to $299,999.99
$5,275
$300,000 to $309,999.99
$4,800
$310,000 to $319,999.99
$4,325
$320,000 to $329,999.99
$3,850
$330,000 to $339,999.99
$3,375
$340,000 to $349,999.99
$2,900
$350,000 to $359,999.99
$2,425
$360,000 to $369,999.99
$1,950
$370,000 to $379,999.99
$1,475
$380,000 to $389,999.99
$1,000
$390,000 to $399,999.99
$525
$400,000 or more
$Nil
No, only buyers who plan to live in the property can receive a concession. Investors are required to pay the full amount of transfer duty.
Yes. If you inherit a property when someone dies, or transfer property as part of a divorce settlement, you can apply for a transfer duty exemption.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Sarah Megginson, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
Rebecca Pike is Finder's senior writer for money. She joined Finder after almost four years writing for business publications in the mortgage and finance industry, including three years as editor of Mortgage Professional Australia. She regularly appears as a money expert on programs like Sunrise and Today, as well as across radio and newspapers. She also holds ASIC-recognised certifications in Tier 1 Generic Knowledge and Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products. See full bio
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We purchased a home in Qld last July 23 as nz residents in Australia and paid stamp duty as permanent resident .we are looking at selling this home now and returning to NZ due to family circumstances are there any stamp duty implications , we will have owned the property for around 18 months by time we sell
Finder
SarahJune 28, 2024Finder
Hi Tom,
There are no stamp duty implications when you sell. You’ve already paid stamp duty, and unfortunately there are no refunds or rebates, but you’ll have no action to take when you sell your property in regards to stamp duty.
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We purchased a home in Qld last July 23 as nz residents in Australia and paid stamp duty as permanent resident .we are looking at selling this home now and returning to NZ due to family circumstances are there any stamp duty implications , we will have owned the property for around 18 months by time we sell
Hi Tom,
There are no stamp duty implications when you sell. You’ve already paid stamp duty, and unfortunately there are no refunds or rebates, but you’ll have no action to take when you sell your property in regards to stamp duty.