Queensland stamp duty concessions now require citizenship or permanent residency: what changed on 1 August

From 1 August 2026, Queensland tightened who can use its transfer duty home concessions. Buyers now need to be Australian citizens, permanent residents, or fall into a small carve-out for specified foreign retirees to access the home concession, the first home concession, or the first home vacant land concession. If you are a first home buyer on a temporary visa in Queensland, this change directly affects how much stamp duty you may need to budget for.

What actually changed

The change was announced in the 2026-27 Queensland Budget and applies to contracts entered into from 1 August 2026 onward. Before this date, a temporary resident buying a home, or vacant land to build their first home, could generally access the same concessional transfer duty rates as a citizen or permanent resident, provided they met the usual occupancy and value requirements. From 1 August, that pathway has narrowed. Temporary visa holders buying a home to live in are no longer eligible for the concessional rate, and will instead pay transfer duty at the standard rate that applies to that purchase.

A limited exception exists for a defined group of foreign retirees who are on a recognised pathway toward permanent residency through a parent visa category. Everyone else on a temporary visa, including common categories like skilled worker or student visas, now falls outside the concession.

Who this does and does not affect

• Australian citizens and permanent residents: no change. The existing first home concession thresholds still apply, with a full exemption on established homes up to approximately $700,000 and a partial concession on a sliding scale up to approximately $800,000.
• Temporary visa holders: from 1 August 2026, home purchases and vacant land purchases to build a home no longer qualify for the concessional rate, other than the narrow specified foreign retiree exception.
• Contracts signed before 1 August 2026: the change applies based on when the contract was entered into, so purchases already under contract before the cut-off are assessed under the earlier rules.

What this means for first home buyers

For the large majority of Queensland first home buyers who are already citizens or permanent residents, this change does not alter your stamp duty position at all. The concessions and exemptions you may already be relying on, including the exemption for new or substantially renovated homes, are unaffected.

If you are on a temporary visa and part way through your Queensland home buying journey, it is worth checking your position carefully before you sign a contract, since the standard transfer duty rate can add a meaningful amount to your upfront costs compared with the concessional rate you may have been expecting. A few practical steps:

• Confirm your current visa category and whether you fall inside the specified foreign retiree exception before assuming a concession will apply.
• Ask your conveyancer or solicitor to confirm which duty rate applies to your specific contract date, since the timing of when you sign matters under the new rules.
• Rework your upfront costs budget with the standard duty rate if you are not eligible for the concession, so there are no surprises at settlement.

This is a change to eligibility for a state government concession, not a change to any lender's assessment of your loan. Your broker or lender will still assess your borrowing capacity and loan eligibility separately, based on your own income, deposit, and circumstances.

Run the numbers

Use these tools to see how the current Queensland duty rules apply to your situation:

• Stamp Duty Calculator - work out an estimate of transfer duty for your purchase price under the current Queensland rates and thresholds.
• Scheme Comparison Tool - compare the first home buyer schemes and concessions that may apply to your circumstances side by side.
• Grant Stacker - see which grants and concessions could combine for your situation before you budget for settlement.