Thinking about buying your first home in Queensland?
Good news - as of July 2025, there are six key government initiatives that could help you get there sooner (and save you thousands along the way).
Your eligibility for First Home Buyer support depends on several factors - including your residency status, whether you’re buying a brand new or established property, where in Queensland you're buying (postcode matters!), and the timing of your purchase. With a number of changes taking effect from 1 January 2026, the “when” has never been more important.
If you’re in Australia on a visa, be sure to check your visa conditions to confirm whether you're classified as a temporary or permanent resident, as this can significantly impact your access to support.
Here’s a breakdown of the six core First Home Buyer initiatives currently available:
1️⃣ Boost to Buy
A new state-based scheme launching soon to help more Queenslanders into their first home. This is a Shared Equity Scheme and we are still waiting on exact details and how it will be materially different to the Help to Buy Scheme which is being rolled out by the Federal Government. You can register your interest for live updates via this link.
Some of my outstanding questions right now are:
- Will finance for Boost to Buy be available through both brokers and bank branches? For example, Victoria only offers their shared equity scheme directly through branches at four specified lenders.
- Exiting the Scheme - when it comes to refinancing, will customers have to exit the scheme if they wish to alter the loan for a better rate or say they want to access equity for home improvements? Would there be a 'buy out' required to exit?
- Selling the property - will the original equity dollar amount need to be repaid or will the government need to be repaid a percentage of the future sale value?
2️⃣ Help to Buy
The federal government may co-purchase up to 40% of your home, reducing your loan and deposit. Just like the Boost to Buy Scheme, there is still very little information around how to access it and the finer details. The best website I've found so far is this one and we will update links as soon as we know more.
3️⃣ First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)
Get a $30,000 grant when building or buying a brand-new home in QLD. This was due to drop back to $15,000 on 1 July 2025 however a last minute announcement means it's been extended. The big one to note here is that the property MUST be new or never lived in and not exceed $750,000 purchase price.
Fun Fact #1 - New Zealand Citizens - When entering Australia, you automatically get a Special Category visa (subclass 444). While this visa is a temporary visa, you get a special dispensation to claim this Grant and are essentially considered permanent!
Fun Fact #2 - This must be your first home IN AUSTRALIA. If you happen to have owned (or still own) elsewhere in the world, you may still be eligible to claim this grant!
Here's the link for most current eligibility criteria.
4️⃣ First Home Guarantee (incl. Regional)
Buy with just a 5% deposit and no LMI. This one currently has income caps and maximum price caps, however, we are expecting drastic changes from 1 January 2026.
There are two schemes here and the main consideration is the postcode you are buying in. There is a cool postcode tool here that will tell you whether your desired area falls under the Metro or Regional Scheme and that will determine maximum purchase price allowable. Full eligibility can be found here.
Another Fun Fact for New Zealand Citizens - this scheme was originally not available to Kiwis in Australia on a Special Category visa (subclass 444). However, this has since been updated and Kiwis on a Special Category visa are now considered Permanent Residents for eligibility purposes.
Eligible buyers can save thousands with reduced or waived stamp duty. You can check eligibility here.
If you are claiming this one with a partner who is not a first home buyer, you may still claim on your percentage of ownership. If you are planning to buy with someone who is on a Temporary Visa, you will also want to consider if Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval, or Additional foreign acquirer duty (AFAD) is required. The AFAD really catches people out with an additional 8% of the purchase price payable (yikes!).
6️⃣ First Home Super Saver Scheme
This is one many people do not know they have access to - you may be able to withdraw up to $50,000 of voluntary super contributions to use as your deposit. You can learn more here.
If you work in industries like government or education, your employer may already be helping you to salary sacrifice into super. These personal contributions could be accessible through FHSS — you can check by logging into MyGov and requesting a Determination Letter via ATO Online Services.
Keen to learn more? Give us a call to book an appointment via our website!