Does Queensland have a stamp duty concession for investors buying off the plan?

No. The home concessions are for a home you buy to live in, and you must move in within one year of settlement and live there daily. An investor pays duty at the general rates, plus 8% additional foreign acquirer duty if the buyer is a foreign person.

Do I need the developer to sign a statement that the townhouse is new?

For a residential off-the-plan purchase, no. The QRO says a seller's statement is not required as evidence of a new home in that case. It is required for other new-home purchases and for substantially renovated homes, so ask your conveyancer which category your contract falls into.

How much is the Queensland first home owner grant for a new townhouse?

The QRO lists $30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, for a new home valued under $750,000 including land and contract variations. The Queensland Government says the $30,000 grant continues for eligible contracts signed from 1 July 2026.

What if one of the buyers is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident?

From 1 August 2026, the QRO looks at each person's share separately. In its home concession example, a buyer with a 75% interest claims the concession, while a co-buyer with a 25% interest who does not qualify pays full duty on that share, and additional foreign acquirer duty may apply as well. Transactions signed on or before 31 July 2026 are not affected, whenever they settle.

What if I cannot move in within a year of settlement?

You must notify the QRO using Form D2.4, and your duty can be reassessed, with interest and penalties where they apply. The QRO says the one-year period to move in cannot be extended, and you cannot sell or transfer the property before moving in. If you are unsure you will qualify, you can pay full duty first and claim the concession later.

Is there an off-the-plan stamp duty concession in Queensland?

Queensland has no concession written specially for off-the-plan townhouses. The four ordinary home concessions apply to an off-the-plan purchase in the same way as any other home, and the one that matters most for a new townhouse is the first home (new home) concession: no transfer duty and no price cap for eligible first home buyers whose contract is dated 1 May 2025 or later. Details below were checked against Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) pages on 7 October 2026.

Checked October 2026. Rules, rates and prices change, so confirm anything that matters with the source linked below.

The four home concessions

The QRO lists four types of home concession, and you can claim one home concession per home:

Home concession: for your second or subsequent home.
First home concession: for a first home that is not a new home.
First home (new home) concession: for a first home that is a new or substantially renovated home.
First home vacant land concession: for vacant land where you will build your first home.

A new home is one that has not been occupied or sold as a place of residence before. An off-the-plan townhouse qualifies, and so can a completed townhouse that has never been lived in. For residential off-the-plan purchases the QRO does not ask for the seller's statement that normally evidences a new home.

There is no investor version. The concessions reduce duty on a home you buy to live in.

Browse new townhouses

See the townhouse developments selling now, with bedrooms, prices and completion dates, city by city.

First home (new home) concession

This concession reduces duty to nil. For it:

The contract must be dated on or after 1 May 2025. The contract date is the day you sign, not the settlement date.
There is no value cap on the home and the residential land attributed to it. Duty still applies to any extra land that is not part of the residence.
You must buy as an individual, be at least 18, pay market value, and never have held an interest in a residence anywhere in Australia or overseas.
For contracts signed on or after 1 August 2026, you must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a specified foreign retiree.
You must move in, with your belongings, and live there on a daily basis within one year of settlement. The QRO says that time cannot be extended.

Home concession for other owner-occupiers

If you have owned a home before, the home concession applies a lower rate scale than the general one. Each rate is per $100, or part of $100, over the stated amount.

Dutiable value	General rate
Up to $5,000	Nil
$5,001 to $75,000	$1.50 over $5,000
$75,000 to $540,000	$1,050 plus $3.50 over $75,000
$540,000 to $1,000,000	$17,325 plus $4.50 over $540,000
Over $1,000,000	$38,025 plus $5.75 over $1,000,000

Dutiable value	Home concession rate
Up to $350,000	$1.00 per $100
$350,000 to $540,000	$3,500 plus $3.50 over $350,000
$540,000 to $1,000,000	$10,150 plus $4.50 over $540,000
Over $1,000,000	$30,850 plus $5.75 over $1,000,000

Above $540,000 the home concession takes $7,175 off the general figure, because the two scales differ by that fixed amount ($17,325 minus $10,150).

Worked examples

Second home, off-the-plan townhouse at $800,000.

Amount over $540,000: $260,000, or 2,600 lots of $100.
General duty: $17,325 plus (2,600 times $4.50, which is $11,700), a total of $29,025.
Home concession duty: $10,150 plus $11,700, a total of $21,850.
Difference: $7,175.

First home buyer, new townhouse at $900,000. Amount over $540,000 is $360,000, or 3,600 lots of $100, and 3,600 times $4.50 is $16,200. General duty is $17,325 plus $16,200, which is $33,525. The home concession would give $10,150 plus $16,200, which is $26,350. The first home (new home) concession gives $0.

First home buyer, established townhouse at $795,000. The new-home concession does not apply to a townhouse that has been lived in before, so the ordinary first home concession is the one in play. On the QRO's concession rates page, home concession duty at $795,000 is $10,150 plus (2,550 times $4.50, which is $11,475), a total of $21,625. For contracts signed on or after 9 June 2024, the first home concession then takes off $1,735 for a price from $790,000 to $799,999.99. Duty is $21,625 minus $1,735, which is $19,890.

What changed on 1 August 2026

Queensland narrowed who can claim a home concession from 1 August 2026. For transactions signed on or after that date, buyers claiming a home, first home or vacant land concession must be Australian citizens, permanent residents or specified foreign retirees. Temporary residents generally pay full duty plus the 8% additional foreign acquirer duty on residential land.

Where there are several buyers, each person's share is looked at separately. In the QRO's example on its home concession page, one buyer takes a 75% interest and claims the concession, while a co-buyer taking 25% does not qualify and pays full duty on that share, with additional foreign acquirer duty possibly applying as well. Transactions signed on or before 31 July 2026 are not affected, whenever they settle.

The QRO's notice covers the duty concessions only. The first home owner grant is a separate benefit with its own eligibility page, which already asks for an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Rules that apply after you claim

You cannot sell or transfer the property before moving in. If you sell within one year of moving in, only a partial concession may apply.
You cannot rent out the whole property within one year of moving in. Renting part of it, such as a room, is allowed if the lease started on or after 10 September 2024 and you still live there.
If you do not meet a condition, you must tell the QRO using Form D2.4. A reassessment can bring unpaid duty, interest and penalties.
If you are unsure you will qualify, the QRO says you can pay duty at the full rate and claim the concession later. If it is granted, the QRO reassesses and refunds the difference.

The first home owner grant and the 5% deposit scheme are separate benefits, covered in our guide to first home buyer help in Queensland. If you are comparing projects, you can browse new townhouses in Brisbane.

Common questions

Does Queensland have a stamp duty concession for investors buying off the plan?: No. The home concessions are for a home you buy to live in, and you must move in within one year of settlement and live there daily. An investor pays duty at the general rates, plus 8% additional foreign acquirer duty if the buyer is a foreign person.
Do I need the developer to sign a statement that the townhouse is new?: For a residential off-the-plan purchase, no. The QRO says a seller's statement is not required as evidence of a new home in that case. It is required for other new-home purchases and for substantially renovated homes, so ask your conveyancer which category your contract falls into.
How much is the Queensland first home owner grant for a new townhouse?: The QRO lists $30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, for a new home valued under $750,000 including land and contract variations. The Queensland Government says the $30,000 grant continues for eligible contracts signed from 1 July 2026.
What if one of the buyers is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident?: From 1 August 2026, the QRO looks at each person's share separately. In its home concession example, a buyer with a 75% interest claims the concession, while a co-buyer with a 25% interest who does not qualify pays full duty on that share, and additional foreign acquirer duty may apply as well. Transactions signed on or before 31 July 2026 are not affected, whenever they settle.
What if I cannot move in within a year of settlement?: You must notify the QRO using Form D2.4, and your duty can be reassessed, with interest and penalties where they apply. The QRO says the one-year period to move in cannot be extended, and you cannot sell or transfer the property before moving in. If you are unsure you will qualify, you can pay full duty first and claim the concession later.

Keep reading

Sources

This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.