What is land tax?
Learn about land tax liability, what rates apply and how your land tax is assessed.
We collect land tax to provide government services and infrastructure for Queenslanders.
Land liable for land tax
Land in Queensland is categorised as freehold, leasehold or state-owned. Land tax is a tax on freehold land, which includes:
- vacant land
- land that’s built on (e.g. your home, an investment property)
- lots in building unit plans
- lots in group title plans
- lots in a timeshare scheme
- lots owned by a home unit company.
Shared ownership of land
If you own land jointly with other people, the taxable value of the land will be based on your respective shares. We will then add this to the value of any other land that you own to determine the total taxable value.
Units, apartments and other strata title
If you own a unit, you’ll own a percentage of the land on which the building sits. This is your ‘lot’ in the building unit plan.
The land value for each property appears on the annual council rates notice for that property. You can also find out exactly what percentage of the unit block’s land you own by contacting your body corporate or checking your sale contract or registry documents.
Find the land valuation for your unit block.
David owns and lives in a unit in Brisbane. His first-floor apartment is one of 14 units in the building, and the land valuation of the block on which it sits is $3,200,000. All 14 units are the same size, so David owns 1/14th, or 7%, of the total land the building is on.
How land tax is calculated
Land tax is assessed (or calculated) on the total taxable value of an owner’s Queensland freehold land.
We will add up the taxable value of all land that you own in Queensland at 30 June, excluding land on which you have received an exemption.
Different rates apply depending on this total value and what type of owner you are. You are liable when the total taxable value of your land is:
- $350,000 or more—for absentees
, companies and trustees of trusts and superannuation funds
- $600,000 or more—for individuals and trustees of special disability trusts.
Reassessments of your land tax can happen if your liability requires adjustment.
Buying and selling land
Generally, when you enter into a contract for the sale of land, the seller is the owner of the land until settlement.
Since land tax applies to the land you own on 30 June, it will not matter if you do not own the land for the full financial year. This means that we will not divide the liability between a buyer and seller.
However, if the buyer takes possession before settlement, they will be the owner of the land for land tax purposes. This may happen under a vendor finance arrangement, or to allow the buyer to start building.
Apply for a clearance certificate to make sure there is no land tax owing before you take possession of the land.
Find out more about
Also consider…
- Read about the different types of owners for land tax.
- Learn more about land tax assessment notices.
- Find out about land valuations and other effects on land tax.