Conveyancing cost in Queensland: the complete $900 to $3,500 breakdown

A solicitor in Queensland charges roughly $900 to $3,500 all in for a standard residential matter, but that fee is only a slice of what you actually pay. The largest single cost is usually transfer duty (Queensland's name for stamp duty), and on top of that sit disbursements and a Titles Queensland registry fee. Because Queensland has no independently licensed conveyancers, every figure below assumes a solicitor, or a conveyancing team working under a solicitor's practising certificate, handles the matter.

Where the $900 to $3,500 range comes from

Empire Legal's 2026 Queensland conveyancing cost guide quotes a professional (solicitor) fee of $600 to $3,000 for a fixed-fee residential matter, plus disbursements of $300 to $800 depending on the property, location and complexity of the search work, an $900 to $3,500 all-in range. Because Queensland requires conveyancing to be carried out by, or under the supervision of, a solicitor holding a current Queensland Law Society practising certificate, there is no cheaper independent-conveyancer tier the way there is in NSW or Victoria; the range above already reflects that. These are market ranges, not a fixed schedule, so always ask for a written fixed-fee quote for your own matter.

That professional fee is separate from, and often much smaller than, the government charges a buyer pays. The table below shows the full picture.

Total cost of buying in Queensland at five price points

The transfer duty figures below are computed from the current Queensland Revenue Office standard rate, and the professional fee and disbursements are the market range above. Duty here is shown at the standard (investor) rate; an owner-occupier or first home buyer usually pays less (see how owner-occupiers and first home buyers pay less).

Transfer duty computed from the Queensland Revenue Office standard transfer duty rates. The registry fee combines both components of the Titles Queensland lodgment fee schedule (the base transfer fee plus the additional per-$10,000 charge on consideration above $180,000); use the Titles Queensland fee calculator for an exact figure for your own matter. Professional fee and disbursement ranges are a market estimate (Empire Legal, 2026), not an official figure. Excludes any foreign acquirer duty, loan costs, and building or pest inspections.

Professional fee versus disbursements

A Queensland conveyancing quote should always separate two things:

1. Professional (solicitor) fee: what your solicitor, or the conveyancing team working under their practising certificate, charges for their time and expertise. This is negotiated directly and varies between firms, which is where the $600 to $3,000 spread comes from.
2. Disbursements: the third-party costs your solicitor pays on your behalf, such as title and planning searches, the PEXA electronic settlement fee, and the Titles Queensland registry fee. Most of these are set by government or third parties, not by your solicitor.

A quote that shows only a professional fee, with no estimate of disbursements, is incomplete. Ask for a single figure that includes both.

Buyer costs in Queensland

As a buyer in Queensland, budget for the following on top of your deposit and purchase price:

• Solicitor professional fee: about $600 to $3,000 for a standard matter (market estimate). Because Queensland has no independently licensed conveyancers, this fee is always a solicitor's fee, even where the day-to-day work is done by conveyancing staff under that solicitor's supervision.
• Transfer duty: paid to the Queensland Revenue Office on the greater of the price or unencumbered value. This is the largest cost for most buyers (see the table above).
• Disbursements: title search, planning and rates certificates, and the searches your solicitor runs to review the seller's Form 2 disclosure statement, roughly $300 to $800 (market estimate).
• Titles Queensland registry fee: the fee to register the transfer of the lot, which scales with the price (see the note above the table).
• PEXA settlement fee: the electronic settlement platform charges a fee to each party to a settlement.
• Building and pest inspection: not a conveyancing fee, but a cost most buyers incur before signing, arranged separately.

Seller costs in Queensland

As a seller in Queensland, your conveyancing costs look different from a buyer's, because since 1 August 2025 your solicitor's central job before the property is even marketed is preparing the mandatory Seller disclosure statement (Form 2):

• Solicitor professional fee: sellers often sit at the higher end of the range, or slightly above the buyer's own fee, because the Form 2 disclosure statement requires ordering title, zoning, rates and other prescribed certificates before the property can be marketed. One Queensland conveyancing practice's published fixed fees illustrate the gap directly: $750 to act for a buyer versus $1,200 to act for a seller (conveyancingservicesqld.com.au, 2026), a single firm's own pricing rather than a market average, but a clear real-world example of the disclosure workload showing up in price.
• Form 2 disclosure disbursements: the certificates and searches your solicitor must gather to disclose title and encumbrances, zoning, environmental and resumption notices, and more, as required by the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld).
• Mortgage discharge cost: if you have a loan on the property, your lender charges a discharge fee to release its security at settlement. This is paid to the lender, not your solicitor.
• Estate agent commission: usually the largest cost of selling, and separate from conveyancing.

A seller does not pay transfer duty on a straightforward residential sale; duty is a buyer cost. Any capital gains tax is a separate matter for your accountant. The full vendor's side, from the Form 2 duty to settlement, is in the selling property in Queensland guide.

Transfer duty: the biggest cost

Transfer duty is a Queensland Government tax, administered by the Queensland Revenue Office. It is a graduated tax: the higher the price, the higher the effective rate. Because it dwarfs the professional fee, it deserves its own detailed guide, which sets out the standard rate table, the owner-occupier home concession, the first home concession, and a calculator.

See Transfer duty Queensland: rates and calculator for the full duty picture and to estimate your own amount.

How owner-occupiers and first home buyers pay less

The duty figures in the table above are the standard (investor) rate. Two concessions can bring that number down, and it matters which one applies to you:

• Home concession: any owner-occupier, first home buyer or not, who will live in the property as their main home pays a lower rate than the standard table above. Queensland's own transfer duty estimator gives the exact figure for your price; do not assume the standard-rate table applies to you if you are moving in.
• First home concession: an eligible first home buyer of an established or existing home pays no transfer duty at all up to $700,000, with the concession phasing out to full (home concession) duty by $800,000. A first home buyer of a genuinely new home, or of vacant land to build their first home on, under a contract dated 1 May 2025 or later, instead gets an uncapped nil-duty concession with no value ceiling at all.

Both are explained in full, with the exact rate tables and worked examples, in the transfer duty Queensland guide.

How to compare Queensland quotes honestly

When you gather quotes, ask each solicitor or conveyancing team for a written breakdown that separates their professional fee from an itemised estimate of disbursements, states whether the quote is fixed or can vary, and lists what is not included. The cheapest headline fee is not always the cheapest total, because a low professional fee can sit next to a thin disbursements estimate. Compare like for like.

Conveyancing Explained provides general information about property transactions in Australia. It is not legal advice and does not create a client relationship. For advice on your situation, engage a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent, or property solicitor in your state or territory.