Quick answer
Brisbane businesses can borrow from $20k to $5m against residential or commercial property, or use unsecured options sized on turnover. Queensland payroll tax starts at $1.3 million of wages at 4.75%, and Brisbane employers don't qualify for the regional discount. Land tax on premises starts at $350,000 of land for companies and trusts and $600,000 for individuals. Business Queensland lists state grant programs.
Key points
- Queensland payroll tax: $1.3m threshold, 4.75% for employers paying $6.5m or less
- Greater Brisbane isn't part of the regional payroll tax discount area
- Premises held in a company or trust hit land tax at $350,000 of land value
- Flood risk affects insurance, valuations and cash-flow planning in parts of the city
- Payroll tax threshold
- $1.3m (QLD)
- Land tax — company/trust
- From $350,000
- Secured loans
- $20k – $5m
- Our office
- Eagle Street, Brisbane
Brisbane is our home town — our office is on Eagle Street — and it’s a city in a hurry. Population growth, a long infrastructure pipeline and the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games have kept builders, trades, hospitality and professional firms busy across South East Queensland. Growth brings its own finance questions: how to fund more staff, more equipment and bigger premises without running short of cash along the way.
What drives Brisbane’s business economy?
- The CBD, Fortitude Valley and South Brisbane — professional services, government, tech and a busy hospitality scene.
- The Australia TradeCoast around the port and airport — logistics, aviation, import and export businesses.
- Southern and western industrial areas — Acacia Ridge, Wacol, Carole Park and beyond, with manufacturing, transport and trade supply.
- Growth councils — Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Redlands, where new estates bring demand for trades, childcare, health and retail.
Which Queensland rules affect Brisbane businesses?
Payroll tax
Queensland’s threshold is $1.3 million in annual Australian wages. Above it, the rate is 4.75% for employers or groups paying $6.5 million or less, and 4.95% above that. Greater Brisbane isn’t one of the regions that qualifies for the 1% regional discount, so a Brisbane employer pays the full rate, while a Toowoomba or Townsville competitor with a local workforce may qualify for the discounted one. The Queensland state guide lists the qualifying regions.
Land tax and how you hold premises
Queensland sets different land tax thresholds depending on the owner:
| Owner | Land tax applies from |
|---|---|
| Individual | $600,000 total taxable land value |
| Company or trustee | $350,000 total taxable land value |
Brisbane industrial and commercial land has risen in value, so a factory held in a company or trust can reach the threshold where the same property held personally might not. That’s worth a conversation with your accountant before you sign a contract. Transfer duty applies on commercial purchases on the general scale.
How do lenders look at Brisbane property?
Brisbane and the surrounding SEQ councils are a deep, well-understood property market, and lenders routinely accept homes, units and commercial property as security. Two local factors come up more often than in other capitals:
- Flood exposure. Parts of Brisbane and Ipswich have a flood history. Lenders check valuations and insurance, and serious exposure can mean a lower lending limit.
- Character and older homes. Queenslanders and older timber homes value well but may need more detailed valuation reports.
Borrowing against property covers anything from $20,000 to $5,000,000, as first or second mortgages or caveats. Unsecured and line-of-credit options for trading businesses typically run from $5,000 to $500,000. You can see which suits your business in about a minute.
What help can Brisbane businesses get?
- Business Queensland — grants such as Business Basics, Business Boost and the Business Growth Fund, released in rounds, plus official guides to licences and employing.
- Queensland Small Business Commissioner — dispute factsheets on leases, bonds, outgoings and payments. See our small business commissioners guide.
- QRIDA — disaster assistance and working capital loans after declared weather events.
After a flood or storm, disaster support is usually announced area by area. Our disaster season cash plan explains how to prepare before the wet season rather than after.
A quick checklist for growing Brisbane employers
Growth in South East Queensland often comes in a rush — a big contract, a new site, a busy season that never quite ends. Before you take on the next wave of staff:
- Add up total Australian wages, including super and grouped businesses, and compare them with the $1.3 million threshold.
- Check your cash cycle. How many weeks pass between paying wages and being paid by customers? That gap is what working capital has to cover.
- Look at your premises. Will you outgrow them within a year? Buying may be cheaper long term, but duty and land tax need budgeting.
- Review insurance if you’re in a flood-affected suburb, before the storm season.
- Line up finance before you need it. Facilities are far easier to arrange from a position of strength.
What do Brisbane owners borrow for?
- Construction and trade growth — utes, plant, tools and wages for bigger contracts.
- Premises — buying a warehouse or shop instead of renting, including duty.
- Hospitality and retail fit-outs in the inner city and new suburban centres.
- Payroll tax after crossing $1.3 million, and BAS catch-ups.
- Bridging insurance or grant payments after weather events.
- ATO debt, considered case by case.
Illustrative example: a Carole Park cabinet-making business is winning more apartment work than it can handle. It needs a second CNC machine and six more staff. With the extra wages, its payroll will pass $1.3 million. The owner uses a second mortgage over the family home in the western suburbs to fund the machine and keeps a line of credit for wage timing between progress claims.
Let’s talk — we’re just down the road
Whether you’re in Chermside or Cleveland, the enquiry takes about 60 seconds: where you are, what you need, what it’s for and whether there’s property involved. There’s no credit check to ask. Your details aren’t broadcast to a list of lenders; one team works on them, and a real person calls you back. Please fill the form in accurately so we can put the right option in front of you straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Do Brisbane businesses get the regional payroll tax discount?
No. The 1% discount is for employers whose principal place of employment is in the regions QRO lists — Cairns, Central Queensland, Darling Downs – Maranoa, Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday, Queensland – Outback, Townsville and Wide Bay — with at least 85% of Queensland wages paid to regional employees.
Will land tax apply to my Brisbane business premises?
It depends on who owns them. Individuals are liable once their total taxable land is worth $600,000 or more; companies and trustees from $350,000. Many business premises are held in a company or trust, so check the structure before you buy.
Can I borrow against a flood-affected property in Brisbane?
Sometimes. Lenders look at the valuation, flood history and whether the property can be insured at a reasonable cost. Properties with serious flood exposure may be accepted at a lower loan-to-value ratio or declined by some lenders.
Is your office in Brisbane?
Yes, on Eagle Street in the CBD. We work with businesses across Queensland and the rest of Australia by phone and online.
Are there Queensland grants for Brisbane businesses?
Business Queensland runs programs such as Business Basics, Business Boost and the Business Growth Fund in rounds. Eligibility and timing vary, so check the current grants schedule.