Free tool · Queensland · nothing saved, nothing sent

What you'll actually need on the day you sign.

Most people budget for the rent and forget the rest. This works out the bond, the rent in advance, and the costs that arrive in the same fortnight, using what Queensland agencies actually ask for, inside the legal caps, so the numbers are real rather than a guess.

$

Most new leases are fixed term. It changes the legal cap on rent in advance. In our experience agencies usually ask for two weeks either way. The calculator uses that, and shows the cap alongside.

Optional. Leave anything blank that doesn't apply. Rough figures are fine.

#
$
$
$
What's "weeks paying two rents"?

The overlap. Your new lease starts before your old one ends, so for a week or two you pay both. It's almost impossible to line the dates up perfectly, and a short overlap is often the right call, because it gives you time to move and clean without panic. Budget for it rather than hoping it won't happen.

The part that matters

Of everything above, only the last group is really spent. Your bond may be refunded in full at the end, less any agreed or substantiated claims, and rent in advance is just rent you'd have paid anyway. The number that should worry you is the third one, and it's usually the one nobody has written down.

What the rules actually say

Bond is capped at four weeks' rent. That's the maximum for a general tenancy in Queensland, regardless of how high the rent is, and it applies to all bonds combined. A "pet bond" on top would breach it. The agent or owner may receive the payment, but must give you a receipt and lodge the bond with the RTA within ten days. From then on the RTA holds and administers it. It isn't the agent's money.

Rent in advance is capped too. For a fixed-term agreement, no more than one month. For a periodic agreement, no more than two weeks. In our experience, agencies usually ask for two weeks regardless of the agreement type, which is what this calculator uses; the legal cap is shown alongside so you can see the difference. And nobody can ask you for more rent until that advance has been used up.

A holding deposit is allowed to reserve a property while paperwork is finalised. If you withdraw within the agreed holding period, the whole deposit must be refunded within three days. When you sign, it becomes part of your bond, with anything left over counted as rent in advance, so it isn't an extra cost, just an early one.

Rent bidding is prohibited. An agent can't ask you to offer above the advertised price. If you're ever invited to, that's a line worth knowing.

What a bond actually is, and who holds it

The bond is the part of this that trips up first-time renters and people new to Queensland, so here it is plainly. Every line links to the RTA page that says so.

Diagram: bond lifecycle. Paid to agent with receipt, lodged with RTA within 10 days, held by RTA, refund request, 14-day dispute window if claimed, RTA conciliation then QCATWHERE YOUR BOND LIVESFrom the day you pay it to the day it comes backHeld by the RTA, never the agency's account1You pay itto the agent orowner→ get a receipt2Lodged withRTAwithin 10 days→ offence not to3RTA holds itthe whole tenancy→ you get a number4Refund requestonline or Form 4→ agreed: same day5Claim? 14 daysto dispute · Form 16→ disputed $ held6Conciliationfree, via the RTA→ then QCATwhen you move outthe deadline most people miss$Bond is capped at four weeks' rent, all bonds combined. A “pet bond” on top breaches it.Diagram: bond lifecycle. Paid to agent with receipt, lodged with RTA within 10 days, held by RTA, refund request, 14-day dispute window if claimed, RTA conciliation then QCATWHERE YOUR BOND LIVESFrom the day you pay it to the day itcomes back123456You pay itto the agent or owner→ get a receiptHELD BY THE RTA, NEVER THE AGENCYLodged with RTAwithin 10 days→ offence not toRTA holds itthe whole tenancy→ you get a numberRefund requestonline or Form 4→ agreed: same dayTHE DEADLINE MOST PEOPLE MISSClaim? 14 daysto dispute · Form 16→ disputed $ heldConciliationfree, via the RTA→ then QCAT$Bond is capped at four weeks' rent, all bondscombined. A “pet bond” on top breaches it.
The six steps of a Queensland bond. The green zone is the only place it lives; the red card is the deadline most people miss.

It's security, not a fee

A rental bond is a security deposit held for the length of the tenancy. It isn't the agent's or owner's money and it isn't spent. At the end it may be refunded to you in full, less any claims you agree to or that are substantiated through the RTA's process. RTA: rental bond

The agent takes the payment; the RTA holds the bond

In Queensland an agent or owner may receive your bond payment, but they must give you a receipt and lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Authority within 10 days. It's an offence not to. From lodgement onwards the RTA holds and administers the bond: the agency doesn't keep it in its own account, and an agent or owner who says "we'll just hold onto it" is not following the rules.

Once it clears, the RTA sends every bond contributor an Acknowledgement of rental bond with a bond number. If you haven't received one within a few weeks of paying, contact the RTA. That acknowledgement is your proof the bond exists. RTA: lodging a bond · RTA contact

Capped at four weeks, whatever it's called

The maximum for a general tenancy is four weeks' rent, and that cap applies to all bonds combined no matter what they're labelled. A "pet bond" or "key bond" on top of four weeks breaches it. RTA: bond amounts

Getting it back

At the end, you or the agent submit a refund request, either online through RTA Web Services, or on paper using Form 4. If everyone agrees on the amounts, the RTA processes it the same day it's received and the money lands within about three business days.

If you and the agent disagree, the RTA pays out whatever isn't in dispute, holds the rest, and sends a Notice of claim. You then have 14 days to lodge a dispute resolution request (Form 16). If you don't, the bond is paid out as the other side asked. The RTA's dispute resolution is free; only if that fails does anything go to QCAT. RTA: bond refunds · RTA: dispute resolution

New to Australia? Read this before you need your bond back

RTA Web Services now requires a Queensland Digital Identity, and strengthening one needs two identity documents from the Queensland Government's lists: Australian driver licence, Australian passport, Australian visa, ImmiCard, Medicare card, Australian birth or citizenship certificate. Many people on temporary visas hold exactly one of those (the visa) and can't complete the online verification. The bond itself is fine (the agent lodges it and you still get the acknowledgement), but you may not be able to see it, change contributors, or claim it back online.

The workarounds are the RTA's paper forms (Form 4 for the refund) and the RTA Contact Centre on 1300 366 311 (weekdays 8:30–5:00, free interpreter service on the same number), which the RTA itself points to for anyone who can’t verify digitally. Keep your bond number and the acknowledgement email somewhere safe; they're what you'll need. RTA Web Services · QDI accepted documents

If the numbers don't work

The Queensland Government offers bond loans (interest-free, repaid over time) and rental grants for people who are eligible. Eligibility and how to apply: RTA: bond loans and rental grants. And if you're being asked for more than the caps above, you're entitled to say so; it's an offence to charge above them.

What comes next

Before you pay anything: ask to see the proposed tenancy agreement first, and check the bond and rent-in-advance figures against the caps above. On the day you get the keys: the entry condition report (Form 1a) is the document your bond refund will be judged against. Complete it within the time allowed, photograph everything with dates, note the water meter reading, and keep your copy. A bond-back planner that walks through this is on our renter help list. RTA: condition reports

Leaving before the lease ends?

That's a different calculation, with its own caps. Work out what breaking a lease can actually cost you →

Not financial or legal advice. General information about Queensland's caps on bond and rent in advance, current as at September 2026 (bond, Web Services and Queensland Digital Identity details checked 4 September 2026). Rules change, so check the current position at rta.qld.gov.au. Sources: RTA rental bond, bond refund, Web Services and bond loan pages; Queensland Government Digital Identity guidance; Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld).