Home loan guide
From Zero to Homeowner: How First-Time Homebuyer Grants Can Help
Policy information checked: 12 September 2026.
First home buyer support includes cash grants, deposit guarantees, shared equity and duty concessions. Each has different eligibility rules, costs and application steps.
This guide explains which support may fit your purchase. A 2% or 5% deposit is only part of the budget: allow for buying costs and the lender's assessment too.
From 1 October 2025, the First Home Guarantee (FHBG) has been expanded:
No income caps: all first-home buyers (and eligible returning buyers) can apply
Unlimited places: no more waiting lists
Higher price caps: e.g. up to $1.5m in Sydney, $1.0m in Brisbane, $950k in Melbourne
Permanent residents eligible, alongside citizens
Still only 5% deposit required, with no LMI
Remember: this is a government guarantee to your lender, not a cash grant. You remain fully responsible for your loan and repayments.
As a first-time homebuyer, you can take advantage of the following government grants and schemes:
Read on to learn more about these grants and how they can help you buy your first home.
Our Brisbane mortgage brokers can help you compare the deposit and repayments for your purchase. Call us or book a free assessment to discuss your options.
Federal Help to Buy opened on 5 December 2025. It lets eligible buyers share the cost and ownership of a home with the government.
How does it work? Help to Buy is a shared equity scheme, meaning the government contributes a portion of the purchase price in exchange for a share of ownership (equity) in your property.
This contribution reduces the size of the home loan you need to borrow, leading to a smaller deposit requirement (minimum 2%) and significantly lower monthly repayments. You do not pay rent on the government's share. The government's equity share is repaid when you sell the property or choose to buy them out over time.
Who is Eligible? The scheme is currently open to Australian Citizens (permanent residents are not currently eligible for this specific scheme). Key criteria include:
Help to Buy has 10,000 places each year. Check current eligibility, participating lenders and availability before relying on a place. The government's contribution depends on your circumstances and is not automatically the maximum percentage.
Check Help to Buy's official rules and ask a participating lender how to apply. We can discuss your broader loan options; scheme participation does not confirm that a lender accepts broker applications.
The Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) is a federal initiative administered by Housing Australia that helps you purchase a property sooner. It allows you to buy a home with a deposit as low as 2% or 5% without paying thousands of dollars in Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).
With less than a 20% deposit, LMI may apply unless you qualify for a guarantee or lender waiver. The government deposit scheme provides a guarantee to the lender; it does not contribute cash to your deposit or reduce the amount you owe.
As of October 1, 2025, the scheme has been significantly expanded to help more Australians.
Previously known as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.
This is the primary guarantee for first-home buyers.
Eligibility:
This guarantee provides targeted support for single parents and legal guardians to build a secure family home.
To be eligible, the property you purchase must be valued at or below the price cap for your region. These caps were significantly increased in October 2025 to reflect current market values.
State/Territory | Location | New Property Price Cap |
NSW | Capital city & regional centres* | $1,500,000 |
Rest of state | $800,000 | |
VIC | Capital city & regional centres* | $950,000 |
Rest of state | $650,000 | |
QLD | Capital city & regional centres* | $1,000,000 |
Rest of state | $700,000 | |
WA | Capital city | $850,000 |
Rest of state | $600,000 | |
SA | Capital city | $900,000 |
Rest of state | $500,000 | |
TAS | Capital city | $700,000 |
Rest of state | $550,000 | |
ACT | All areas | $1,000,000 |
| NT | Capital city | $750,000 |
| NT | Rest of Territory | $600,000 |
For the complete regional definitions, use the official postcode tool and price-cap table. NSW includes additional designated regions beyond the older list. Confirm both the purchase price and lender-assessed value against the cap.
The First Home Super Saver (FHSS) Scheme allows you to save for your first home deposit inside your superannuation fund, helping you save faster thanks to tax concessions.
You can make eligible voluntary concessional or non-concessional contributions to super. The ATO determines the releasable amount: generally 85% of eligible concessional contributions, 100% of eligible non-concessional contributions and associated earnings, subject to the FHSS limits. Employer compulsory contributions do not qualify.
The Application Process: Getting it Right The FHSS scheme process has recently become more flexible, but accuracy is still key.
Expert Tip: While the rules now allow you to get a determination after signing a contract, we strongly recommend applying before you start looking. This ensures you know exactly how much deposit you have available for bidding. A Hunter Galloway expert can help you project manage this timeline to ensure you don't miss the settlement deadline.
For more info, check out our Step-By-Step Guide to the First Home Super Saver Scheme.
Deposit guarantees and shared-equity schemes use participating lenders. Cash grants often allow an application through an approved agent or directly to the revenue office; FHSS applications go through the ATO.
| Scheme | Application route |
|---|---|
| Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme | A participating lender. Check its scheme and broker-channel availability. |
| Help to Buy | The current list includes Bank Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank, Health Professionals Bank and Firefighters Mutual Bank. |
| Queensland Boost to Buy | Unity Bank is the approved lender. |
Check the Help to Buy lender list and Boost to Buy application route. Scheme accreditation and access through Hunter Galloway are separate questions. Our CommBank and NAB reviews can help you compare general loan features.
Start with your location, property price and whether you are buying new or established. That narrows down which benefits to check.
We can work through your savings and borrowing capacity, then explain which scheme or grant requirements need confirming.
Call 1300 088 065 or book a free assessment with your price range and deposit details.
You may combine compatible benefits if you meet each set of rules. For example, a state cash grant and duty concession may be used together. Help to Buy cannot be combined with another government shared-equity loan or guarantee for the same purchase. Confirm the combination before submitting applications.
Check to see if you are eligible for a home loan
In Australia, each state has its own set of policies and programs for first-time home buyers, including:
Use our first home buyer duty guide to check the concession rules and the stamp duty calculator for an estimate. Once you know the deposit and costs, compare the home loan features you will use.
It's worth mentioning that the FHOG is only accessible to first-time home buyers who are either buying or constructing a new home. If you're buying an established home, you will most likely not be eligible.
Queensland currently offers some of the most generous incentives in the country.
For eligible Queensland first home buyers, established homes attract $0 duty up to $700,000, with a reducing first home concession above that and below $800,000. The ordinary home concession may still apply at higher values.
For contracts from 1 May 2025, qualifying new homes and vacant residential land to build a first home have no property-value cap on the full duty concession. The former vacant-land caps do not apply to those contracts.
For transactions from 1 August 2026, claimants must be Australian citizens, permanent residents or specified foreign retirees, alongside the other conditions. Check QRO's established-home, new-home and vacant-land rules, then use our Queensland duty guide for worked examples.
Queensland Boost to Buy may contribute up to 30% for a new home or 25% for an existing home in exchange for a share of its value. Eligible applicants need at least a 2% deposit plus buying costs, and must satisfy the ownership, residence, property and lending requirements.
For the 2026 taxable-income year, the published limits are $155,000 for an individual and $232,000 for joint applicants or an individual with dependants. The property-price cap is $1 million.
As checked on 12 September 2026, Queensland Treasury reports that Round 2 South East Queensland allocations are exhausted, with regional allocations still available. Check current availability and eligibility. Applications go through Unity Bank.
If you are buying or building a new home, you may be eligible for a $10,000 grant.
NSW duty relief can save eligible first home buyers thousands of dollars. Check the current calculation in our NSW stamp duty guide.
Concessional Rate: For land valued between $350,000 and $450,000.
The NSW Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper pilot closed to new applications in 2024. It is not an open option for a new purchase. Eligible buyers can instead check the separate federal Help to Buy scheme. Existing NSW participants should follow their own scheme agreement.
For transactions from 1 July 2026, eligible ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme buyers pay $0 conveyance duty, with no income threshold or property-value cap. This covers eligible homes and vacant residential land.
The 5 year property-ownership test still applies to all buyers and their domestic partners, subject to limited exceptions. At least one buyer must meet the residence requirement: generally moving in within 12 months and living there continuously for 12 months. Earlier contracts use the earlier rules. Check ACT Revenue's eligibility guidance before counting the saving in your deposit budget.
The ACT also removed the Disability Duty Concession Scheme's property-value cap from 1 July 2026. Its own eligibility conditions still apply. See ACT Revenue's 2026-27 Budget changes and confirm the applicable scheme before signing.
The Northern Territory currently offers the most generous first home buyer grant in Australia, designed to stimulate new housing construction.
If you are buying or building a new home, you can receive a massive $50,000 grant.
Note: The previous $10,000 grant for buying an established (existing) home expired on 30 September 2025 and is no longer available.
A separate NT exemption can apply to qualifying house-and-land package contracts with a building contractor signed from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2027. There is no price cap, but the contract structure and all eligibility conditions matter. At least one buyer must generally move in within 12 months of completion and live there for 6 continuous months. See NT Government's package exemption; a separate land purchase and building contract do not automatically qualify.
This is a government-backed loan initiative to help low-to-middle income earners secure a home loan with a low deposit.
If you are not a first home buyer (e.g., you owned a home years ago), you may still be eligible for the $30,000 FreshStart Grant if you build or buy a new home.
For more information and application forms, please visit the NT.gov.au website.
South Australia currently offers one of the most accessible schemes for buyers of new homes, having removed property price caps completely.
South Australia has effectively abolished stamp duty for eligible first-home buyers purchasing a new home.
Important Eligibility Update (2025): For contracts signed on or after 13 February 2025, stricter rules apply: you and your partner must generally never have owned residential property in Australia before (even if you didn't live in it).
For further details on these grants, visit Revenue SA's website.
Tasmania still has a strong first home buyer grant, but the headline amount has changed and the stamp duty exemption has closed. Check both against your contract date.
Tasmania's "Stamping Out Stamp Duty" policy gave first home buyers of established homes a 100% duty exemption, but it applied only to properties settling on or before 30 June 2026, and that window has now closed. The terms below applied inside it. If you are buying now, confirm the concession currently on offer with the State Revenue Office of Tasmania before you budget: do not assume a full exemption.
This state-backed scheme helps you buy a home with a deposit of just 2%.
For more details on these time-sensitive offers, visit the State Revenue Office of Tasmania's website.
Would you like to learn about your situation?
Victoria offers specific grants for buying new homes, but the landscape has changed significantly with the closure of the state's shared equity fund in late 2025.
Victoria provides generous stamp duty relief for first-home buyers, which can save you up to $31,070.
If you buy an apartment or townhouse "off-the-plan," you may be eligible for a stamp duty concession that deducts construction costs from the purchase price.
For more detailed information, we recommend visiting the State Revenue Office of Victoria's website.
Western Australia recently updated its stamp duty thresholds to help first-home buyers keep up with rising property prices.
For eligible WA transactions from 7 May 2026, homes have a $600,000 full-exemption threshold and a concessional band from $600,001 to $800,000. Vacant land has a $450,000 full-exemption threshold and a concessional band from $450,001 to $550,000.
The current duty bands apply statewide. The 26th-parallel distinction in the cash grant must not be used as a separate current duty rate. See RevenueWA's First Home Owner Rate fact sheet and our WA grant guide. Previous ownership and occupation conditions still apply.
WA's off-the-plan concession has been extended to eligible contracts through 30 June 2028, with expanded property coverage. The contract date, property type, value and construction stage determine the concession. Check RevenueWA's current conditions rather than using the old June 2026 end date.
A cash grant can reduce your upfront costs. Shared equity reduces the loan but gives the government a share of the home's value. A deposit guarantee may remove LMI while leaving you responsible for the full loan.
Compare what each option saves now with the repayments, eligibility rules and obligations you will take on.
| Scheme | Potential benefit | What to allow for |
|---|---|---|
| Help to Buy | Smaller loan with government shared equity and a minimum 2% deposit | You share changes in the home's value and must meet ongoing income and occupation obligations. Use an approved lender. |
| Boost to Buy | Queensland shared equity with a minimum 2% deposit | Limited allocations, an approved lender and obligations to repay the government's share. |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Eligible borrowers avoid LMI without giving government an equity share | A smaller deposit means a larger loan. Lending, property-price and occupation requirements apply. |
| FHSS | Eligible voluntary super contributions can help fund a first home | Contribution limits, tax treatment and release deadlines apply. It is your saved money, not a cash grant. |
| State home-owner grant | A cash contribution to an eligible purchase or build | Property, ownership and occupation rules differ. Check when it is paid before relying on it for settlement. |
Some benefits can be combined if you meet each program's rules. For example, an eligible state cash grant may be used with Help to Buy. Confirm the grant amount and payment date, and check the lender will accept that combination before including it in your deposit.
When you sell the property, you must repay the government's share of the home's current market value. If the government contributed 30% to buy the home, they take 30% of the sale proceeds. This means if your home has gone up in value, the government shares in that profit.
No, the Victorian Homebuyer Fund closed to new applications in late 2025. It has been effectively superseded by the Federal Help to Buy scheme, which is now active and available to Victorian buyers with similar benefits.
As of 1 October 2025, the specific "Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee" has been merged into the expanded First Home Guarantee (FHBG). Regional buyers now access the main FHBG, which offers unlimited places and higher price caps (e.g., up to $1 million in QLD regional centers). You generally need a 5% deposit and must not have owned property in the last 10 years.
Start with the official scheme rules for your location and property. Hunter Galloway can discuss your loan and deposit budget and identify options to investigate further.
Check which benefits can be combined before applying. Cash grants and duty concessions may work together, but you cannot assume every guarantee, shared-equity scheme and grant can be stacked.
The main types of support are:
Help to Buy may contribute up to 40% for a new home or 30% for an existing home. You need at least a 2% deposit and lender approval. The government shares the property's gains or losses when its share is repaid, under the scheme agreement; you do not pay rent on that share.
The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme provides an eligible lender with a guarantee, usually up to 15% of the property value for the first-home pathway. It is not cash added to your deposit. You remain responsible for the full loan, and must meet the scheme and lender requirements.
Eligible single parents or single legal guardians with dependent children can apply with a minimum 2% deposit and no LMI. There is no income cap. You do not need to be a first home buyer, but cannot own another property interest once the new home settles. Scheme and lender requirements still apply.
FHSS lets eligible buyers release qualifying voluntary super contributions and associated earnings. Up to $15,000 of contributions per year and $50,000 overall can count. Generally, 85% of eligible concessional contributions and 100% of eligible non-concessional contributions are releasable, plus associated earnings. Tax can apply on release.
The application route depends on the benefit. Government guarantees and shared equity use participating lenders; cash grants can often be lodged through an approved agent or directly with the revenue office. Apply for FHSS through the ATO.
A broker can check loan options, help with budgeting and explain the relevant scheme pathways. Ask whether the particular scheme is available through the broker or requires a direct lender application.
If you're ready to buy your first home, our team at Hunter Galloway can help.
Bring your savings, price range and the state you are buying in. Our team can check the loan alongside the grants and concessions you may qualify for.
To chat about your deposit, lending and first home ownership options, please give us a call on 1300 088 065 or book a free assessment online to see how we can help.
Duty information checked on 12 September 2026. The transaction date and each buyer's circumstances determine which rules apply.
