A first home owner grant is a payment from a state or territory government, usually to help eligible buyers purchase or build a new home to live in. It is not a Commonwealth scheme, the amount and rules differ everywhere, and in most jurisdictions it is not available for established homes.

The grant is also not the same thing as a stamp duty concession, the 5% Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy or the First Home Super Saver Scheme. You can sometimes use more than one of those together, but each has its own test. In the Australian Capital Territory, the First Home Owner Grant payment itself is no longer available for transactions that started on or after 1 July 2019. The Northern Territory has replaced its $10,000 grant with the HomeGrown Territory Grant.

The figures below were taken from official revenue office and government pages in November 2026. Amounts, value caps and contract-date rules change. Confirm the current settings with the revenue office in the state or territory where you are buying before you rely on a grant at settlement.

This is general information only. It is not personal advice, and it is not a determination of eligibility.

Snapshot of current grant amounts

Use this as a starting map, then read the official page for the jurisdiction. "New home" usually means a home that has not been lived in or sold as a residence before, and it can include some substantially renovated homes where the local law allows that.

State or territory Current payment (typical new-home contracts) Property-value cap, where published Official source
New South Wales $10,000 First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant $600,000 for a newly built or substantially renovated home; $750,000 combined for vacant land plus a comprehensive building contract and variations Revenue NSW
Victoria $10,000 Newly constructed or never-occupied properties valued up to $750,000 State Revenue Office Victoria
Queensland $30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, including eligible contracts from 1 July 2026. $15,000 only for contracts signed before 20 November 2023 (owner-builders: the same dates apply to when foundations were laid) Less than $750,000, including land and contract variations. A home valued at $750,000 or more is not eligible Queensland Revenue Office, last updated 6 November 2026
Western Australia Up to $10,000 For transactions commencing on or after 7 May 2026: $800,000 south of the 26th parallel (including Perth), $1,000,000 north of it. Earlier transactions had a $750,000 southern cap WA Government, fact sheet updated 29 July 2026
South Australia Up to $15,000 Confirm any current cap with RevenueSA. A 2024 change is widely described as removing the cap for later contracts, but you should rely on the office, not on a secondary summary RevenueSA
Tasmania $20,000 for transactions commencing between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. The amount was $30,000 for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 The eligibility page reviewed in November 2026 did not state a property-value cap for the grant itself. Confirm with the State Revenue Office Tasmania SRO Tasmania, last published 14 July 2026
Australian Capital Territory No First Home Owner Grant payment for transactions commencing on or after 1 July 2019 Not applicable. From 1 July 2026, eligible buyers under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme are exempt from conveyance duty, with no income threshold. Prior property and residence rules still apply ACT Revenue Office
Northern Territory $50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant, which replaces the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant No cap on the build or purchase price, on the official page nt.gov.au. Contracts to buy or build, or owner-builder commencement, from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027. Apply by 30 September 2028

The Northern Territory also has a separate FreshStart New Home Grant of $30,000. The official page says it cannot be used together with the HomeGrown Territory Grant. FreshStart is a different program, not a substitute first-home definition, so read the Territory guidance if you might be eligible for that payment instead.

What do the grants usually require?

The detail is local, but most first home owner grants share a similar shape:

  • you must be a natural person, not a company or trust, and generally at least 18
  • at least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (South Australia also refers to New Zealand citizens who hold a Special Category visa and reside in Australia)
  • you, and usually your spouse or partner, must not have received a first home owner grant before, and must meet the first-home ownership tests, which often look at property owned from 1 July 2000 and, in some cases, earlier ownership
  • the home must generally be new, or in some states substantially renovated, and it must be in that state or territory
  • you must occupy the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period, commonly six months, starting within a set time after settlement or completion. Queensland requires you to move in within one year and then live there for six months. The Northern Territory requires 12 months. The ACT Home Buyer Concession requires one year
  • you usually apply within 12 months of settlement or completion, often through your lender if you need the payment at settlement or at a first progress payment

Queensland's official eligibility page states that income has no bearing on eligibility for its grant. Western Australia's fact sheet also says there are no income or assets tests. Other jurisdictions still have first-home, value-cap and occupancy tests even where they do not means-test income. Do not assume a grant is means-tested, or that it is not, without reading the local page.

If you do not complete the occupancy period, or if the transaction turns out not to have been eligible, you can be required to repay the grant, sometimes with a penalty. Revenue offices run compliance checks after the payment is made.

How does a grant differ from stamp duty help?

In every state and territory, transfer duty (stamp duty) concessions or exemptions for first home buyers are a separate decision. An established-home buyer who cannot get a grant may still get a duty concession. A new-home buyer may be able to claim both.

Queensland's official page makes that split explicit: there is no grant for established homes, but a first-time buyer of an established home may still qualify for a first home duty concession, and a first-time buyer of a new home may be entitled to a full duty concession as well as the grant.

Victoria also publishes a first home buyer duty exemption or concession for homes up to $750,000, separate from the $10,000 grant. New South Wales points house hunters to a Home Buyer Assistance Finder for the state's main programs.

The ACT no longer pays a first home owner grant on current transactions. Its main substitute is the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, which from 1 July 2026 exempts eligible buyers from conveyance duty, with no income threshold. You still have to meet the ACT Revenue Office's prior property rules and live in the home as your principal place of residence for a minimum of one year, starting within one year of settlement (or of the certificate of occupancy, for vacant land). The concession can apply to new homes, established homes and vacant residential land.

Use the Never Lose Interest stamp duty calculator for a duty estimate, then confirm any concession with the revenue office or your conveyancer. The calculator is an estimate, not an assessment.

Can I use a grant with the 5% Deposit Scheme or Help to Buy?

The schemes are assessed separately.

Queensland's revenue office states that eligibility for a national home guarantee scheme does not affect eligibility for its first home owner grant. The official Help to Buy page says you can still benefit from stamp duty concessions, grants and other exemptions, but you cannot combine Help to Buy with other shared-equity schemes, or with state or territory loans or guarantees that support the purchase.

A grant can sometimes be used toward a deposit if the lender and the revenue office allow an early payment, which the Northern Territory official page expressly contemplates. That is still subject to loan approval. Do not treat a grant you have not been paid as cash in the bank.

How do I apply?

If you need the payment at settlement, or as a first progress payment on a build, you generally have to lodge through an approved lender or agent. If settlement or construction has already happened, many revenue offices let you apply directly, usually within 12 months.

Applications typically need proof of identity, citizenship or residency, the contract, evidence that the home is new, and later evidence that you lived there. All owners on the title are usually applicants, and a spouse or partner who is not on the title can still affect eligibility.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a first home owner grant for established homes?

In the jurisdictions reviewed for this article, the grant is aimed at new homes, and several official pages say plainly that established homes are not eligible. You may still be eligible for a duty concession on an established home. The ACT's duty concession can apply to established homes. Check the local revenue office rather than assuming a cash grant will be paid.

Can I get the grant if I have owned an investment property?

Sometimes, if the local law treats that property as never having been your home and you meet the evidence rules. Queensland, for example, may still treat you as eligible if an interest owned since 1 July 2000 was used solely for investment and you can show you never lived in it. Other jurisdictions are stricter. This is one of the points where a wrong assumption is expensive, so read the local test or get advice.

Does the grant count as income?

Treatment can differ for tax, Centrelink and lender serviceability. Do not assume it is tax-free in every context, and do not assume a lender will add the full grant to your genuine savings. Ask the revenue office, the ATO or a registered tax agent, and your lender, about your situation.

General information warning

This article is general information only. It is not personal financial product advice or a decision about a grant application. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Grant amounts, caps and eligibility change, and a published amount is not an approval. Confirm the current rules with the relevant state or territory revenue office, and consider speaking with a licensed adviser or your conveyancer before you sign a contract.

Sources

Last reviewed: November 2026.