2026 First Home Buyer Grant Australia: State-by-State Guide

Australia's First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) puts real cash — up to $50,000 depending on where you buy — directly toward your first home. It's a state and territory program, which means the rules, amounts and property price caps are different everywhere. This guide breaks down every state and territory for 2026 so you know exactly what you're entitled to before you sign anything.

Quick Overview: What's Available in 2026

Support for first home buyers falls into three buckets.

State and territory grants — primarily the FHOG — are cash payments for buying or building a brand new home. Stamp duty concessions are tax reductions that can apply to both new and established homes, depending on the state. Federal deposit schemes help you get into the market with a smaller deposit and avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). These federal schemes are completely separate from state grants and can often be used together.

Fast Eligibility Checklist

Before diving into state-by-state details, run through these basics:

• You've never previously owned property in Australia (all applicants, not just the primary buyer)
• Your property is a new build, off-the-plan purchase or substantially renovated home — not an established home
• The property value sits under your state's cap — total land and build cost, not just the house
• You'll move in by the required deadline and stay for the minimum occupancy period
• You're an Australian citizen or permanent resident

2026 State-by-State Summary Table

Amounts, caps and residency rules can change. Every row above was read from the issuing revenue office on 13 August 2026, and each state's section below carries the source URL. Always confirm with the relevant revenue office before committing.

The grant is only half of it. Every state also charges stamp duty, and most waive or reduce it for first home buyers under a price threshold — often worth more than the grant, and in the ACT it is the entire benefit, since there is no cash grant there at all. This prices that half against your own purchase:

Untick the box to see what the same purchase costs without the concession. That difference is a saving the table above does not show, and it is on top of any grant you also receive.

Federal Schemes That Stack With State Grants

These are separate from the FHOG — but you can often use both at the same time.

Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme (from 1 Oct 2025)

The federal Home Guarantee Scheme was overhauled and renamed in October 2025. Here's where it stands:

• No income caps — from 1 October 2025 the income limits were removed entirely
• No waitlists — unlimited Scheme places
• 5% minimum deposit — eligible single parents or legal guardians may qualify with just 2%
• No LMI — the government guarantees the loan so you don't pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance
• 90 days to find a home and sign a contract once you're pre-approved

Property price caps are set by location:

Source: Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme — property price caps, read 13 August 2026. Regional centres are the Central Coast, Coffs Harbour–Grafton, Illawarra, Mid North Coast, Richmond–Tweed plus Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in NSW; Geelong in Victoria; and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Both the purchase price and the lender's assessed value must sit at or below the cap.

The no-LMI point is significant. LMI on a low-deposit loan can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Avoiding it is a genuine financial win.

First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS)

You can use your super fund to save for a deposit — and pay less tax on the way. Voluntary contributions into super are taxed at 15%, which is lower than most people's marginal rate. You can contribute up to $15,000 per year and $50,000 in total, then withdraw those contributions plus associated earnings towards your first home. You must request an FHSS determination before property ownership transfers to you.

Source: First Home Super Saver Scheme, read 13 August 2026.

Shared Equity: Help to Buy

The federal Help to Buy scheme is the shared-equity option now open nationally. You save a minimum 2% deposit and the Australian Government contributes up to 30% of the purchase price for an established home or up to 40% for a newly built home, taking a proportional equity share that it recovers when you sell or buy it out. There are 10,000 places a year.

Two state schemes that older guides still list are no longer open: the Victorian Homebuyer Fund (which contributed up to 25%) is closed to new participants, and the NSW Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper no longer appears among Revenue NSW's current home buying assistance programs. Don't build a plan around either without checking directly.

Sources: Australian Government Help to Buy Scheme and SRO Victoria — Victorian Homebuyer Fund (closed), both read 13 August 2026.

New South Wales

First Home Owner Grant

The NSW FHOG pays $10,000 on new homes only. Two property value caps apply depending on what you're buying:

• Purchasing a new home: cap is $600,000
• Building on land (land and build contract): cap is $750,000

Substantially renovated properties can also qualify — but the bar is high. The home needs to be effectively new, unoccupied and unsold after renovation, with the developer (not a previous owner) having done the work. You'll need builder contracts, invoices, construction photos, structural reports and a vendor declaration on GST treatment.

Stamp Duty Relief

This is where NSW gets generous with established homes too.

• Full stamp duty exemption on a new or existing home up to $800,000
• Partial concession on homes above $800,000 and under $1,000,000
• Vacant land: exemption up to $350,000, concession above $350,000 and under $450,000
• You must move in within 12 months of settlement and live there continuously for 12 months

Two things worth knowing. First, NSW is unusually generous in covering established homes for duty relief, not just new builds — the grant is new-homes-only but the exemption is not. Second, the concession above $800,000 is a smooth taper, not a cliff: at $801,000 an eligible buyer pays roughly $196, not thousands. The relief shrinks in proportion to how far you are from $1,000,000.

Sources: Revenue NSW — First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme and NSW Government — First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant eligibility, both read 13 August 2026.

How to Apply in NSW

Apply through an approved lender (fastest — funds arrive at settlement) or directly through Revenue NSW after completion. You'll need: photo ID, your contract of sale or building contract, proof of citizenship or permanent residency and a statutory declaration that you've never owned property in Australia before.

Victoria

First Home Owner Grant

Victoria pays $10,000 on a newly constructed or never-occupied home valued up to $750,000. There is no regional bonus — the $20,000 regional First Home Owner Grant ended on 30 June 2021, and any guide still quoting it (including earlier versions of this one) is five years out of date. Eligible properties include new homes, substantially renovated homes and homes rebuilt to replace a demolished one.

Stamp Duty Relief

• Full exemption on properties up to $600,000
• Concession for properties between $600,001 and $750,000
• New homes, established homes and vacant land all qualify — this is not a new-builds-only concession
• You must live in the home for 12 continuous months within 12 months of settlement

Sources: SRO Victoria — First Home Owner Grant, first home buyer duty exemption or concession and Regional First Home Owner Grant (closed), all read 13 August 2026.

How to Apply in VIC

Apply through your lender or directly with the State Revenue Office (SRO Victoria). Processing typically takes around 10 working days, though it can vary.

Queensland

The $30,000 Grant

Queensland's FHOG is the most generous on the east coast, sitting at $30,000 for eligible contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023 ($15,000 for contracts signed before that date). For an owner-builder the test is when the foundations are laid, not a contract date. The Queensland Government states the increased grant "will continue for eligible contracts signed from 1 July 2026 going forward". Your contract date — not your settlement date — determines which amount you get.

The property value must be less than $750,000 including land and any contract variations. QRO is explicit that at $750,000 or more you get nothing. Eligible types include new builds, off-the-plan purchases and substantially renovated homes.

Substantially Renovated in QLD

QRO's test is that all, or most, of the structural or non-structural components of the building were removed or replaced, most of the rooms were affected, and the renovation affected the building as a whole. It does not require work to the foundations, external walls, interior supporting walls, floors, roof or staircases. Cosmetic work, or renovating one part of the building, does not qualify. The seller must also be registered for GST, be selling as a taxable supply in the course of their business, give you a tax invoice showing the GST component and provide a vendor statement describing the renovations.

An earlier version of this guide quoted a "$1.5 million pre-renovation value" and a "$150,000 to $750,000 renovation cost" band for this test. Those figures do not appear anywhere in QRO's own definition and have been removed.

Residency and Application

Move in within 12 months of completion and live there for 6 continuous months. Apply through your lender or via the Queensland Revenue Office online portal.

Sources: QRO — first home grant eligibility and Queensland Government — first home owner grant, both read 13 August 2026.

South Australia

First Home Owner Grant

SA pays up to $15,000 on a new home. And here's something different — for contracts entered, or owner-builder construction commenced, on or after 6 June 2024, there is no property value cap at all. RevenueSA's own words: "There is no limit to the market value of the eligible property." Before that the cap was $650,000, and before that $575,000.

One nuance: the grant cannot exceed the consideration. If the purchase price or construction cost is less than $15,000 you receive only that amount. Vacant land on its own does not qualify, though a contract to build on it does.

Stamp Duty

For contracts entered on or after 13 February 2025, SA gives full stamp duty relief regardless of property value, on a new home, an off-the-plan apartment or vacant land you intend to build your home on. An established home does not qualify.

Watch this carve-out: for contracts from 13 February 2025 the relief is not applied to the 7% foreign ownership surcharge, so a foreign first home buyer still pays it. For contracts between 6 June 2024 and 12 February 2025 the surcharge could be relieved too.

Occupancy for both: at least 6 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement (or within 12 months of the building becoming ready to occupy, for a building contract or owner-builder).

How to Apply in SA

Apply through an approved lender or directly with RevenueSA. The grant and stamp duty relief have separate applications, so don't assume one covers both.

Sources: RevenueSA — FHOG eligible properties, FHOG grant details and stamp duty relief available, all read 13 August 2026.

Western Australia

First Home Owner Grant

WA pays up to $10,000 on new or substantially renovated homes, with no income or assets test. The property value cap depends on where in the state you're buying, and it increased on 7 May 2026:

• South of the 26th parallel (includes all Perth metropolitan areas): $800,000 for transactions commencing on or after 7 May 2026 — it was $750,000 on or before 6 May 2026
• North of the 26th parallel: $1,000,000, unchanged

That higher northern cap makes WA worth looking at if you're buying up north.

Stamp Duty Concessions

The first home owner rate of duty also changed on 7 May 2026, and the old zone split between Perth/Peel and regional WA is gone. For transactions commencing from 7 May 2026:

Homes:

• No duty up to $600,000
• $600,001 to $800,000: $16.15 per $100 (or part) above $600,000
• Above $800,000: the general rate applies

Vacant land:

• No duty up to $450,000
• $450,001 to $550,000: $20.14 per $100 (or part) above $450,000
• Above $550,000: the general rate applies

For transactions between 21 March 2025 and 6 May 2026 the old rules apply instead: nil duty to $500,000, then a concessional rate to $700,000 in the Metropolitan and Peel regions or $750,000 outside them.

Off-the-plan (runs to 30 June 2028):

• Pre-construction: 100% of the duty up to $800,000, tapering to 50% at $900,000 or more, capped at $50,000
• Under-construction: 75% up to $800,000, tapering to 37.5% at $900,000 or more, also capped at $50,000
• The $800,000/$900,000 bands apply to contracts entered from 12 March 2026; contracts from 21 March 2025 to 11 March 2026 use $750,000/$850,000

One procedural trap: if you aren't approved for the grant or pre-approved for the first home owner rate before settlement, duty is assessed at the general rate and you have to pay it, then apply for a reassessment and refund.

Sources: WA Department of Finance — about the first home owner grant, transfer duty assessment and apply for an off-the-plan duty concession, all read 13 August 2026.

Keystart: WA's State-Backed Lender

If you're in WA and struggling to hit a standard deposit, Keystart is worth knowing about. It's a government-backed lender offering home loans with a low deposit and no lender's mortgage insurance.

Key details from Keystart's own page:

• Your deposit is the higher of 2% or $2,000 and may vary with location and purchase price
• Owner-occupiers only — you must live in the property
• Income limits and maximum property values apply and vary by location, so read them off Keystart's own selector rather than a summary
• You can put your first home owner grant towards the deposit if you're building

An earlier version of this guide quoted specific Keystart income limits and maximum property values. Those figures are rendered per-location on Keystart's site rather than published as a fixed table, so they could not be verified and have been removed. Get them from Keystart directly before you plan around them.

Source: Keystart — Low Deposit Home Loan, read 13 August 2026.

Tasmania

Grant Amount — Banded by Your Commencement Date

There is no ambiguity here once you read the SRO's own table: the amount is set by the date the eligible transaction commenced, and it has moved four times.

So a transaction commencing today attracts $20,000. No rate is published beyond 30 June 2027, and the SRO's page states no property value cap. New homes only — a home not previously occupied or sold as a place of residence, kit homes included.

Stamp Duty Concession on Established Homes — Now Closed

TAS ran a 100% stamp duty exemption for first home buyers of established homes with a dutiable value up to $750,000, for transactions settling between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026 inclusive. The SRO now states plainly that it "is not available for transactions settling after 30 June 2026", and it was not extended. A Tasmanian first home buyer settling today pays the standard rate of duty.

The pensioner downsizing concession is also closed — it required the sale of your former home to settle on or before 30 June 2025.

Occupancy for the grant: live in the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months, starting within 12 months of completion.

Sources: SRO Tasmania — first home owner eligibility and first home buyers of established homes duty relief, both read 13 August 2026.

Australian Capital Territory

No FHOG — But the Country's Strongest Duty Concession

The ACT hasn't paid a First Home Owner Grant since 1 July 2019. What it offers instead is the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, and from 1 July 2026 it became the most generous first home buyer relief in Australia: an eligible buyer is exempt from conveyance duty entirely, with no income threshold and no property value limit. Both tests were removed. New homes, established homes and vacant residential land all qualify.

If you read a guide quoting a $1,020,000 ACT value cap or a $250,000 income limit, it is describing the rules that ended on 30 June 2026. For the record, those income thresholds applied to transaction dates from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026:

The requirement that does still bite is the prior-property test, and it is not "never owned". You and your domestic partner must not have owned or held any legal or equitable interest in any other property in the last 5 years, anywhere in the ACT, Australia or overseas. There are limited exemptions, including for separation and family violence.

You must also own and live in the home as your principal place of residence continuously for at least one year, starting within one year of settlement (or of the certificate of occupancy for vacant land). Applications go through the ACT Revenue Office.

Off-the-plan units get their own exemption: for contracts exchanged from 1 July 2026 there's no duty on an off-the-plan unit owner-occupier purchase, with no value requirement.

Sources: ACT Revenue Office — about the Home Buyer Concession Scheme and off the plan unit duty exemption, both read 13 August 2026.

Northern Territory

HomeGrown Territory Grant — $50,000, No Price Cap

The HomeGrown Territory Grant pays $50,000 to a first home buyer building or buying their first new home, and it is the largest first home grant in the country. There is no cap on the build or purchase price. It can also be used for a new transportable home, as long as it is permanently fixed and legally approved to live in, and it covers owner-builders and off-the-plan purchases.

Dates matter and they were extended: you must sign a contract to buy or build (or start building as an owner-builder) between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2027, and the contract must not replace an earlier contract signed before 1 October 2024. Applications for HomeGrown close 30 September 2028, and you must apply within 12 months of settlement.

Eligibility: be a genuine first home buyer (never owned a home anywhere in Australia), the home must never have been lived in or sold as a residence, you must be a person rather than a company or trustee, at least one applicant must be over 18, at least one must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident and you must live in the home for at least 12 months after taking possession or after construction completes.

The FreshStart Grant Is Not a First Home Grant

The FreshStart New Home Grant pays $30,000 and is often listed alongside HomeGrown as if it were a second first-home scheme. It is not: the Territory Government describes it as being for existing home owners buying or building a new home. It also cannot be used in conjunction with the HomeGrown Territory Grant. Applications for FreshStart close 31 December 2027.

The $10,000 Established-Home Grant Is Gone

The Territory Government's own page states that HomeGrown replaced the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant. It was not supplemented and it is not still available for established homes. Any guide saying the NT pays $10,000 on an established home — including earlier versions of this one — is wrong.

The NT also offers a House and Land Package Exemption from stamp duty for eligible contracts signed between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2027. That's a separate application from the grant, so check both.

Sources: NT Government — buying or building a new home (HomeGrown Territory), NT Government — home owner assistance and Territory Revenue Office — stamp duty, all read 13 August 2026.

What "New Home" Actually Means

Most first home buyer grants are for new homes only — but what counts?

Eligible property types (in most states):

• A brand new home that has never been lived in
• An off-the-plan apartment or townhouse
• A substantially renovated home (most or all of the original building was removed or replaced)
• A house and land package, or a contract to build on vacant land

The "substantially renovated" test is stricter than it sounds. It's based on federal GST Act principles — the renovation must effectively create new residential premises. That means:

• Major structural works (new foundations, load-bearing walls, new roof)
• Works affecting most rooms or the entire building
• The property has not been occupied or sold as a residence after renovation
• The vendor is registered for GST and treats the sale as taxable

Painting, new carpet or a kitchen renovation alone won't qualify. The bar is high.

Common Reasons Applications Get Rejected

• Missing the occupancy deadline — you didn't move in on time, or didn't stay long enough
• Buying the wrong property type — purchased an established home expecting a grant available only for new homes
• Exceeding the property value cap — the final land-and-build cost crept over the limit
• Wrong ownership structure — grants are for individuals, not companies or trusts

How to Apply: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Identify the right scheme. Are you after the FHOG (new homes), a stamp duty concession (new or established) or a federal guarantee scheme? Each has different rules and application processes.

Step 2: Confirm caps and dates. Visit the official revenue office website for the state your property is in. Don't rely on what your real estate agent or even your broker tells you — verify it yourself.

Step 3: Choose your application pathway. Applying through your lender is usually faster — the grant is paid at settlement. Applying directly to the revenue office happens after completion and takes longer, but is still valid.

Step 4: Gather your documents. You'll need:

• Photo ID for all applicants
• Contract of sale or building contract
• Proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency
• Statutory declaration confirming you've never owned property in Australia

Step 5: Submit before the deadline. Most states require application within 12 months of settlement or completion, but this varies. Don't sit on it.

Step 6: Keep your records. Hold onto your approval letters, settlement statements and anything that proves you met the occupancy rule — utility bills and bank statements showing your address work well.

Where to Apply in Each State and Territory

Worked Examples: Grant and Stamp Duty Outcomes

Figures are indicative only and exclude lender fees, conveyancing costs and building variations. Duty outcomes were computed with our Stamp Duty Calculator, which uses each jurisdiction's published scale.

The Bottom Line

The support available to first home buyers in 2026 is genuinely substantial — but only if you pick the right property type, stay under the cap and move in on time. The NT's $50,000 HomeGrown grant has no price cap and is the biggest in the country. Queensland's $30,000 grant continues for contracts signed from 1 July 2026 onward. The ACT now charges eligible buyers no duty at all, at any price. And the federal 5% Deposit Scheme — now with no income limits and no LMI — means more buyers can get in with a small deposit.

Here's the most important thing most guides don't tell you: these schemes reward preparation. Know your state's rules before you start inspecting properties, not after you've fallen in love with one that's just over the cap. Use the First Home Owner Grant tool to check your state's eligibility rules, and the Stamp Duty Calculator to see your full upfront cost. Get the numbers right early and the grants take care of themselves.

Every grant amount, property value cap, date band and eligibility rule in this article was read directly from the issuing revenue office or government page on 13 August 2026, with the source linked in each section. Several of these schemes turn over on 1 July and three changed in the first half of 2026 alone — WA's caps on 7 May, the ACT's whole concession on 1 July and Tasmania's grant band on 1 July — so check the date on any guide you read, including this one.