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.

Key Takeaways

• The FHOG applies to new homes only in most states — established properties are generally excluded from the cash grant (though stamp duty concessions can still apply).
• Queensland currently offers the highest grant at $30,000, but only for contracts signed before 30 June 2026.
• The Northern Territory stands out with $50,000 for new homes and $10,000 for established homes — the only state or territory to offer grants on existing properties.
• Federal schemes like the 5% Deposit Home Guarantee can be stacked on top of state grants. From 1 October 2025, income caps were removed entirely.
• Every state has a property value cap. Exceed it by a dollar and you get nothing — so know your numbers before you make an offer.

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. Always confirm with the relevant state revenue office before committing.

Federal Schemes That Stack With State Grants

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

Home Guarantee Scheme (5% Deposit — from 1 Oct 2025)

The federal government's Home Guarantee Scheme got a major overhaul in October 2025. Here's what changed:

• No income caps — the previous limits of $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples were scrapped entirely
• No waitlists — unlimited places for eligible first home buyers
• Higher property price caps — Sydney up to $1,500,000, Brisbane up to $1,000,000 (check your city)
• 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

That last 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. The scheme lets you withdraw up to $50,000 total (including associated earnings), with a cap of $15,000 in contributions per financial year counting toward the limit.

Shared Equity Schemes

Some states will actually co-purchase the property with you, reducing your loan size.

• NSW Shared Equity — the government contributes up to 40% for a new home or 30% for an established home
• Victoria Homebuyer Fund — the government contributes up to 25% of the purchase price

These are means-tested and places are limited. Check the current eligibility rules on official state government sites.

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 homes up to $800,000
• Partial concession on homes between $800,001 and $1,000,000
• You must live in the property continuously for 12 months within the first year of ownership

The catch? The occupancy rules differ between schemes. The FHOG may only require 6 months, but the stamp duty exemption demands 12. Check which rule applies to what you're claiming.

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 for metro Melbourne purchases and up to $20,000 for eligible regional areas. The property value cap is $750,000 across the board. 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
• You must live in the home for 12 continuous months within the first year

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 — But Watch the Deadline

Queensland's FHOG is the most generous on the east coast right now, sitting at $30,000 for eligible contracts signed between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2026. Before and after that window, the standard grant is $15,000. Your contract date — not your settlement date — determines which amount you get. So if you're close to the deadline, don't let it slip.

The property value cap is $750,000 (total home and land value). Eligible types include new builds, off-the-plan purchases, substantial renovations, and kit or modular homes.

Substantially Renovated in QLD

Queensland's definition has some nuance. Substantial renovations can include demolition-and-replace scenarios where the pre-renovation value was under $1.5 million and renovation costs fall between $150,000 and $750,000 (inclusive of GST). Confirm the specifics with the Queensland Revenue Office — these thresholds matter.

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, and lodge within one year of taking possession.

South Australia

First Home Owner Grant

SA pays $15,000 on new homes. And here's something different — since June 2024, SA has no reported property value cap on the FHOG. That's a meaningful change from most other states. Confirm this is still the case with RevenueSA before you rely on it.

Stamp Duty

SA also offers full stamp duty exemption on new homes — again with no price cap reported since June 2024. You must live in the home for at least 6 months within the first year.

How to Apply in SA

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

Western Australia

First Home Owner Grant

WA pays $10,000 on new or substantially renovated homes. But the property value cap depends on where in the state you're buying:

• South of the 26th parallel (includes Perth): $750,000
• North of the 26th parallel: $1,000,000

That higher regional cap makes WA worth looking at if you're buying in the north.

Stamp Duty Concessions

WA's transfer duty rules (effective from 21 March 2025) work like this:

Established homes:

• No duty up to $500,000
• Concessions above that — up to $700,000 in Perth/Peel and up to $750,000 in regional WA (check zone definitions)

Vacant land:

• No duty up to $350,000
• Concessions up to $450,000

Off-the-plan (contracts before 30 June 2026):

• Pre-construction: 100% waiver up to $750,000, phasing to 50% at $850,000 in certain circumstances
• Under-construction: 75% concession up to $750,000

These numbers shift based on contract timing — confirm the current rules with WA Revenue.

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 minimum 2% deposit and no LMI.

Key details:

• You must be 18+, an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in WA
• Owner-occupiers only — you must live in the property
• Income limits apply: singles up to $148,000, couples/families up to $218,000 (higher thresholds for Kimberley/Pilbara)
• Maximum property value: $800,000 (Low Deposit Home Loan), $660,000 (Shared Equity product)
• Loan term up to 30 years, variable rate, principal and interest only

The application is online and takes roughly 20–30 minutes for pre-approval. An Aboriginal-specific assistance scheme is available under Keystart Aboriginal with broadly similar criteria.

Tasmania

Grant Amount — Check Your Dates

Tasmania's FHOG has some ambiguity right now. Some sources report $30,000 while others say it reverted to $10,000 for transactions after 1 July 2024. The honest answer: your contract and settlement dates matter, and you need to check the current figure with the State Revenue Office of Tasmania directly.

There's reportedly no property value cap, but verify that too.

Stamp Duty Concession on Established Homes

This one is useful. TAS offers a full stamp duty exemption for established homes with a dutiable value up to $750,000, for purchases settling between 18 February 2024 and 30 June 2026. That's one of the more generous concessions on established property in the country. Check the exact eligibility requirements and settlement date rules with the Tasmanian Revenue Office.

Occupancy: you must live in the home for 12 continuous months within the first year.

Australian Capital Territory

No Standard FHOG — But a Strong Stamp Duty Concession

The ACT doesn't offer a broad First Home Owner Grant. What it does offer is the Home Buyer Concession Scheme — effectively a full stamp duty waiver on properties up to $1,020,000. That's a substantial saving in a market where Canberra median prices sit well above most other capitals.

The scheme is means-tested. Your eligibility depends on your income and the number of dependent children you have.

Income caps (from 1 July 2024):

The cap increases by $4,600 per additional dependent child. These figures represent total gross income across all buyers and any domestic partner.

You must live in the home for 12 continuous months. Applications go through the ACT Revenue Office — submit before or at settlement with your ID, contract, and income documents.

Substantially renovated in the ACT: Works qualify where all or substantially all of the building is removed or replaced — affecting most rooms or the structure itself. Cosmetic upgrades to a single room don't cut it.

Northern Territory

HomeGrown Territory Grant — The Big One

The NT's HomeGrown Territory Grant is genuinely different from every other state. It pays:

• $50,000 for new homes
• $10,000 for established homes

That $10,000 on an established property is unique — no other state or territory offers a cash grant on an existing home. There's also no property value cap reported.

The original contract window ran from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. Confirm whether the scheme has been extended into 2026 with the Territory Revenue Office.

At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and you must live in the home for 12 continuous months after settlement.

The NT also offers stamp duty concessions and a House and Land Package Exemption — these can be separate from the grant application, so it's worth checking both.

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.

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. Queensland's $30,000 grant closes on 30 June 2026. The NT's $50,000 new home grant has no price cap. And the federal Home Guarantee Scheme — now with no income limits — means more buyers can get in with a 5% 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.

All figures in this article reflect reported 2025–26 settings. Caps, amounts, and eligibility rules can change. Always confirm current details directly with your state or territory revenue office before making any financial decision.