Every First Home Buyer Grant & Concession in Australia (2026 Guide)

The two layers

Think of it as two stacks you can often combine:

1. Federal programs — available in every state: the First Home Guarantee, Help to Buy, and the First Home Super Saver.
2. State programs — the First Home Owner Grant (for new builds) and stamp-duty concessions, both set by each state revenue office.

You can usually combine a federal deposit scheme with a state stamp-duty concession — that's where the biggest savings come from.

The federal layer (applies everywhere)

First Home Guarantee (FHBG)

The headline program. It lets eligible first home buyers purchase with as little as a 5% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance — the government guarantees the gap to the lender. Avoiding LMI on a typical purchase saves $10,000–$30,000+, often more than any stamp-duty concession. There are income caps (assessed on taxable income) and property price caps that vary by city and region. Places are capped per financial year.

Help to Buy (shared equity)

A federal shared-equity scheme where the government takes an equity stake (up to 30–40%) in your home, shrinking the loan you need. You buy them out later (e.g. when you sell or refinance). Lower income caps than the FHBG, and it's best suited to buyers who can't service a full loan but can cover a smaller one.

First Home Super Saver (FHSS)

Lets you salary-sacrifice extra contributions into super and later withdraw up to $50,000 (plus deemed earnings) toward your deposit, taxed at a concessional rate. It's a deposit-builder, not a grant — but for a disciplined saver on a decent marginal tax rate, the tax saving is real money.

Our First Home Buyer Grants calculator computes the actual dollar value of each of these for your income and situation — not just whether you qualify.

The state layer

Two distinct things get confused here. The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is a cash grant, but in most states it now applies only to new builds or substantially renovated homes — not established dwellings. The stamp-duty concession is separate, applies to established homes too, and is usually worth far more.

New South Wales

• Stamp duty: full exemption for first home buyers up to $800,000, phasing out to $1,000,000. On an $750k established home a NSW FHB can pay $0 duty — a saving of ~$28,000 versus the general rate.
• FHOG: $10,000 for new homes up to a value cap.

Victoria

• Stamp duty: full exemption to $600,000, phasing to $750,000 (principal place of residence).
• FHOG: $10,000 for new homes; higher in regional Victoria in some years.

Queensland

• Stamp duty: a first-home concession on top of QLD's general home concession, which together cut duty sharply for owner-occupiers.
• FHOG: among the most generous in the country for new builds in recent years.

Western Australia

• Stamp duty: first-home concession with a metro/regional threshold split.
• FHOG: $10,000 for new homes.

South Australia

• Stamp duty: SA abolished the price cap on its first-home-buyer stamp-duty relief for new homes in recent rounds — check current thresholds.
• FHOG: available for new homes up to a value cap.

Tasmania

• Stamp duty: a 50% (or greater, in some rounds) concession for eligible first home buyers on established homes up to a threshold.
• FHOG: boosted in recent years for new homes.

ACT

• The ACT has moved to a needs-based Home Buyer Concession Scheme tied to household income rather than a flat first-home grant — eligible buyers can pay little or no duty regardless of whether it's their first home, subject to the income test.

Northern Territory

• A rotating set of territory incentives (e.g. household/renovation grants) on top of the NT's already-low general duty.

State thresholds and amounts change frequently — often at each state budget. The figures above are directional for 2026; always confirm the current numbers with your state revenue office.

What stacks, and what doesn't

The combinations that matter:

• FHBG + state stamp-duty exemption — the classic power combo. A NSW first home buyer at $750k can pair a $0 stamp-duty bill with a 5% no-LMI deposit. That's potentially $28,000 in duty plus ~$20,000 in avoided LMI.
• FHSS + anything — the super saver is just a deposit-building method; it stacks with every other program.
• FHOG is new-builds-mostly — don't bank on the cash grant for an established home in most states.
• Help to Buy vs FHBG — generally an either/or decision, not both; model which leaves you better off.

The trap: price caps and income caps

Every program has thresholds, and they interact badly at the margins. A purchase $1 over a stamp-duty exemption cap can cost you the entire concession (good schemes phase out smoothly; some don't). An income $1 over the FHBG cap removes you from the scheme entirely. Before you make an offer near a threshold, check exactly where the cliffs are for your state and program — it can be worth structuring your purchase price or timing around them.

The bottom line

The Australian first-home system is generous if you stack it correctly and treacherous if you trip a threshold. The federal deposit schemes (especially the First Home Guarantee's LMI waiver) are usually the biggest single saving, the state stamp-duty concession is usually second, and the FHOG cash grant matters mainly for new builds. Model all three together for your income, price, and state before you commit — the difference between getting it right and wrong is often $40,000+.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the First Home Guarantee and a state stamp-duty concession together? Yes — and you generally should. They're administered separately (one federal, one state) and target different costs: the FHBG waives Lenders Mortgage Insurance on a low deposit, while the state concession reduces or removes transfer duty. Stacking them is where first home buyers save the most.

Is the First Home Owner Grant cash in hand? The FHOG is a cash grant, but in most states it now applies only to new builds or substantially renovated homes, not established dwellings — and it's typically paid at settlement (or first progress payment for a build) rather than handed to you beforehand. If you're buying an established home, the stamp-duty concession is usually the bigger lever, not the FHOG.

Do these schemes work for an investment property? No. First home buyer grants, concessions, and the federal deposit schemes all require you to live in the property as your principal place of residence, usually for a minimum period (commonly 6–12 months) starting within a set window after settlement. Buy as an investor and you forfeit them.

What happens if I go $1 over a price cap? It depends on the program. Well-designed concessions phase out smoothly over a band (so a dollar over costs you a small amount). Others have a hard cliff where a dollar over the cap removes the entire benefit. Near a threshold, it can genuinely be worth negotiating the price down a few thousand dollars to stay under — check the exact mechanism for your state before you offer.

Does the First Home Super Saver lock my money away? The contributions go into super, but the scheme is purpose-built so you can withdraw them (up to $50,000 plus deemed earnings) specifically for a first-home deposit. It's not locked until retirement like normal super — but you must follow the ATO's determination-and-release process, which takes time, so start it well before you plan to buy.

This is general information for 2026, not financial or tax advice. Grant amounts, price caps and income caps change regularly and differ by state. Confirm current eligibility with your state revenue office and a licensed broker before you act.