Every state and territory except the ACT pays a first home owner grant, and in almost every case you only get it if the home is new. The amounts run from $10,000 in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia up to $50,000 in the Northern Territory.
The stamp duty concession sitting beside the grant is usually worth more than the grant itself. In New South Wales a first home buyer at $800,000 pays no duty at all, which is around $31,000 kept in your pocket against a $10,000 grant you probably cannot claim because the home is not new.
Every figure below was checked against the state revenue office in September 2026, and each one links back to its source.
What each state pays in 2026
| State | Grant | New homes only | Price cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $10,000 | Yes | $600,000 for a built or off the plan home, $750,000 for land plus a building contract |
| Victoria | $10,000 | Yes | $750,000 |
| Queensland | $30,000 | Yes | Under $750,000. Continued in the 2026 state budget with no end date |
| Western Australia | $10,000 | Yes | $800,000 south of the 26th parallel, which covers all of Perth. $1 million north of it |
| South Australia | $15,000 | Yes | No cap |
| Tasmania | $20,000 | Yes | No cap. Applies to transactions started between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, down from $30,000 the year before |
| Northern Territory | $50,000 | Yes | No cap. Contracts signed up to 30 September 2027 |
| ACT | Nothing | n/a | The grant was scrapped in 2019 and replaced with a stamp duty exemption that is now worth far more |
Sources, state by state: Revenue NSW, SRO Victoria, Queensland Revenue Office, WA Government, RevenueSA, SRO Tasmania, NT Government, ACT Revenue Office.
Stamp duty is where the real money is
A grant is a payment. A stamp duty exemption is a bill you never receive, and on most purchases it is the larger of the two. Here is where each state sits in September 2026.
| State | No duty up to | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $800,000, phasing out at $1 million | New and established homes. Vacant land is free to $350,000, phasing out at $450,000 |
| Victoria | $600,000, phasing out at $750,000 | New, established and vacant land |
| Queensland | Any price on a new or off the plan home. $700,000 on an established home, phasing out at $800,000 | Both, with the citizenship rule below |
| Western Australia | $600,000, concession to $800,000 | New and established, at these levels since 7 May 2026 |
| South Australia | Any price | New homes and vacant land only. Established homes get nothing |
| Tasmania | Nothing | The exemption for established homes ended on 30 June 2026 and has not been replaced |
| Northern Territory | Nothing general | House and land packages bought from a builder in one transaction are exempt at any price, to 30 June 2027 |
| ACT | Any price | New, established and vacant land. Both the price cap and the income test were removed on 1 July 2026 |
Duty sources: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT, ACT. Run your own number through our stamp duty calculator.
Three changes that catch people out this year
- Queensland, from 1 August 2026. You now have to be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a specified foreign retiree to claim the duty concession. That rule did not exist before.
- Tasmania, since 1 July 2026. The exemption on established homes expired and nothing replaced it, so a Tasmanian buying an existing house now pays full duty. The grant also dropped from $30,000 to $20,000.
- South Australia. New builds get unlimited duty relief and a $15,000 grant. Established homes get neither. The choice of property decides whether you receive roughly $40,000 of help or none.
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Emmanuel Guignard
Financial Services Expert
“One of the most common mistakes first home buyers make is assuming that qualifying for a government scheme automatically means they are ready to purchase. The grant is only one part of the equation.
Understanding your repayments, future expenses and how the loan is structured is just as important as getting into the market. A well-planned first purchase should support your financial position long after settlement day.”
Emmanuel Guignard – Director & Principal, Loanscope
Austin Rulfs
Financial Services Expert
“First home buyers often focus heavily on the grant itself, but the bigger opportunity is understanding how all the available incentives work together. Stamp duty concessions, deposit schemes and lender policies can have a much larger impact on affordability than a single upfront payment.
The buyers who put themselves in the strongest position are usually the ones who understand their full strategy early, including their borrowing capacity, deposit requirements and what support they may qualify for before they start making offers.”
Austin Rulfs – Director, Zanda Wealth
The federal help that stacks on top
State grants and duty concessions are separate from the federal schemes, and you can generally use both on the same purchase.
The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme
This is the one that changed the most. It used to be the First Home Guarantee. Since 1 October 2025 there are no income limits and no limit on the number of places, so there is no rush to apply in July and no waiting list. You put in 5%, the government guarantees part of the loan, and you pay no lenders mortgage insurance. On a $900,000 purchase that saves somewhere around $30,000.
The price cap for your area decides whether you qualify. Sydney and the major NSW regional centres are $1.5 million, Brisbane and the ACT $1 million, Melbourne and Geelong $950,000, Adelaide $900,000, Perth $850,000, Darwin $750,000 and Hobart $700,000. Smaller regional areas sit lower, so check the cap for the suburb before you sign. The full list is on firsthomebuyers.gov.au.
We cover how it works in detail in our guide to buying with a 5% deposit.
The 2% deposit for single parents
Single parents and legal guardians with at least one dependent child can buy with a 2% deposit under the same scheme, again with no income cap and no lenders mortgage insurance. You do not have to be a first home buyer to use it, as long as you hold no other property once the new place settles. More on the Family Home Guarantee.
Help to Buy
The government takes an ownership share in the property instead of lending you money. It will take up to 40% of a newly built home or 30% of an existing one, you contribute a 2% deposit, and you pay no lenders mortgage insurance. There are 10,000 places a year. For the 2026-27 year the income limits are $103,000 for a single buyer and $165,000 for a couple or a single parent, tested on last year’s notice of assessment. Every applicant has to be an Australian citizen, which is stricter than the 5% scheme where permanent residents qualify. Details and price caps are at firsthomebuyers.gov.au.
The trade off is that the government owns a slice of your home and takes that share of any growth when you sell. It suits someone whose income will not stretch far enough otherwise, and it is a poor fit for someone who can already borrow what they need.
First Home Super Saver Scheme
You can put extra money into super and pull it back out for a deposit, up to $15,000 in any one financial year and $50,000 in total, plus the earnings the ATO calculates on it. Because the contributions are taxed at 15% rather than your marginal rate, most people come out ahead. The catch is timing: the release takes a couple of weeks, so it has to be requested before you need the money. ATO rules.
Who qualifies for the grant
The wording differs by state, and the same four conditions turn up almost everywhere.
- You are 18 or older and at least one buyer is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Nobody on the application has owned residential property in Australia before. In South Australia any prior interest rules you out completely, with no exceptions.
- You move in within twelve months of settlement and live there for a continuous period, usually six or twelve months.
- The home is new, off the plan, substantially renovated, or a house you are building. Buying an existing home rules you out of the grant in every state that still pays one.
How to actually claim it
Most people never fill in a grant form themselves. If you are borrowing, the lender is usually an approved agent and lodges the application with the revenue office as part of settlement, so the money lands on the day. Ask the question early, because a lender who is not an approved agent means you claim it yourself afterwards and wait.
Buying without a loan, or building on land you already own, means applying directly to your state revenue office. Stamp duty relief is different again: your conveyancer claims it on the transfer, so tell them you are a first home buyer before documents are drawn up.
For the 5% deposit scheme you apply through a participating lender. Not every lender is in it, and the ones that are still assess you on their own credit policy, which is where a broker earns the fee you do not pay. Our lists of the best mortgage brokers in Sydney and Melbourne are a reasonable place to start.
Common questions
Can I get the grant on an existing home?
No. Every state that still pays a grant limits it to new builds, off the plan purchases, substantially renovated homes or a building contract. Stamp duty concessions are the opposite in several states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT all extend theirs to established homes.
How much is the first home owner grant in 2026?
$10,000 in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, $15,000 in South Australia, $20,000 in Tasmania, $30,000 in Queensland and $50,000 in the Northern Territory. The ACT pays nothing and instead charges no stamp duty at any price.
Can I use the grant as my deposit?
It counts towards the funds you need at settlement, and most lenders will not treat it as genuine savings. You generally still need to show savings you built up yourself over three months or more, so plan on the grant covering costs rather than replacing the deposit.
Do I lose the grant if my partner has owned a home?
Usually yes. The test covers everyone on the application and their spouse, so one prior owner generally rules out the pair of you. South Australia applies it hardest, where any previous residential interest anywhere in Australia is an outright bar.
Can I claim the grant and the stamp duty concession together?
Yes, where you qualify for both. On a new build in Queensland under $750,000 that is $30,000 in cash plus no duty, and you can still use the 5% deposit scheme on the same purchase.
How long does the money take to arrive?
When your lender lodges it, the grant is available at settlement. Claiming it yourself afterwards usually takes a few weeks from the revenue office. Building rather than buying means the grant is paid at the first progress payment or at completion, depending on the state.
Figures confirmed against each state revenue office and firsthomebuyers.gov.au in September 2026. Schemes change, so check the linked source before you rely on a number.
MANSOUR SOLTANI
Head of Research, OurTop10. Director, Soren Financial.
Mansour has spent more than two decades involved in the purchase and sale of real estate, acquiring both investment and commercial properties throughout Australia, including in major cities and smaller regional locations.
He is the proprietor of a finance brokerage firm, overseeing a portfolio worth in excess of 200 million in loans and serving a diverse clientele across Australia and a regular contributor to money.com.au. This has equipped him with extensive knowledge in various investment tactics, allowing him to offer significant insight.