First Home Owner Grant (FHOG): How it works

This information is general in nature only and does not constitute legal advice. While Budget Direct has endeavoured to ensure the information we’ve relied on is accurate and current, we do not guarantee it. Budget Direct accepts no liability for this information and recommends you obtain legal advice specific to your individual circumstances before entering into any contracts for the purchase of property or obtaining of finance.

Buying a home is the biggest financial investment most people will make in their lives.

While most homes are paid off over 25–30 years, the upfront costs are nonetheless considerable. 

Not only is there the deposit (many lenders require you to pay 20% of the value of the property), there’s also land transfer duty, insurance, conveyancing and other fees.

So it can be a relief for first-home buyers to find out there’s a grant that can help ease their financial burden: The First Home Owner Grant.

The size of the grant, who’s eligible for it, and how it’s administered varies from state to state. It’s also subject to regular changes.

See all of Budget Direct’s home-buying guides

The FHOG is a scheme put in place in 2000 to assist first-home buyers purchase property in Australia by offsetting the effect of the goods and services tax (GST) on home ownership.

Eligible first-home buyers can put the grant — a one-off payment ranging between $10,000 and $20,000 — towards the property’s purchase price.

Each state and territory has its own legislation and eligibility rules, so it’s important for you to know how the scheme works in your jurisdiction.

See below our guide to each state and territory’s grant and stamp-duty concessions.

First Home Owners Grant NSW

First Home Owners Grant VIC

First Home Owners Grant QLD

First Home Owners Grant WA

First Home Owners Grant SA

First Home Owners Grant TAS

First Home Owners Grant ACT

First Home Owners Grant NT

If you’re a first-home buyer and you’re buying or building a new home, you may qualify for a grant of $10,000.

In certain circumstances, a ‘new’ home can also be one that has recently undergone substantial renovations.

If you buy a home built in regional Victoria between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2020, you may qualify for a grant of $20,000.

In certain circumstances, a ‘new’ home can also be one that has recently undergone substantial renovations.

To be eligible for the grant, you must be buying a home that is:

• less than five years old
• valued at $750,000 or less
• being sold for the first time as a residential premises.

In addition, at least one applicant must:

• occupy the home as their principal place of residence for at least 12 months, commencing within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction
• be aged 18 or over
• be an Australian citizen or resident.

You are not eligible for the grant if you:

• have already received a First Home Owner Grant in Australia
• owned a home or other residential property in Australia, jointly or separately, before 1 July 2000
• occupied, for a continuous period of at least six months, a home which either of you owned or part-owned on or after 1 July 2000 in Australia.

For more information, visit the Victorian Government’s FHOG web page.

First-home buyers who signed a contract of sale on or after 1 July 2018 may be eligible for a grant of $15,000.

To be eligible for the grant:

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or be applying with someone who is).
• You or the person you are applying with cannot have owned property in Australia that you previously lived in.
• You must be building a brand-new home or buying one.
• The total value of the home, including the land, must be less than $750,000.
• You must move into the new home as your primary place of residence within 12 months of the completed transaction and live there continuously for six months.

For more information, visit the Queensland Government’s FHOG web page.

First-home buyers who buy a new home or build one may qualify for a grant of $10,000.

To be eligible for the grant and/or first-home owner rate of duty, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• An applicant must be a natural person (not a company) and be 18 years or over at the time of making an application. (If you are under 18, you may be able to apply for an exemption from the age requirement.)
• At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of making the application.
• Applicants must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months. This period must commence within 12 months of settlement if purchasing a home, or within 12 months of the date of completion if building a home.
• Applicants must hold a relevant interest (ownership) in the land on which the home is situated and must own the home in their own capacity. If they own the home as a trustee, it must be held on trust for a person with a legal disability.

The applicant and their spouse or de facto partner cannot have:

• Previously received the grant or first-home owner rate of duty from any jurisdiction in Australia.
• Owned residential property anywhere in Australia before 1 July 2000.
• Owned residential property anywhere in Australia on or after 1 July 2000 and occupied that property as a place of residence before 1 July 2004.
• Owned residential property anywhere in Australia on or after 1 July 2000 and occupied that property as a place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months that began on or after 1 July 2004.

The value of the transaction may affect your eligibility for the grant. The cap on the total value of the home and land varies, according to where your house or land is situated in the state.

(The 26th parallel — south is a circle of latitude that is 26 degrees south of the equator. All Perth metropolitan areas are south of the 26th parallel.)

For more information, visit the Government of Western Australia’s FHOG web page.

First-home buyers who buy a new home or build one may qualify for a grant of $15,000.

To qualify for the grant you must meet the following criteria:

• The market value of the property must not be more than $575,000.
• You or your co-owner must not have already received a First Home Owner Grant.
• The applicant must be a natural person (not a company) who is at least 18 years old and who, upon completion of the transaction, will own the property in their own right and not in any capacity as a trustee.
• Neither applicant can have owned a residential property jointly, separately, or with some other person before 1 July 2000 in any state or territory in Australia.
• Neither applicant has occupied a residential property for a continuous period of at least six months in which they acquired a relevant interest, either jointly, separately or with some other person on or after 1 July 2000 in any state or territory in Australia.
• At least one applicant is a permanent resident or citizen of Australia.
• Each applicant must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months commencing within 12 months of completion of the eligible transaction.

For more information, visit the South Australian Government’s FHOG web page.

Until 30 June 2022, first-home buyers who buy a new home or build one may be eligible for a grant of $20,000. (If you don’t satisfy the eligibility criteria for the $20,000 grant, you may qualify for a $10,000 grant.)

On 1 July 2019, the First Home Owner Grant was replaced by the Home Buyer Concession Scheme.

Under the scheme, home buyers pay no duty on the purchase of their home.

Unlike the FHOG, the scheme applies to all properties in the ACT: new homes, established homes, and vacant residential land.

To qualify to pay no duty on your home purchase:

• All buyers of the home or land must be at least 18 years old.
• The total gross income of all buyers, including their partners (if any), must not be greater than the relevant income threshold (see table below).
• All buyers, including their partners (if any), must not have owned property in the last two years.
• At least one buyer must live in the home continuously for at least one year, starting within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction.

To qualify for the concession scheme, the total gross income of all home buyers, including their partners (if any), in the financial year before the transaction date must be less than or equal to the thresholds below:

For more information, visit the ACT Government’s Home Buyer Concession Scheme web page.

From 7 May 2019, first-home buyers who are buying a new home or building one can apply for a grant of $10,000.

To be eligible for the grant, you must meet the following criteria:

• At least one applicant must occupy the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of no less than six months. This must occur within 12 months of the completion date of the eligible transaction.
• You must not have accessed a First Home Owner Grant in any state or territory in Australia.
• No applicant can have owned or held a relevant interest in a residential property, either jointly, separately or with some other person before 1 July 2000.
• No applicant can have occupied a residential property that they acquired, either jointly, separately or with some other person before 1 July 2000.
• The applicant is a natural person (not a company) who will hold all their interest in the property in their own right and not as a trustee.
• At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia.

For more information, visit the Northern Territory Government’s FHOG web page.

See all of Budget Direct’s home-buying guides.