First Home Owner Grant: Australian State & Territory Guide

Buying a home is the biggest financial investment most people will make in their lives, and recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals more Aussies are currently making the leap. For the first time since the December quarter of 2023, Australia has seen the biggest rise in first home buyer loans, increasing by 15.5% during this period. [1]

While home loans are increasing, the upfront costs are still nonetheless considerable.

Not only is there the deposit, but there's also land transfer duty, insurance, conveyancing and other expensive 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 national scheme put in place in 2000 to assist first-home buyers purchase property in Australia originally designed to offset 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 $30,000 — towards the property's purchase price.

Each state and territory has its own legislation and eligibility requirements, so it's important for you to know how the First Home Buyers Scheme applies in your jurisdiction.

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

The Australian Government offers several different federal first home buyers support programs to help Aussies own their first home including:

• First Home Super Saver Scheme: The First Home Super Saver Scheme is a smart way to save for your first home, allowing aspiring homeowners to save inside their super and take advantage of the lower tax rates compared to a normal savings account to help build or buy their first house.

• Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme: The recent 5% Deposit Scheme was implemented to help fast-track Australians’ path to home ownership by making it possible to purchase a home with a lower deposit. Single parents can have as little deposit as 2% and first home buyers can save a minimum deposit of 5%.

• Australian Government Help to Buy Scheme: The Help to Buy Scheme can help bridge the gap between your deposit and the purchase price of a home. Through this scheme, the Australian Government holds an equity share of the home by contributing 30%-40% depending if it’s an existing home or a new build.

If you're a first-home buyer and purchasing a house that has never been lived in before or building a new home, you may qualify for a grant of $10,000.

This scheme involves buying a newly built house, townhouse, apartment, unit or a substantially renovated property (as long as it's a type of new residential property) that cannot exceed the purchase price of $600,000. However, if you want to purchase vacant land and build a house, the total combined cost can't exceed $750,000 if you want to be eligible for the grant.

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

• You must be an individual, not a company or trust.

• You must be over 18 years old.

• At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

• You cannot have owned or co-owned a home in Australia before 1 July 2000.

• You cannot have received a First Home Owner Grant in Australia.

• For contracts entered into on or after 1 July 2023, you must make it your principal place of residence and move into the home within 12 months after buying it and live there for at least 12 continuous months.

• If you are purchasing a recently renovated house, the following conditions apply:

  • This is the first time the house has been sold after the renovations.

  • Most of the home was removed or replaced.

  • It hasn't been lived in since being renovated, including by the builder or a tenant.

For more information, visit the NSW Government's FHOG web page.

If you buy a newly built home or build a house in Victoria, you may qualify for a grant of $10,000. The residential property can be a house, townhouse, apartment or unit.

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

To be eligible for the First Home Buyers grant, you must be purchasing a home that is:

• Valued at $750,000 or less.

• Purchased or built under a contract signed on or after 1 July 2013.

• New and not previously sold, occupied as a home, leased out or used for short-term accommodation (including substantially renovated homes).

In addition, you 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 an individual, not a company or trust.

• Be aged 18 or over.

• Be an Australian citizen or resident.

Exclusions

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 or are yet to sign a contract of sale between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2026 may be eligible for a grant of up to $30,000 and those who signed contracts before 20 November 2023, are 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 after 1 July 2000 that you previously lived in.

• You must be building a brand-new home, buying a new home or purchasing a substantially renovated home.

• 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 purchase a new home or build one may qualify for a grant of $10,000.

To be eligible for the First Home Owner Grant scheme, 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 a 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 the eligible transaction.

• 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. The land and home must be in your and/or your partner's names, not under a business or trust.

Exclusions

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 for a continuous period of at least six months that began on or after 1 July 2004.

The value of the transaction differs throughout Western Australia. The total property value cap of the home and land varies, according to where your house or land is situated in the state. South of the line includes Perth and most populated areas, and the North of the line includes more remote and regional areas of the state.

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 in South Australia.

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

• The applicant must be a natural person (not a company) who is at least 18 years old.

• If you entered into your contract on or after 13 February 2025, you will not be eligible if either you or your spouse own or previously owned an Australian residential property.

• 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 2026, first-home buyers who purchase or build a new home may be eligible for a grant of up to $30,000.

To be eligible for the grant, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.

• Be a natural person (not a company).

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

• Not have owned a home (or have a spouse who owned a home) in Australia before 1 July 2000.

• Not have owned and occupied (or have a spouse who owned and occupied) a residential property for more than six months in Australia after 1 July 2000.

• Occupy the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months commencing within 12 months of the eligible transaction.

• Not have received the First Home Owner Grant before.

For more information, read the Tasmanian Government's FHOG guidelines.

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

Under the scheme, the ACT Government helps you buy a home or residential land by reducing the stamp duty on the property.

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

To qualify and pay no duty on your home purchase, you must meet the following criteria:

• 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, from 1 July 2024, including their partners (if any), must not have owned property in the last five years.

• At least one buyer must live in the home continuously for at least one year, starting within 12 months of settlement date.

To qualify for the concession scheme, the total gross income of all home buyers, including their partners (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.

The Northern Territory's First Home Owner Grant has been replaced by HomeGrown Territory Grant, offering $50,000 to first-home buyers to help buy or build a new home.

This grant can also be used for a new transportable home as long as it can be permanently fixed and approved to be lived in. The HomeGrown Territory Grant is available for owner-builders and off-the-plan purchases and has no cap on the build or purchase price.

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

• Be a first-home buyer and not have owned a home before anywhere in Australia.

• The home mustn't have previously been lived in or sold as a place of residence.

• Be over the age of 18.

• Have signed or are yet to sign a contract to buy or build a new home in the Territory between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2026.

• 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.

• At least one applicant is to live in the home for at least 12 months after taking possession of the property.

• You must not have accessed a First Home Owner Grant in any state or territory in Australia.

For more information, visit the Northern Territory Government's HomeGrown web page.

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

Ensure you update your Home and Contents policy when you move, making sure your home and contents is listed, covered and valued correctly at your new residence.

Purchasing or building a new home as a first-home buyer is an exciting journey that comes with responsibilities such as protecting your new house with the right home insurance cover.

For most states, you as the buyer, are responsible for making sure your home is insured before settlement date. And in other states you may need coverage from the moment the contracts are signed and exchanged which is why it’s important to take out home insurance as soon as possible.

When purchasing, make sure your insured values for your home and contents shown  on your insurance certificate reflect the full replacement value. If you need help accurately estimating these figures, use our Home Insurance Calculator to ensure your home is covered in case an insured event occurs. 

Remember, if you move or if there are any changes you need to make to your policy, that you update your details with us via our Policy Manager.