Victorian First Home Owner Grant – essential information
A $10,000 grant to support first-time home buyers.
The First Home Owner Grant is a $10,000 payment to help eligible first home buyers buy or build a new home in Victoria. Your first new home can be any type of residential property: a house, townhouse, apartment or unit. You just have to live in it as your home.
Most people apply through an approved agent, such as your bank or credit union. But you can apply with us within 12 months of settlement or completion of the build if an approved agent is not lodging for you.
Eligible property types
The grant applies to properties in Victoria that are:
- worth up to $750,000 (for off-the-plan purchases, this refers to the contract price)
- new and not previously sold, occupied as a home, leased out or used for short-term accommodation (includes substantially renovated homes or homes built to replace demolished ones)
- used as the applicant’s principal place of residence
- purchased or built under a contract signed on or after 1 July 2013.
Applicant eligibility
Anyone who will be named on the property’s title must be listed as a First Home Owner Grant applicant.
If you have a spouse or partner, you must also include their details on the application, even if they will not be on the property’s title. You must consider their details when you answer the eligibility questions.
To qualify, all applicants must be:
- natural persons (not a company or trust)
- at least 18 years of age at settlement or completion of construction.
At least one applicant must:
- be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the relevant date:
- For purchasing a new home: the date of possession (usually settlement).
- For new builds: the date the home is ready for occupation.
More Information:
https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/buying-property/first-home-owner-grant
New South Wales First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant
A $10,000 First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is available when you buy or build your first new home. Your first new home can be a house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar that is newly built, purchased off the plan or substantially renovated.
How much can I spend?
If you purchase a newly built house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar the purchase price must not exceed $600,000.
If you purchase vacant land and sign a building contract with a builder then we add the value of the vacant land plus the value of the comprehensive home building contract plus the cost of any building variations done together. The total combined cost must not exceed $750,000.
If you purchase a home which was substantially renovated by the seller, the purchase price must not exceed $600,000.
You may be eligible for the grant if:
- most of the home was removed or replaced
- the seller, builder or a tenant has not lived in the home prior to, during or after renovations
- it is the first time the home has been sold since completion of renovations.
This means the first sale of a property will not be a new home if the person who built it lived in it, leased it out or used it for short-term accommodation.
The First Home Owner Grant may be paid in addition to other exemptions or concessions for eligible homebuyers.
Who’s eligible?
You will not be eligible for the First Home Owner Grant scheme if you or your spouse have previously:
- received a First Home Owner Grant in Australia.
- owned a home or other residential property in Australia, either jointly or separately, before 1 July 2000
- lived for six continuous months or more in a home located in Australia that you owned (wholly or partially) on or after 1 July 2000.
However, you or your spouse may still be eligible for the First Home Owner Grant if:
- you purchased a residential property after 1 July 2000 and didn’t live in it for more than six continuous months.
If you’re a member of the Australian Defence Force, you may be exempt from the six or twelve month residence requirement, providing all buyers are on the New South Wales electoral roll.
More information:
Queensland First Home Owners' Grant
The first home owner grant gives eligible first-time home buyers $15,000 or $30,000 towards buying or building a new home in Queensland.
Eligibility for the first home owner grant
For buying or building a new home*, the grant amount is:
- $30,000 for contracts signed between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2025 (both dates inclusive)
- $15,000 for contracts signed before 20 November 2023.
For owner-builders, the grant amount is:
- $30,000 where foundations are laid between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2025 (both dates inclusive)
- $15,000 where foundations were laid before 20 November 2023.
The first home owner grant is separate to the home guarantee schemes, which are administered by Housing Australia. If you are eligible for one of the national schemes, it will not affect your eligibility for the first home owner grant.
Value of home and land
The value of your new home must be less than $750,000 (including land and any contract variations). That is, you are not eligible for the grant if the value is $750,000 or more.
New (not established) home
The grant is only available for new homes—that is:
- a home that has not been previously occupied
or
- sold as a place of residence
or
- a substantially renovated home.
There are no home owner grants for established homes.
Age
You are a natural person (an individual; not a company or a trust) aged 18 years or older.
In some exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner of State Revenue may use discretion in relation to some eligibility criteria, such as:
- you are under 18 years of age
- an application is made on behalf of a legal disability trust by a guardian.
Citizenship
You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or applying with someone who is).
If you are applying for the grant as a joint applicant—for example, you are not a permanent resident but your spouse is an Australian citizen—you may be eligible for the grant if you meet the other eligibility requirements.
A permanent resident holds a permanent visa, or is a New Zealand citizen with a special category visa, as defined by the Migration Act 1958 (Cwlth).
A New Zealand citizen with a special category visa must have a current New Zealand passport to be a permanent resident.
You can check if your visa is permanent or temporary by clicking on its subclass in the visa list.
Income
Your income has no bearing on your eligibility for the grant.
Previous grant recipient
You or your spouse must not have previously received a first home owner grant in any state or territory of Australia. If you received a grant that you later paid back, together with any penalty, you may be able to reapply for the grant.
Previous home ownership
You or your spouse must not have owned residential property in Australia:
- on or after 1 July 2000 that you lived in
- before 1 July 2000, whether you lived in it or not.
Investment properties
The grant is not available to purchase investment properties.
If you have owned an interest in residential property since 1 July 2000 that has been solely used for investment purposes, you may be eligible for the grant on a subsequent new property that will be your first home to live in.
You will need to show that you have not lived in the investment property by providing evidence that covers the entire period of ownership:
- tenancy or lease agreements
- electricity or phone accounts
- tax return details declaring the rental property.
More Information:
Queensland first home concessions
If you’re a first home owner in Queensland, you may be able to claim the first home owner grant and one of the first home concessions for transfer (stamp) duty:
- first home concession
- first home (new home) concession
- first home vacant land concession.
More Information:
https://qro.qld.gov.au/duties/transfer-duty/concessions/homes/concessions-and-grants/
South Australian First Home Owner Grant
From 13 February 2025, changes to eligibility criteria for the first home owner grant have come into effect.
The first home owner grant is a one-off payment of up to $15,000 for eligible first home owners by the State Government. It is intended for eligible applicants who are buying or building a new residential property which will be used as a principal place of residence in South Australia.
The eligibility criteria for the first home owner grant is similar to stamp duty relief for eligible first home buyers, but you must apply for each separately. If you don't qualify for the first home owner grant, you may still qualify for stamp duty relief.
Applications for the first home owner grant can be made at any time from the commencement of the eligible transaction but must be made within 12 months of completion of the eligible transaction. The date you will be paid the grant depends on whether you are building or buying, whether you lodge your application through an approved agent or you lodge your application yourself to RevenueSA, and when your application is approved.
Eligible properties
The first home owner grant applies to:
- the purchase or construction of a new home
- an off-the-plan apartment
- a substantially renovated home
- a comprehensive building contract or a contract to build a home
- owner builders
- knock-down rebuild projects (for contracts entered into prior to 13 February 2025)
Conditions and eligibility criteria apply. Property value caps may apply, depending on when you enter or entered into your contract.
Find out more about eligible properties.
Eligible applicants
The first home owner grant may be available where each applicant is both:
- at least 18 years of age at the time of making an application
- a natural person.
In addition, at least one of the applicants must be either:
- an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia
- a New Zealand citizen permanently residing in Australia who holds a Special Category visa.
Other criteria regarding eligible applicants apply.
Important: You must include your spouse or domestic partner's details on your application as their circumstances may affect your eligibility. This applies even if they are not an applicant and will not own (hold a relevant interest) in the home.
Find out more about eligible applicants.
Property ownership
If you entered into your contract on or after 13 February 2025:
- you will not be eligible for the first home owner grant if you or your spouse or domestic partner own or have previously owned (hold or held a relevant interest Link to definition in) an Australian residential property.
If you entered into your contract before 13 February 2025:
- you may be eligible for the first home owner grant if you if you or your spouse or domestic partner owned or had previously owned (hold or held a relevant interest Link to definition in) an Australian residential property after 1 July 2000 and did not reside in the residential property for 6 months or longer.
- You will not be eligible for the first home owner grant if you or your spouse or domestic partner own or have owned (hold or held a relevant interest Link to definition in) an Australian residential property and that property was purchased or acquired before 1 July 2000, regardless of whether you lived in the home or not.
Other criteria regarding property ownership apply.
Find out more about current or previous property ownership.
Residence requirement
All applicants must reside in the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least 6 months commencing within 12 months after completion of the eligible transaction.
If you are unable to meet your 6 month residence requirement because of a change in circumstances, you must tell us in writing within 14 days of the change. Penalties may apply if you receive the first home owner grant and are not eligible for it.
Grant details
A one-off payment of up to $15,000 is available to assist eligible applicants to buy or build a new residential property.
Only one grant is available per eligible transaction Link to definition to purchase or build a residential home.
The time at which you will receive the grant depends on whether you lodge your application with an approved agent or with RevenueSA.
More Information:
Tasmanian First Home Owner Grant
A first home owner grant is available to eligible applicants who purchase or build a new home in Tasmania from 1 July 2016. A new home is a home that has not previously been occupied or sold as a place of residence and includes kit homes.
The amount of the grant is determined by the date that the eligible transaction commenced:
- Transactions commencing from 1 July 2024 will be eligible for $10 000.
- Transactions that commenced between 1 April 2021 and 30 June 2024 will be eligible for $30 000.
- Transactions that commenced between 1 July 2016 and 31 March 2021 will be eligible for $20 000.
Eligibility
To apply for the grant you must meet all relevant eligibility requirements.
When you apply for the grant your application must include all owners on title (the applicants). All applicants must comply with the applicant eligibility criteria.
The applicant(s) must:
- be a natural person (not a company or trust);
- be 18 years old or over;
- be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (if more than one applicant only one applicant is required to be an Australia citizen or permanent residence); and
- 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 an eligible transaction.
Applicant(s) are not eligible as first home owners, if they (or their spouse*) have:
- owned a residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000;
- owned and occupied a residential property for more than six months in Australia after 1 July 2000; or
- received the first home owner grant before.
* A spouse includes someone to whom you are legally married or are in a significant relationship with. For the definition of a significant relationship refer to the Relationships Act 2003 legislation.
More Information:
Australian Capital Territory's First Home Owner Grant
The First Home Owner Grant payments ceased in the ACT on 1 July 2019. It now has a limited function. Find out about another concession scheme available to eligible ACT property buyers on Home Buyer Concession Scheme.
The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) provides financial assistance to eligible people buying their first new or substantially renovated home.
FHOG payments are not available for applicants who enter into a transaction with a commencement date on or after 1 July 2019.
If you are building a home, to be entitled to the FHOG payment the commencement date for your transaction must be on or before 30 June 2019.
The commencement date of a transaction is the date you sign and exchange the contract (not the settlement date). If you’re building a home, the commencement date is the day the foundations start being laid.
The FHOG has been replaced by the new Home Buyer Concession Scheme.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the FHOG:
- you must be:
- buying or building a new home, substantially renovated home or off-the-plan home, with a commencement date between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2019, or
- building a home as an owner-builder, for which building started on or after 1 January 2017 and on or before 30 June 2019.
- the total value of the property (home plus land) must be $750,000 or less
- you must complete the First Home Owner Grant Application SmartForm, with all necessary supporting documents, within one year of completing your transaction
- everyone with a relevant interest in the home must be an applicant
- every applicant must be at least 18 years old (the Commissioner for ACT Revenue can exempt you from this requirement if there are good reasons to do so)
- no applicant can be a company or trust (except a trustee for a person with a legal disability)
- at least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- at least one applicant must:
- move into the home beginning within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction; and
- live in the home as a principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least one year.
For further information on eligibility requirements please visit Revenue Circular GEN011.2 Principal place of residence.
Applicants and their partners are not eligible for the FHOG if:
- they have already received the FHOG anywhere in Australia
- before 1 July 2000, they owned or held a relevant interest in a residential property anywhere in Australia
- on or after 1 July 2000 but before 1 January 2004, they acquired a relevant interest in residential property anywhere in Australia, and occupied the property for any period of time
- on or after 1 January 2004, they acquired a relevant interest in residential property anywhere in Australia and occupied the property for six continuous months or more.
An applicant who received a grant and later paid it back may be entitled to apply for an additional grant, depending on the circumstances.
Grant amount
The FHOG changed over the years having different grant amounts, residency requirements and application forms depending on the commencement date of your eligible transaction (see Table 1 below).
FHOG information by commencement date range
Commencement DatesGrant amount
1 January 2017 to 30 June 2019: $7,000
1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016:$10,000
1 September 2013 to 31 December 2015: $12,500
More Information:
