Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory's First Home Owner Grant

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The FHOG has been replaced by the new Home Buyer Concession Scheme.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).

Table 1 – FHOG information by commencement date range

More Information:

https://www.revenue.act.gov.au