First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)

The First Home Owners Grant is a financial helping hand from your state or territory government to help you buy your first home.
First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)

What is the FHOG?

Have a question about First Home Owner Grants?

The First Home Owner Grant is a lump sum of cash available to first home owners to help with the cost of buying a first home or vacant land to build a home on. The Grant doesn’t have to be repaid, and it’s not taxable, but there are strings attached.

We all like free money, and that’s exactly what the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is – a lump sum of cash to help with the purchase of your first home.
The First Home Owner Grant is funded by state governments, so different amounts are available in each of state and territory. Exactly how much you will receive depends on where you are buying. 

Many Australians are wondering if they can get the First Home Owners Grant. There are different rules depending on the State that you are in, but the basic First Home Owner Grant conditions are:

  • You must be a permanent resident or an Australian citizen. If you’re co-buying with someone
    else, at least one of you must be a permanent resident or Australian citizen
  • You must not previously have owned or co-owned a home in Australia or have received an
    Australian First Home Owner Grant in the past.
  • You must be buying a home to live in – not as an investment property
  • You need to live in the home for at least six months after purchase,
  • You must be a natural person (not a company or a trust), and
  • You need to be aged over 18.

Other conditions may apply depending on your state/territory. In many states, the First Home Owner Grant is only available if you buy or build a new home. In some states, you may not be eligible for the FHOG if you pay over a certain value for your first home.

As each state has its own set of rules for the First Home Owner Grant, it is important to understand the guidelines that apply for your area.

Yes! The whole purpose of the First Home Owner Grant is to help you manage the costs of owning a home, though it may not be enough to form your whole deposit.

Your application for the First Home Owner Grant usually only takes a week or two to be processed, however exactly when you receive the Grant depends on whether you are buying or building.

If you’re buying a home that’s already built, you’ll usually receive the funds when the property settles – that’s the stage when all the paperwork is completed and the keys to your home are handed over to you.

If you’re building a new home, the First Home Owner Grant is usually paid when you first drawdown your loan – and that’s typically when the slab is laid.

Applying for the First Home Owner Grant is easy, and your Mortgage Choice broker can guide you through the paperwork. Here’s a form you can fill out to start the application process.

Basically, there are two ways to apply for the First Home Owner Grant. You can apply through your lender at the same time you apply for your home loan – this is where your Mortgage Choice broker can help. Or you can apply directly to the state government body (usually the Revenue Office) that handles the First Home Owner Grant in your area.

That depends. Some states offer generous savings on stamp duty for first home owners, others do not offer concessions on stamp duty at all. In a number of states, saving on stamp duty are only available if you buy or build a new home.

This makes it important to know whether stamp savings are available to first home buyers in your part of Australia – stamp duty can be expensive, and you may need to add the cost to your home buying budget.

Use our stamp duty calculator today to understand how much you could save as a first home buyer in your state! 

Stamp duty is one of the upfront costs that apply when you buy a home or vacant land. It is a type of state government tax, so the rates of duty differ between states. The common thread is that stamp duty is calculated as a percentage of the price paid for your home.

Put simply, the amount of stamp duty you will pay depends on where you are buying, and how much you pay for your home or vacant land.

Eligibility

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Government support by state

Ready to buy your first home? These grants may help you

  • Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee

    The Federal Government has launched an initiative to help eligible first home buyers in regional Australia enter the property market sooner with a deposit as low as 5% (without the need to pay LMI).

  • Family Home Guarantee Scheme

    The federal government has launched an initiative to allow single parents to take out a home loan deposit with as little as 2% (subject to being able to service home loan repayments). Here we explore what's involved in this scheme and if you could be eligible!

  • Stamp duty concessions

    Stamp duty is one of the upfront costs that apply when you buy a home. State Governments offer concessions and exemptions on stamp duty to first home buyers. See if you're eligible and what your stamp duty would be today.

  • What are the Proposed NSW Stamp Duty Changes?

    Introduced in the 2020-21 Budget, the NSW Government announced a proposal to change the way the current tax system is set up when purchasing properties.

  • VIC: 25-50% discounts announced on stamp duty

    As part of the Victorian Budget 2020/21 a number of measures aimed at making housing more accessible and affordable for Victorians have been announced. Read more to see how these changes could benefit you.

  • Victoria's $500M Homebuyer Fund

    The Victorian Government has made it possible to receive a contribution of up to 25% of the purchase price of your home.

  • First Home Guarantee

    Since January 2020, the Government has introduced the First Home Guarantee scheme (Previously known as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme), for first time buyers, which allows approved applicants to take out a mortgage with just a 5% deposit and avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance. Spots are limited, find out if you're eligible today.


  • First home buyer information centre

    Using your superannuation

    First home buyers super saver scheme (FHSS)

    The Australian Government introduced the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSS) to assist first home buyers.

    The scheme allows first home buyers to save money for a deposit through their superannuation fund.

    It will be administered by the Australian Taxation Office who will be responsible for ensuring that users of the scheme are first home buyers and that the funds withdrawn will be used to buy a property.

    FHSS FAQs

    An individual can have a portion of their pre-tax income salary sacrificed into their superannuation, and this will be taxed at the regular superannuation rate of 15%.

    Self-employed workers or those whose employer does not salary sacrifice can make their own contributions and claim a tax deduction.

    Individuals can also make voluntary contributions as long as they’re within the current superannuation caps.

    Under the scheme, first home buyers can only voluntarily contribute up to $15,000 per financial year, and $30,000 in total.

    To be eligible, individuals must:

    1. Be 18 years or older
    2. Have never owned property in Australia
    3. Have never used the FHSS scheme before

    Eligibility is based on an individual, which means that if someone is buying a property with another eligible person, they can each contribute their own FHSS funds. For example, a couple buying a home together can contribute up to $60,000 for a purchase.

    Individuals who have previously owned property in Australia may be eligible if they can prove they suffered a financial hardship that resulted in the loss of ownership of a property. They can apply for consideration from July 1.

    From July 1, first home buyers that meet the eligibility requirements can dip into their super to access the funds they have contributed.

    These can be combined with their own other savings to be used as a deposit for a property purchase.

    The First Home Buyers Super Scheme funds will affect a person’s tax for the year in which they make the request to access them. They will receive a payment summary and they will have to include both the assessable and tax-withheld amounts in their tax return.

    Renting vs buying


    Should you rent or buy your own home?

    As a homeowner, your mortgage repayments might be higher than your rent, and yes, a home loan is a long term commitment. But in many ways, repaying a loan is a form of forced saving.

    When renting, you can live where you want, and you don’t need a huge deposit. But when you buy, it's your asset which has the potential to grow in value. You’re not just paying for a roof over your head, you’re building equity in an asset that is likely to grow in value over the years.

    Watch this video to find out more.

    Additional resources

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    Property Ownership

    This guide outlines the essential steps to achieving property ownership, starting from the first appointment with a mortgage broker all the way to settlement.


    Download now

    Mortgage Minute: Overview of grants

    NSW First home buyer grants

    QLD First home buyer grants

    VIC first home buyer grants

    WA First home buyer grants

    SA First home buyer grants

    TAS First home buyer grants

    NT First Home Buyer Grants

    ACT First home buyer grants