First Home Buyer Guide ACT: Schemes, Stamp Duty & Canberra Property (2026)

No stamp duty at any price leaves more of an eligible buyer’s budget for the home itself. Set your own limit and buying plan before you bid, so the duty saving doesn’t turn into a higher price.

No FHOG in the ACT, here’s what you get instead

Unlike every other Australian state and territory, the ACT does not offer a First Home Owner Grant. The ACT Government replaced it with the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, which can deliver more value than a cash grant by eliminating stamp duty entirely for eligible buyers.

Given that Canberra has some of the highest property prices in Australia, and therefore high stamp duty bills, the HBCS is typically worth far more than a FHOG would be.

Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS)

From 1 July 2026 the HBCS lets an eligible buyer pay no conveyance duty on a home or vacant residential land, new or established, at any price. The ACT Revenue Office removed both the property value limit and the income threshold on that date.

Key eligibility requirements:

• All buyers must be individuals aged 18 or over
• You, and any domestic partner, must not have held an interest in any property in the five years before the transaction
• At least one buyer must live in the home continuously for at least a year, moving in within a year of settlement
• No income test and no property value limit, for transactions from 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 the scheme had an income test ($250,000, plus $4,600 for each dependent child) and gave no duty only up to $1,020,000. Checked against the ACT Revenue Office on 14 October 2026; confirm your eligibility at revenue.act.gov.au.

Shared equity in the ACT

The ACT Government’s own Shared Equity Scheme helps public housing tenants buy their Housing ACT home. If you aren’t a Housing ACT tenant, the shared equity option is the federal Help to Buy scheme (below), where the government takes a share of the home and you buy it back over time.

Land Rent Scheme

The ACT offers a unique Land Rent Scheme as an alternative to purchasing land outright:

• You lease the land from the ACT Government and pay annual rent on the land component only
• You own the dwelling (house or improvements) on the land
• Significantly reduces the upfront capital required, you only finance the build
• Land rent rates are set by the government and are generally lower than servicing a land mortgage
• You can convert to a standard Crown Lease (purchase the land outright) at any time

Worth considering for first home buyers building new homes in the ACT, particularly in greenfield developments.

Federal government schemes

5% Deposit Scheme (First Home Guarantee)

• 5% Deposit Scheme (the expanded First Home Guarantee): buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI. Since 1 October 2025 there’s no income test and no limit on places. The price cap is $1,000,000 across the ACT. See our 5% Deposit Scheme guide.
• Single parents and legal guardians (Family Home Guarantee): a 2% deposit, the same price caps and no income test. You don’t have to be a first home buyer, but any other home you own must be sold within 4 weeks of settling.

Help to Buy

Help to Buy (shared equity): the government contributes up to 40% of a new home or 30% of an existing one, with a 2% minimum deposit and no LMI. For 2026–27 the income limits are $103,000 (single) and $165,000 (joint or single parent). The price cap is $1,000,000 in Canberra. It can’t be combined with the 5% Deposit Scheme. See Help to Buy guide.

First Home Super Saver scheme (FHSS)

First Home Super Saver scheme (FHSS): save part of your deposit in super with voluntary contributions, up to $15,000 a year and $50,000 in total per person, then withdraw 85% of before-tax contributions and all after-tax ones, plus deemed earnings (7.51% a year for October–December 2026). Salary sacrifice is taxed at 15% going in, and the release at your marginal rate less a 30% offset. There’s no price cap, and it combines with the other schemes. See the FHSS guide or run your numbers in the FHSS calculator.

Leasehold land, the ACT’s unique system

The most important thing to understand about Canberra property: all land in the ACT is held under Crown Lease (leasehold tenure). There is no freehold land in the ACT, the territory government owns all land.

• You own the dwelling (house, apartment, or improvements) and hold a Crown Lease over the land, typically 99 years.
• Crown Leases specify permitted use, e.g. residential, commercial. Using land contrary to the lease is a breach.
• Change-of-use charges: if you develop, subdivide, or change the use of the land, the government may charge a fee for the uplift in land value.
• Mortgage and finance: All major banks lend on ACT Crown Lease properties as a matter of course; no unusual financing challenges for standard residential purchases.
• 99-year leases: When a lease approaches the end of its term (rare in modern residential areas), it’s typically renewed automatically.

For most buyers of standard residential homes in Canberra, leasehold operates almost identically to freehold. The differences become more significant when developing or changing use.

Canberra property market overview

Canberra is consistently among Australia’s most expensive markets, driven by high incomes, stable government employment, and quality housing demand.

• High median house and unit prices, among the top in Australia
• Strong public service employment provides economic stability
• Low vacancy rates and strong rental demand
• Well-planned city with excellent infrastructure, schools, and amenities
• Greenfield developments (Gungahlin, Molonglo/Whitlam, Googong) offer newer, more affordable stock
• Inner Canberra (Braddon, Kingston, Barton, New Acton) commands significant premiums

For first home buyers, the HBCS and the $1,000,000 5% Deposit Scheme cap make a real difference in a market where median house prices regularly exceed $900,000.

Eligibility requirements

For the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, from 1 July 2026:

• No buyer (or their domestic partner) can have held an interest in any property in the last five years
• The home must become a buyer’s principal place of residence for at least a year
• There’s no income test and no property value limit

Because the test is five years without a property interest rather than never owning, some people who have owned before can qualify. Check the limited exemptions with the ACT Revenue Office.

Step-by-step, buying your first home in the ACT

1. Check HBCS eligibility first. Confirm nobody buying (or their domestic partner) has held an interest in any property in the last five years. Zero stamp duty against a $17,000-plus bill changes your budget significantly.
2. Calculate your total budget. Conveyancing ($1,500 to $2,500), inspections, title searches, moving. Leave out stamp duty if you're HBCS-eligible; include it if not.
3. Consider the First Home Guarantee. If your deposit is under 20%, the 5% Deposit Scheme (5% deposit, no LMI, $1,000,000 cap) saves tens of thousands in LMI. Apply via a participating lender.
4. Get pre-approval. Any major bank lends on ACT Crown Lease properties without issue, leasehold isn't an obstacle.
5. Understand the Crown Lease. Have your conveyancer review lease conditions and any development or change-of-use restrictions on the property.
6. Make an offer and sign. Standard ACT purchase contract. 5 business days cooling-off on private treaty (none at auction).
7. Apply for HBCS. Lodge with the ACT Revenue Office, typically as part of settlement through your conveyancer.

Resources and contacts

• ACT Revenue Office, HBCS, stamp duty, land rent: revenue.act.gov.au
• Housing ACT, the Shared Equity Scheme for public housing tenants: housing.act.gov.au
• Housing Australia, First Home Guarantee and federal schemes: housingaustralia.gov.au
• ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), tenancy and property disputes: acat.act.gov.au
• Access Canberra, general ACT government services: accesscanberra.act.gov.au