First Home Buyer Guide Northern Territory: Grants & Schemes (2026)

The NT’s first home help is one big number: a grant on a new home with no price cap, and no duty concession beside it. Build your buying plan around both, and have an NT conveyancer confirm land tenure before you offer.

HomeGrown Territory Grant, Northern Territory

The HomeGrown Territory Grant pays $50,000 to an eligible first home buyer who builds or buys a new home, including off-the-plan and owner-builder homes, for contracts from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027. There's no price cap. It's administered by the Territory Revenue Office.

You must live in the home for 12 months, and apply by 30 September 2028. The grant isn't paid on vacant land alone. For contracts from 1 October 2027 it's scheduled to revert to the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant on new homes. The $10,000 grant for an established home applied to contracts from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 and has closed.

The grant is paid at settlement for completed purchases, or at the first progress payment for construction loans. Applications can be lodged through your lender as an approved agent of the Territory Revenue Office.

Stamp duty in the NT: no first home concession

The NT has no first home buyer duty concession on new or established homes; the First Home Owner Discount no longer applies. Every buyer pays the same duty: $23,929 on a $500,000 home and $37,125 on $750,000. A separate House and Land Package Exemption, for any buyer of a new house-and-land package from a builder, applies to contracts from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2027.

Checked against the Territory Revenue Office on 14 October 2026.

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 $750,000 in Greater Darwin and $600,000 in the rest of the Northern Territory (Darwin’s cap rose from $600,000 on 1 July 2026). 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.
• Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee: closed. No new guarantees have been issued since 1 October 2025; regional buyers use the 5% Deposit Scheme at their area’s price cap.

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 $600,000 in Darwin. 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, a critical NT consideration

One of the most important and often misunderstood aspects of buying property in the NT is land tenure. A significant share of NT land operates under leasehold tenure rather than freehold.

What is leasehold land?

With leasehold land, the government (or another entity such as a land council) retains ownership of the land. You purchase the right to use and occupy the land for a specified term, often 99 years.

• Security of tenure: Long-term leases (99 years) provide reasonable security; the government retains underlying ownership.
• Resale: You can sell your leasehold interest; the buyer inherits the remaining lease term.
• Finance: Some lenders are cautious about lending on leasehold. Not all standard home loans apply, so check with your lender early.
• Remote communities: Many Aboriginal communities operate under different land tenure under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. Special rules apply and buying involves different processes.

In Darwin’s established suburbs, most residential land is on Crown Lease, a long-term arrangement that functions similarly to freehold for most practical purposes, and most lenders accept it. Always confirm the specific tenure of any property with your conveyancer.

Darwin property market overview

Darwin has historically been more volatile than other Australian capitals, with boom-and-bust cycles tied to resource sector activity, government infrastructure spending, and population flows.

• Median house prices are generally lower than southern capitals, more accessible for first home buyers
• Strong rental demand from government and defence sector employment
• High proportion of attached dwellings (units, townhouses), popular with first home buyers and investors
• Tropical climate influences property design and maintenance (cyclone ratings, insulation, AC systems)
• Alice Springs and other regional centres offer even lower entry points

Eligibility requirements

For the HomeGrown Territory Grant:

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Be 18 years or older
• Have never previously owned residential property in Australia used as a place of residence
• Live in the home as your principal place of residence for 12 months
• Build or buy a new home, including off-the-plan (not vacant land alone), under a contract signed by 30 September 2027, and apply by 30 September 2028

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

1. Understand the NT market and land tenure. Research Darwin/regional and the tenure of any property you consider. Engage an NT conveyancer early: leasehold rules differ from mainland states.
2. Calculate your total costs. Stamp duty at the full rate (there's no first home concession), legal fees, building inspection (cyclone rating compliance), moving costs.
3. Check grant and scheme eligibility. Confirm eligibility for the $50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant (a new home, contract by 30 September 2027) and the 5% Deposit Scheme ($750,000 cap in Greater Darwin, $600,000 elsewhere).
4. Get pre-approval. Use a lender that actively lends on NT Crown Lease properties. Not all lenders operate in the NT; a broker familiar with Darwin helps.
5. Search and inspect. Building and pest inspection. In Darwin also check cyclone ratings, AC systems, flood/inundation exposure.
6. Engage an NT conveyancer. They review the contract, confirm land tenure, do title searches, and manage settlement.
7. Apply for the grant. Through your lender or directly with the Territory Revenue Office, by 30 September 2028.

Resources and contacts

• Territory Revenue Office, FHOG and stamp duty: treasury.nt.gov.au/revenue
• NT Consumer Affairs, tenancy and property: consumeraffairs.nt.gov.au
• Housing Australia, First Home Guarantee and federal schemes: housingaustralia.gov.au
• NT Land Administration, land tenure information: lands.nt.gov.au