First Home Buyer Schemes by State: The Complete 2026 Guide

First home buying in Australia in 2026 is more government-supported than ever. Federal schemes administered through Housing Australia (formerly NHFIC) layer with state grants, stamp duty concessions, and shared-equity programs to create a complex but powerful support system. Eligible buyers stacking the right combination can save $30,000 to $60,000 or more compared to a standard purchase.

The challenge is that the schemes have different eligibility rules, price caps, and deadlines. This guide covers the complete picture state by state, including how to combine schemes for maximum benefit.

Federal schemes (available everywhere)

First Home Guarantee (the 5% Deposit Scheme)

5% deposit, no LMI. On 1 October 2025 it was renamed the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, and the income test and the limit on places were removed. It's open to first home buyers and to anyone who hasn't owned property in Australia in the last 10 years. Property price caps by location:

• $1,500,000 in Greater Sydney and the regional centres (Central Coast, Coffs Harbour–Grafton, Illawarra, Mid North Coast, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Richmond–Tweed) and $800,000 in the rest of New South Wales
• $950,000 in Greater Melbourne and Geelong and $650,000 in the rest of Victoria
• $1,000,000 in Greater Brisbane and the regional centres (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast) and $700,000 in the rest of Queensland
• $850,000 in Greater Perth and $600,000 in the rest of Western Australia
• $900,000 in Greater Adelaide and $500,000 in the rest of South Australia
• $700,000 in Greater Hobart and $550,000 in the rest of Tasmania
• $1,000,000 across the ACT
• $750,000 in Greater Darwin and $600,000 in the rest of the Northern Territory

The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee closed to new guarantees on 1 October 2025; regional buyers use the 5% Deposit Scheme at their area's cap.

As at 1 October 2026, Housing Australia data cited by the federal government showed 102,594 first home buyers had used the expanded scheme in its first year, with more than 280,000 supported since 2022. One in two first home buyers nationally now use a government scheme to purchase, according to the same release.

100,000 Homes for First Home Buyers

Separate from the deposit guarantee, the Commonwealth is partnering with states and territories to reserve up to 100,000 new homes for first home buyers. Deals announced to date include South Australia (6,877 reserved homes within about 17,000 new dwellings, 30 January 2026), the ACT (more than 1,700 reserved within about 4,900 homes, 20 April 2026) and Tasmania (up to 2,101 reserved within about 4,000 homes, 21 April 2026). First completions from these pipelines are expected from 2027–28.

Family Home Guarantee

2% deposit, no LMI, for single parents and single legal guardians, with no income test since 1 October 2025. You don't need to be a first home buyer, but any other home you own must be sold within 4 weeks of settling. Same property price caps as the 5% Deposit Scheme.

Help to Buy (Shared Equity Scheme)

The government contributes up to 40% of the price 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 for couples and single parents, with price caps by area. Applications opened on 5 December 2025. See our Help to Buy guide.

First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS)

Count up to $15,000 of voluntary super contributions a year ($50,000 in total) and withdraw them, plus deemed earnings, for a deposit. Salary sacrifice is taxed at 15% going in instead of your marginal rate, and the release at your marginal rate less a 30% offset. See our FHSS guide and FHSS calculator.

NSW

• FHOG: $10,000 for a new home bought for up to $600,000, or $750,000 for land and a building contract
• Stamp duty: No duty up to $800,000, reduced duty below $1,000,000 on a new or established home (contracts from 1 July 2023); vacant land: no duty up to $350,000, reduced duty below $450,000
• Closed schemes: First Home Buyer Choice closed to new buyers in 2023 and the Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper on 30 June 2024; Help to Buy is now the shared equity option

Stacking on a $750K house-and-land package: the $10,000 grant plus $27,937 of stamp duty you don't pay, before the LMI the 5% Deposit Scheme removes.

VIC

• FHOG: $10,000 for a new home valued up to $750,000. The $20,000 regional grant ended on 30 June 2021
• Stamp duty: No duty up to $600,000, reduced duty to $750,000 (new and established homes, and vacant land)
• Victorian Homebuyer Fund: closed to new applications on 10 September 2025. Victoria's shared equity option is now the federal Help to Buy scheme
• PPR concession: Available to non-FHB owner-occupiers on properties up to $550,000

Stacking on a new $600K home: the $10,000 grant plus $31,070 of stamp duty you don't pay.

QLD

• FHOG: $30,000 for a new home valued under $750,000, kept by the 2026-27 Queensland Budget
• First home concession: on an established home, no duty up to $700,000, reduced duty below $800,000 (contracts from 9 June 2024)
• New homes and vacant land: no transfer duty at any price for contracts from 1 May 2025
• Queensland Housing Finance Loan: Government home loan for low-to-moderate income earners

Stacking on a new home just under $750K: the $30,000 grant plus $19,555 of transfer duty you don't pay, nearly $50,000.

WA

• FHOG: $10,000 for a new home valued up to $800,000 in Perth and the south of the state, or $1,000,000 north of the 26th parallel
• Stamp duty: No duty up to $600,000, then $16.15 per $100 above that, to $800,000 (new and established homes, agreements from 7 May 2026); vacant land: no duty up to $450,000, then $20.14 per $100 above that, to $550,000
• Keystart Home Loans: WA Government low-deposit home loans (as low as 2%) without LMI, income limits apply (unique to WA)
• SharedStart (Keystart): State shared equity through Keystart

Stacking on a new $600K home: the $10,000 grant plus $22,515 of transfer duty you don't pay, with Keystart adding low-deposit access not available elsewhere.

SA

• FHOG: Up to $15,000 for a new home, with no value cap
• Stamp duty: none on a new home, an off-the-plan apartment or vacant land to build, with no price cap (contracts from 6 June 2024). No first home relief on an established home
• HomeStart Shared Equity Option: HomeStart can lend 5% to 25% of the price, for net household income up to $120,000 and homes up to $750,000

Stacking on a new $650K home: a grant of up to $15,000 plus $29,580 of stamp duty you don't pay. On an established home there's no first home help from the state.

TAS

• FHOG: $20,000 for a new home, with no value cap, for transactions from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. It was $30,000 in 2025-26
• Stamp duty: the exemption for first home buyers of established homes ended for settlements after 30 June 2026. There's no first home duty relief on new homes or land

Stacking: the grant is the whole Tasmanian package now, $20,000 on a new home. A first home buyer pays full duty, $18,248 on a $500K home.

ACT

• No FHOG. It ceased on 1 July 2019
• Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS): no duty at any price, with no income test, if you haven't held an interest in any property in the last five years, on new and established homes and vacant land, for transactions from 1 July 2026
• ACT Shared Equity Scheme: for public housing tenants buying their Housing ACT home
• Land Rent Scheme: Unique to ACT, lease the land, finance only the build

Stacking on a $700K home: $17,048 of duty you don't pay (owner-occupier rate), and more as the price rises, since there's no cap.

NT

• HomeGrown Territory Grant: $50,000 for building or buying a new home, with no price cap, for contracts from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027
• Stamp duty: no first home buyer concession. The $10,000 grant for established homes covered contracts from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 only

The NT's $50,000 grant on a new home is the largest first home grant in Australia; a first home buyer pays full duty, $23,929 on a $500K home.

How to maximise the stack

1. Identify your scheme combinations. Federal FHBG + state FHOG + state stamp duty concession is the typical maximum stack
2. Time your application properly. The 5% Deposit Scheme has had unlimited places since 1 October 2025, so the deadline that matters is the 90 days a pre-approval gives you to sign a contract
3. Stay under the price caps. Even one dollar over disqualifies the entire benefit. Plan well under cap to leave negotiation room
4. Consider a mortgage-broker" class="glossary-link" data-glossary-slug="mortgage-broker">mortgage broker who works with FHB schemes. They know which lenders offer the 5% Deposit Scheme and can structure the application correctly
5. Get state-specific conveyancing advice. Each scheme has paperwork that needs to be lodged correctly
6. For investors: schemes don't apply. If you're not buying as PPR, most FHB benefits are unavailable

Common mistakes

• Not knowing which schemes you're eligible for. The interaction between federal and state schemes is complex
• Going over the price cap. The most expensive mistake: a dollar over and the entire benefit disappears
• Buying established when only new qualifies for FHOG. Most state FHOGs are new-only
• Missing the FHSSS opportunity. The tax saving is real and often underused
• Not getting pre-approval before bidding. Auction or competitive offer scenarios require pre-approval secured

First home buying in Australia in 2026 is more government-supported than at any point in the country's history, but the support is fragmented across federal, state and territory schemes. The reward for working through the rules properly is substantial: for buyers eligible for the maximum stack, $40,000 to $60,000 in benefits is achievable. The cost of getting it wrong is equally substantial: exceeding a price cap by even a small amount can wipe out the entire benefit. Take the time, get advice, and make the system work for you.