Help to Buy Scheme NSW (2026): Price Caps, Eligibility and Stamp Duty

NSW has the highest Help to Buy price cap in the country, $1.3 million in Sydney and six regional centres, and its own shared equity scheme has closed, so Help to Buy is now the only shared equity option in the state. You can add the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme and, on a new home, the First Home Owner Grant.

Price caps and where they apply

The $1,300,000 cap covers Sydney plus Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, the Illawarra, the Central Coast, the Mid-North Coast, Coffs Harbour–Grafton and Richmond–Tweed. Everywhere else in NSW the cap is $800,000.

A worked example

A $900,000 existing home in Sydney, with a 2% deposit and the government’s full 30%:

The duty line uses the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: no duty up to $800,000, then a reduced rate below $1 million. Revenue NSW hasn't published how duty applies when the government holds a share; we've used the full price, as Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia do. Run your own figures in the Help to Buy calculator.

Who can use it

• Australian citizens aged 18 or over; permanent residents aren’t eligible.
• Taxable income for 2026–27 of $103,000 or less as a single, $165,000 for a couple or single parent.
• You can’t own property now, but you don’t have to be a first home buyer.
• You must live in the home, and the lender must be satisfied you couldn’t buy without the scheme.

The full rules, including buying back the government’s share, selling, renovating and renting out, are in the Help to Buy guide.

Grants and stamp duty you can add

Help to Buy can be combined with a first home owner grant, stamp duty concessions and the First Home Super Saver Scheme. In New South Wales:

• First Home Owner Grant: $10,000 for a new home bought for up to $600,000, or land plus a building contract up to $750,000. Revenue NSW says the grant may be paid on top of other exemptions or concessions.
• First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: No transfer duty up to $800,000 and a reduced rate below $1 million, on new or existing homes, for contracts from 1 July 2023. Off the plan, first home buyers can also defer the duty until settlement or 12 months after the contract, whichever comes first.
• How NSW treats the government's share: Not published. Revenue NSW has no Help to Buy guidance on its grant or duty pages; ask your conveyancer how the duty will be assessed.
• First home buyer stamp duty on an established home: no duty up to $800,000, with a reduced rate up to $1,000,000 (First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, from 1 July 2023).

You can’t combine Help to Buy with the 5% Deposit Scheme or a state shared equity scheme.

The state’s own scheme

Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper: Closed on 30 June 2024. Official page.

Help to Buy is now the shared equity option in NSW.

Every scheme and its status is in our guide to shared equity schemes in Australia.

How to apply

Apply through a participating lender or a broker that works with one: Bank Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited, Queensland Country Bank. The lender’s conditional approval reserves a place for 90 days, and your contract must allow at least 30 days to settlement.