Can I Use My Super to Buy a House? What You Can and Can't Do (2026)

Key takeaways

Mostly no. Super is locked until you can access it, usually when you retire after 60, and the super your employer pays can't go towards a home.
The exception is the First Home Super Saver (FHSS) scheme. First home buyers can withdraw up to $50,000 of their own voluntary contributions, plus deemed earnings, for a deposit. A couple can each do it.
It only covers extra contributions you make, so it doesn't eat into your retirement savings. Salary sacrificed contributions save tax on the way in, which is what makes it worth doing.
Early release for severe financial hardship or on compassionate grounds doesn't cover buying a home. Compassionate release can cover mortgage payments to stop the home you have being sold.
A self-managed super fund can buy residential property only as an investment. You, your family and other related parties can't live in it or rent it.

The short answer

Generally, no. Super is preserved for retirement, so you can’t take it out to buy a home. The exception is the First Home Super Saver scheme, which lets first home buyers withdraw extra contributions they’ve put in themselves, up to $50,000 each.

What you want to do	Can you?
Withdraw extra contributions for a first home deposit	Yes, through FHSS, up to $50,000 plus earnings
Withdraw your employer’s super guarantee for a deposit	No
Use super for a home if you’ve owned property before	No, except after financial hardship
Use super for mortgage payments to stop your home being sold	Possibly, on compassionate grounds
Buy a home to live in through your SMSF	No
Pay off a mortgage once retired after 60	Yes

The exception: the First Home Super Saver scheme

FHSS lets you make voluntary contributions into your super and later withdraw them, plus deemed earnings, to put towards your first home. It only applies to the extra money you choose to put in, so the super you already have isn’t touched.

Limits: $15,000 of contributions counts each financial year, and $50,000 in total, per person.
What comes back: 85% of before-tax contributions (salary sacrifice or deductible), 100% of after-tax ones, plus earnings at the ATO’s shortfall interest charge rate, 7.51% for October–December 2026.
Why bother: salary sacrifice is taxed at 15% in your fund instead of your marginal rate, and the release is taxed at your marginal rate less a 30% offset.
Who: 18 or over, never owned property in Australia, and you must live in the home for 6 of the first 12 months.

The First Home Super Saver scheme guide has the full rules, including the timing rules that changed in September 2024.

How much FHSS can add to a deposit

Salary sacrificing for 3 years on a $90,000 salary, with earnings at 7.51%, against saving the same pay in an account at 4.5%:

Salary sacrifice a year	FHSS deposit	Savings account	Difference
$5,000	$14,039	$10,696	$3,343
$10,000	$28,098	$21,392	$6,706
$15,000	$42,156	$32,087	$10,069

At $15,000 a year, the $50,000 total is reached in the fourth year; four years gives $49,892 after tax. A couple can each do the same. Try your own figures in the FHSS calculator.

$100,000

Of contributions a couple can count towards FHSS for the same home, $50,000 each.

Plus deemed earnings, less tax on release

Why you can’t use your employer’s super

The super guarantee your employer pays, and contributions required by an award, are preserved until you meet a condition of release, usually retiring after 60. FHSS counts only voluntary contributions: salary sacrifice you arrange, and personal contributions. Contributions your spouse or parents make for you don’t count either.

Early release: hardship and compassionate grounds

You can sometimes get super out early, but not to buy a home:

Severe financial hardship:before 60, up to $10,000 once every 12 months, if you’ve been on eligible income support for at least 26 weeks and can’t pay urgent living costs.
Compassionate grounds: for specific costs with no other way to pay, including medical treatment, disability modifications to your home, and mortgage payments to stop your home being sold. You apply to the ATO with evidence.

Neither covers a deposit. If you’re behind on a mortgage, talk to your lender about hardship arrangements before your super.

Buying a home through an SMSF

A self-managed super fund can buy residential property, but only as an investment for retirement. The property must meet the sole purpose test, can’t be bought from a member or a related party, and can’t be lived in or rented by a fund member or a related party. So an SMSF can’t buy the home you live in, or one for your family.

Once you can access your super

If you’re 60 or over and no longer working, you can usually access your super at any time and spend it how you like, including on a home or your mortgage. Whether that’s wise depends on what you need to live on in retirement, so it’s worth personal financial advice.

Other help with a deposit

FHSS can be combined with the other first home buyer schemes:

the 5% Deposit Scheme, to buy with a 5% deposit and no LMI
Help to Buy, where the government puts in up to 40% of the price
your state’s first home owner grant and stamp duty concessions

Our guide to how much deposit you need shows what each level unlocks.

Rules checked 7 October 2026.

Sources and methodology

ATO: About the FHSS scheme · What FHSS is and who can use it
ATO: About your contributions · Which contributions count; super guarantee doesn't
ATO: About FHSS release amounts · The limits and the 85% rule
ATO: Eligibility for the FHSS scheme · Never owned property, and the hardship exception
ATO: Shortfall interest charge rates · The deemed earnings rate
Moneysmart: When you can access your super early (29 Sep 2026) · Severe financial hardship, compassionate grounds, access from 60
Moneysmart: SMSFs and property (23 Jul 2026) · Sole purpose test; no living in or renting to members or related parties
Australian Government: First Home Super Saver Scheme fact sheet (Oct 2025) · Combining FHSS with other schemes

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Common questions

Can I use my super to buy a house?

Only through the First Home Super Saver scheme, and only if you've never owned property in Australia. It lets you withdraw up to $50,000 of extra voluntary contributions you've made since 1 July 2017, plus deemed earnings, for a deposit. The rest of your super, including everything your employer has paid, stays locked until you can access it, usually when you retire after 60.

Can I withdraw my super for a first home deposit?

Yes, the voluntary part, through FHSS. Up to $15,000 a year and $50,000 in total counts. You get back 85% of before-tax contributions and all of after-tax ones, plus earnings at the ATO's rate (7.51% for October–December 2026). You request it through myGov and it takes 15 to 20 business days to arrive.

Can I use my super to buy a house if I'm not a first home buyer?

No. FHSS is only for people who have never owned property in Australia, including investment property and vacant land. The exception is someone who lost all their property through financial hardship, such as bankruptcy or a relationship breakdown, who can apply to the ATO for a hardship determination.

Can I use my super to pay off my mortgage?

Not before you can access your super. The one exception is compassionate release, which the ATO can approve for mortgage payments to stop your home being sold, if you have no other way to pay. Once you've retired after 60, or meet another condition of release, you can use your super as you like, including on the mortgage.

Can I buy a house with my SMSF and live in it?

No. A self-managed super fund's property must be held solely to provide retirement benefits. It can't be bought from you or a relative, and it can't be lived in or rented by a fund member or a related party, even at market rent.

Is it smart to use your super to buy a house?

FHSS is usually worth it if you salary sacrifice and your tax rate is 30% or more. On a $90,000 salary, $10,000 a year for 3 years leaves $28,098 for a deposit, against $21,392 saved in a bank at 4.5%. Because it only covers extra contributions, it doesn't reduce the super you already have. The risk is that the money is locked up until you request it, and if you don't buy you must put it back into super or pay 20% tax.