Combining the First Home Owner Grant, guarantees and duty concessions

In most cases, yes: a first home buyer may combine a state or territory First Home Owner Grant, state duty relief, the federal 5% Deposit Scheme (the renamed Home Guarantee Scheme) and the First Home Super Saver Scheme on a single purchase. Housing Australia's guide to the 5% Deposit Scheme states that receiving the guarantee does not prevent a buyer from accessing other Australian, state or territory housing support, and the government's First Home Super Saver fact sheet confirms that the super scheme can be combined with other federal or state home buying schemes.

The difficulty is that each program is run by a different agency and applies its own test. A buyer who qualifies for one may fail another because of the property type, the price, a residency rule or a past property interest. The main exclusion to note is that, according to Housing Australia, the 5% Deposit Scheme and the Help to Buy shared equity scheme cannot be used together.

The four kinds of first home buyer assistance

Assistance for first home buyers falls into four groups, each solving a different problem.

Type	Who runs it	What it does	Typical limits
First Home Owner Grant	State or territory revenue office	A cash payment towards the purchase or construction	Usually new homes only, with a value cap
Duty exemption or concession	State or territory revenue office	Removes or reduces transfer (stamp) duty	Value thresholds, or new homes only, depending on the state
5% Deposit Scheme	Housing Australia, through participating lenders	A government guarantee so a lender can accept a small deposit without lenders mortgage insurance	Location price caps, owner occupier loans only
First Home Super Saver Scheme	Australian Taxation Office	Allows voluntary super contributions to be released for a deposit	Yearly and total contribution limits

A grant and a duty concession reduce the cash a buyer must find. The guarantee reduces the deposit a lender requires. The super scheme helps build the deposit in the first place. Because they act on different parts of the purchase, they can sit alongside one another. An overview is on the government grants page.

State grants: usually for new homes only

First Home Owner Grants are set by each state and territory and, in the larger states, are generally limited to newly built homes. As at September 2026:

• Revenue NSW describes a $10,000 First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant for newly built or substantially renovated homes.
• The State Revenue Office of Victoria describes a $10,000 grant for buying or building a new home valued up to $750,000.
• The Queensland Revenue Office states that its grant is $30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, for a new home valued at less than $750,000, and that the buyer must move in within one year and live there continuously for six months.

Grant amounts, contract date windows and value caps change with state budgets, so the relevant revenue office page should be checked against the intended contract date. A buyer of an established home will often find that no grant applies, even though duty relief may.

State duty relief: the largest saving for many buyers

Duty relief differs widely between jurisdictions, and several settings changed during 2025 and 2026. As at 18 September 2026:

• New South Wales: Revenue NSW states that the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme gives a full exemption for new or existing homes up to $800,000 and a concessional rate up to $1,000,000, with a requirement to move in within 12 months and live in the home for 12 continuous months.
• Victoria: the State Revenue Office refers to a first home buyer duty exemption or concession for homes up to $750,000.
• Queensland: the Queensland Revenue Office states that the first home (new home) concession reduces duty to nil for contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, with no cap on the value of the home.
• South Australia: first home duty relief applies to new homes only, according to RevenueSA.
• Australian Capital Territory: from 1 July 2026 the Home Buyer Concession Scheme has no income test or price cap, according to the ACT Revenue Office.
• Tasmania: the State Revenue Office of Tasmania states that the duty exemption for first home buyers of established homes applied to settlements up to 30 June 2026. That exemption has therefore ended.

The Tasmanian example shows why dates matter: relief may depend on the contract date or the settlement date. The stamp duty calculator gives an estimate of duty with and without first home relief.

The federal 5% Deposit Scheme and lenders mortgage insurance

Under the 5% Deposit Scheme, Housing Australia guarantees part of the loan so that a participating lender can lend with a deposit of at least 5 per cent (2 per cent for eligible single parents and legal guardians) without charging lenders mortgage insurance. Housing Australia states that since 1 October 2025 the scheme has had no income caps and no waitlists. Its information guide describes the guarantee as covering up to 15 per cent of the property value.

Key conditions described by Housing Australia include:

• applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents;
• applicants must be first home buyers, or must not have owned a home or land in Australia in the last 10 years;
• both the purchase price and the lender's valuation must be at or below the price cap for the location;
• the buyer must move in within six months of settlement and remain an owner occupier while the guarantee is active;
• the buyer must use as much of their savings as possible for the deposit, under the lender's guidelines.

The guarantee is not a cash payment. The buyer still borrows up to 95 per cent of the value and pays interest on that larger loan. The LMI calculator indicates the premium that the guarantee may avoid, and the mortgage repayment calculator shows the cost of the larger loan.

The First Home Super Saver Scheme as a deposit source

The First Home Super Saver Scheme allows voluntary super contributions of up to $15,000 a financial year and $50,000 in total to be released, with associated earnings, towards a first home, according to the government's fact sheet as at September 2026. Each buyer in a couple can use their own eligible contributions for the same property. The scheme has a strict sequence: a determination must be requested from the ATO before settlement. The BorrowWise blog covers the release steps in a separate guide.

Why the eligibility tests differ

The same buyer can be a "first home buyer" under one program and not under another. Points of difference include:

• Prior ownership: the Queensland grant test looks at residential property owned in Australia at any time, the 5% Deposit Scheme looks back 10 years, and the super scheme excludes anyone who has owned any Australian property, including vacant land or commercial property.
• Citizenship and residency: the 5% Deposit Scheme requires citizenship or permanent residency. Revenue NSW requires at least one buyer to be a citizen or permanent resident. The super scheme fact sheet states that there is no citizenship or residency requirement.
• Joint purchases: state schemes commonly test every purchaser and their spouse, while the super scheme is assessed for each individual.
• Property type and price: grants usually require a new home, duty relief may or may not, and the guarantee applies a location price cap.
• Occupancy: each program sets its own move-in deadline and minimum period of residence.

The order in which to check each scheme

1. Start with the super scheme, because it takes the longest. Contributions must be made before they can be released, so this decision is made months or years before buying.
2. Estimate a price range. The borrowing power calculator gives an indication of what a lender may consider.
3. Check state duty relief for that price and property type. This is often the largest dollar amount and may change the choice between a new and an established home.
4. Check the state grant. Confirm the value cap, the contract date window and whether the home counts as new.
5. Check the 5% Deposit Scheme price cap for the postcode and confirm that the chosen lender participates.
6. Request the super scheme determination before signing, or at the latest before settlement, and allow time for the release to arrive.
7. Confirm the residence requirements of every program together, because the strictest deadline is the one that governs.

Illustrative example: a Queensland new home purchase

The following example is hypothetical. It uses the Queensland settings described above as at September 2026 and an assumed tax rate chosen only for illustration.

Two first home buyers sign a contract for a newly built home in Brisbane for $700,000. Each salary sacrificed $10,000 a year into super for two years, $20,000 each.

• Duty: the first home (new home) concession reduces transfer duty to nil.
• Grant: the price is below $750,000, so the $30,000 grant may apply.
• Super release: 85 per cent of each buyer's $20,000 counts, which is $17,000 each, ignoring earnings. With an assumed marginal rate of 32 per cent including Medicare levy, less the 30 per cent offset, 2 per cent is withheld: $340 each. Each buyer receives $16,660, or $33,320 together.
• Other savings: $16,680.

Item	Amount
Super scheme releases (two buyers)	$33,320
Other savings	$16,680
First Home Owner Grant	$30,000
Total funds	$80,000
Less assumed legal, inspection and lender costs	$5,000
Available as deposit	$75,000
Loan required	$625,000

The deposit is about 10.7 per cent of the price and the loan is about 89.3 per cent. Without a guarantee, a loan above 80 per cent would normally attract lenders mortgage insurance. Under the 5% Deposit Scheme, the minimum deposit would be $35,000 and no insurance would be charged, provided the price cap for the location and the other conditions are met. When the grant is actually paid varies by state and by how the application is lodged, so a buyer should not assume that it will be available at exchange of contracts.

Common mistakes when stacking first home buyer schemes

• Assuming that a grant applies to an established home.
• Relying on a threshold or end date from an earlier year.
• Requesting the super scheme determination too late, or relying on payslips instead of fund records.
• Planning to use both the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy, which Housing Australia does not permit.
• Overlooking a partner's past property interest, which can disqualify a joint application for state relief.
• Moving out or renting the home before the residence period ends, which can require repayment of a grant or duty.

The first home buyers hub sets out the wider purchase process. A licensed adviser, conveyancer or registered tax agent can confirm how the rules apply to a particular buyer.