First Home Owner Grant NSW and Other Home Buyer Assistance

How New South Wales supports first home buyers

The NSW Government describes two key programs for home buyers, both administered by Revenue NSW. The First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant pays $10,000 towards a first home that is newly built, bought off the plan or substantially renovated. The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme removes or reduces transfer duty on a first home, whether new or established, and on vacant land intended as the site of a first home. The two programs have different eligibility rules and value limits, so a buyer may qualify for one, both or neither.

The grant is the smaller of the two in dollar terms but applies only to new homes at lower price points. The duty scheme applies more broadly and is often worth considerably more. Under the 2026-27 scale, the transfer duty on an $800,000 home is $30,187, which an eligible first home buyer does not pay. Revenue NSW provides a Home Buyer Assistance Finder on the NSW Government website that gives an indication of eligibility for both programs, and this guide sets out the conditions of each as published at September 2026.

Which homes qualify for the NSW First Home Owner Grant

The grant is available only for a new home. Revenue NSW defines a new home as one that has not previously been occupied or sold as a place of residence, and the definition includes a substantially renovated home and a home built to replace demolished premises. The home can be a house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar dwelling. The grant is not paid on an established home, and Revenue NSW notes that the first sale of a property is not a new home if the person who built it lived in it, leased it out or used it for short-term accommodation.

Two value caps apply. Where a buyer purchases a newly built or substantially renovated home, the purchase price must not exceed $600,000. Where a buyer purchases vacant land and signs a comprehensive home building contract, Revenue NSW adds the value of the land, the value of the building contract and the cost of any variations, and the combined total must not exceed $750,000. The same $750,000 cap applies to owner-builders. For a substantially renovated home, most of the home must have been removed or replaced, nobody may have lived in it before, during or after the renovation, and the sale must be the first since the renovation was completed.

The cap is a hard limit. A new apartment priced at $610,000 does not attract any part of the grant, and a house and land package whose combined value rises above $750,000 through variations may lose eligibility. Buyers close to either cap generally keep a margin for variations when budgeting.

Eligibility and residence requirements for the NSW grant

Each applicant must be at least 18 years old and must apply as an individual, not through a company or trust. At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and Revenue NSW states that temporary residents cannot receive the grant. An applicant is not eligible if the applicant or their spouse has previously received a First Home Owner Grant anywhere in Australia, owned a home or residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000, or lived for six continuous months or more in an Australian home they owned on or after 1 July 2000. A person who has owned only an investment property since 1 July 2000, and has not lived in it for six months, may still be eligible.

For contracts signed on or after 1 July 2023, at least one applicant must occupy the home as their principal place of residence within 12 months of its construction or purchase, and live there for at least 12 continuous months. Permanent members of the Australian Defence Force may be exempt where all buyers are on the NSW electoral roll. A recipient who cannot meet the requirement must contact Revenue NSW to repay the grant, and Revenue NSW states that failing to do so may result in a fine of up to $11,000.

The grant is not means tested and is not taxed. Only one grant is paid per property transaction, so a couple buying together receive a single $10,000 grant rather than one each.

How to apply for the NSW First Home Owner Grant

There are two ways to apply. Where the grant is needed to help fund settlement or the first progress payment on a construction loan, the application is lodged with the approved agent providing the finance, which is usually the lender. For contracts from 1 July 2023 this uses form OFH 002, which the applicant completes and the agent lodges. Revenue NSW publishes a list of approved agents. Where the purchase or construction is already complete, the buyer applies directly to Revenue NSW through the FHOG customer portal.

Direct applications should be lodged within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction, and Revenue NSW may ask for additional documents where lodgement is later. Applicants need proof of identity in four categories and property documents that vary with the type of purchase. For a completed new home these include the contract, a title search and a statement from the vendor confirming that the home has not been occupied. For a home built under a building contract they include the building contract, the occupation certificate, evidence of the land value and the builder's final statement including variations.

How the grant combines with NSW transfer duty relief

Revenue NSW states that the grant may be paid in addition to other exemptions or concessions. A buyer of a new home can therefore receive both the $10,000 grant and relief under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme. For contracts from 1 July 2023, the duty scheme provides a full exemption on a new or existing home valued at $800,000 or less and a concessional rate between $800,000 and $1,000,000. For vacant land, the exemption applies up to $350,000 and the concession up to $450,000.

As an illustration, an eligible first home buyer purchasing a new apartment for $600,000 may receive the $10,000 grant and a full exemption from transfer duty of $21,187 under the 2026-27 scale. A first home buyer purchasing an established home for $750,000 does not receive the grant but may be exempt from transfer duty of $27,937. The eligibility rules differ in detail. The duty scheme requires that neither buyer nor spouse has ever owned residential property in Australia, whereas the grant looks at ownership from 1 July 2000 and occupation. The residence requirement for both is 12 continuous months for contracts from 1 July 2023.

Shared equity and other state schemes in New South Wales

New South Wales does not currently operate an open state shared equity scheme or state home lending program for first home buyers. The Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper, a pilot for key workers, single parents, older single people and victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, closed on 30 June 2024. Existing participants remain in the scheme and must continue to meet its obligations.

Revenue NSW also administers a framework for approved shared equity schemes, under which an approved equity partner such as the NSW Land and Housing Corporation or a registered community housing provider can co-own a home with a buyer who holds at least 20%. As at September 2026, Revenue NSW states that no such schemes have been approved. Off-the-plan buyers who will live in the home may also defer transfer duty for up to 12 months, which assists with timing but does not reduce the amount.

Combining NSW assistance with federal schemes

The federal schemes are described on the national government grants page, and each interacts with NSW assistance in a straightforward way. Under the 5% Deposit Scheme, the property price cap in New South Wales is $1,500,000 in Sydney and the regional centres, and $800,000 elsewhere in the state. A first home buyer using the guarantee may also receive the NSW grant on a qualifying new home and transfer duty relief under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, provided each program's own conditions are met.

The First Home Buyers website states that participants in Help to Buy, the Australian Government shared equity scheme, cannot receive help from state shared equity schemes, loans or guarantees, but can still benefit from stamp duty concessions, grants and other exemptions. Savings released under the First Home Super Saver Scheme can be used towards the deposit and purchase costs in the ordinary way. Because the NSW grant caps of $600,000 and $750,000 are well below the federal price caps for Sydney, many buyers who qualify for a federal scheme will not qualify for the grant.

Practical sequencing for NSW first home buyers

A common order is to check eligibility for both NSW programs early, using the Home Buyer Assistance Finder, and to obtain pre-approval that reflects the deposit, any grant and the expected duty. Where the grant is needed at settlement or for the first construction drawdown, the buyer should tell the lender, as approved agent, so that the application is lodged in time. The duty scheme application is made after exchange through the solicitor or conveyancer, who applies the exemption or concession when assessing duty.

After settlement, buyers should keep evidence that they moved in within 12 months and lived in the home for at least 12 continuous months, such as utility bills and electoral roll records, because both programs are checked for compliance. The figures in this guide were checked against Revenue NSW and NSW Government sources in September 2026 and are general information only. BorrowWise is an education site and can connect readers with an accredited mortgage broker, while Revenue NSW remains the authority on eligibility.