First Home Owner Grant VIC and Other Home Buyer Assistance

The First Home Owner Grant in Victoria

The First Home Owner Grant in Victoria is a $10,000 payment for eligible first home buyers who buy or build a new home to live in. It is administered by the State Revenue Office (SRO) under the First Home Owner Grant and Home Buyer Schemes Act 2000, and the amount has applied to contracts signed on or after 1 July 2013. The home must be valued at no more than $750,000. For an off-the-plan purchase the cap applies to the contract price, including the construction component.

The grant is limited to new homes. A new home is one that has not previously been sold as a place of residence, occupied as a home, leased out or used for short-term accommodation. Substantially renovated homes and homes built to replace a demolished home are included. The home may be a house, townhouse, apartment or unit, bought from a developer, bought off the plan, or built under a contract with a builder. Established homes do not qualify for the grant, although they may qualify for first home buyer duty relief.

There is currently no separate regional grant. Between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2021 Victoria paid $20,000 for newly constructed homes in regional Victoria valued up to $750,000, but that higher amount has closed and the standard $10,000 now applies across the state, as confirmed by the SRO rates pages in September 2026.

Who is eligible for the Victorian First Home Owner Grant

Every person who will be named on the title must be an applicant, and each applicant must be a natural person aged at least 18 at settlement or at completion of construction. Companies and trusts cannot receive the grant. At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the relevant date, which is the date of possession for a purchase and the date the home is ready for occupation for a build. For settlements on or after 26 November 2025, New Zealand citizens are eligible whether or not they hold a special category visa.

An applicant is not eligible if the applicant, or the applicant's spouse or partner, has already received a First Home Owner Grant anywhere in Australia, owned residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000, or lived for a continuous period of at least six months in a home in Australia that either of them owned on or after 1 July 2000. A spouse or partner must be disclosed on the application even if that person will not be on the title. A person who bought an investment property after 1 July 2000 and never lived in it may still be eligible, and the SRO gives the example of a buyer who has always rented out an earlier property.

The residence requirement is that at least one applicant lives in the home as a principal place of residence for at least 12 months, starting within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction. An applicant who cannot meet the requirement must notify the SRO in writing within 14 days and repay the grant. Permanent members of the Australian Army, Navy or Air Force who are enrolled to vote in Victoria are exempt, but the exemption does not extend to reservists or Australian Public Service staff.

How to apply for the grant in Victoria

Most applicants apply through an approved agent, which is usually the bank or credit union providing the home loan. The SRO publishes the list of approved agents. An approved agent checks eligibility, verifies identity, collects supporting documents and lodges the signed application. Applying through an approved agent is required where the grant is needed to fund settlement or the first progress payment on a building contract.

Where no approved agent is lodging the application, the applicant may apply directly to the SRO online, but only after the transaction has been completed and within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction. Each applicant, and each spouse or partner, must provide three identity documents covering citizenship or residency, identity and residence in Australia, together with property documents such as the contract of sale, the building contract and the certificate of occupancy. The SRO states that it reviews applications within 10 working days and pays the grant into the nominated account once the application is approved.

The SRO reviews applications against title records, council records and financial details, and giving false or misleading information is an offence. A grant paid to an applicant who is not entitled to it must be repaid, and penalties and interest may apply.

First home buyer stamp duty relief in Victoria

Separately from the grant, eligible first home buyers in Victoria pay no land transfer duty on a home with a dutiable value up to $600,000, and pay a reduced amount on a home valued from $600,001 to $750,000. Unlike the grant, this relief applies to established homes as well as new homes, and to vacant land bought to build a first home. The prior ownership rules are closely aligned with the grant, and a person who has already received a first home buyer duty exemption or concession is not eligible again. The table on this page shows the estimated duty at several prices.

A buyer of a new home valued up to $750,000 can therefore receive both the $10,000 grant and duty relief on the same purchase. The two benefits are claimed separately. The grant is usually lodged by the lender, while the duty exemption or concession is claimed on the Digital Duties Form that the conveyancer or solicitor completes before settlement.

Eligible pensioners and concession card holders may choose between the pensioner duty reduction and the first home buyer duty relief, but they cannot claim both on one transaction, and either choice may be combined with the grant. A separate exemption or concession exists for first home owners with a dependent child where the property is valued at $200,000 or less.

Off-the-plan purchases and the grant in Victoria

Off-the-plan purchases interact with the Victorian measures in a particular way. The off-the-plan duty concession deducts construction costs incurred after the contract date from the dutiable value, so the reduced value may fall below the $600,000 exemption threshold even where the contract price is well above it. The SRO gives the example of a first home buyer who contracts to buy an apartment for $950,000 before construction starts, where $510,000 relates to construction. The dutiable value becomes $440,000 and no duty is payable.

The grant does not use the reduced figure. The $750,000 cap for the First Home Owner Grant applies to the full contract price, including construction costs, so the buyer in that example pays no duty but does not receive the grant. For contracts entered into on or after 21 October 2024 and before 21 April 2027, an expanded off-the-plan concession applies to apartments, units and townhouses in strata subdivisions with common property, with no value cap and no requirement to be a first home buyer or owner-occupier.

State shared equity schemes in Victoria

The Victorian Homebuyer Fund was a state shared equity scheme under which buyers purchased with a 5% deposit and the Victorian Government contributed up to 25% of the price in exchange for an equivalent share in the home. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants could buy with a 3.5% deposit and receive up to a 35% contribution. The maximum purchase price was $950,000 in metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong and $700,000 in regional Victoria.

The Department of Treasury and Finance states that the fund closed to new applications on 10 September 2025. The SRO continues to administer the obligations of existing participants. The Victorian Government now directs buyers to the Australian Government's Help to Buy shared equity scheme, which it describes as having replaced the Victorian Homebuyer Fund, and which is explained on the national government grants page. No other state-run shared equity or regional home purchase scheme was listed on the Victorian Government's first home buyer page when it was checked in September 2026.

Combining Victorian assistance with federal schemes

The Victorian grant and duty relief are generally available alongside federal schemes. Under the 5% Deposit Scheme, eligible buyers may purchase with a deposit of as little as 5% without paying lenders mortgage insurance, within property price caps of $950,000 in Melbourne and Geelong and $650,000 elsewhere in Victoria. Those caps are higher than the $750,000 limits that apply to the grant and to first home buyer duty relief, so a buyer may qualify for the federal guarantee on a home that attracts full Victorian duty and no grant.

Savings released under the First Home Super Saver Scheme, together with the $10,000 grant, can be applied towards the deposit and purchase costs. Each scheme has its own eligibility rules, however, and a buyer should confirm with the lender how the grant and any shared equity contribution will be treated in the loan assessment.

A practical sequence for first home buyers in Victoria

A sensible sequence begins with checking eligibility for each measure against the SRO criteria, particularly the prior ownership rules for both the buyer and any spouse or partner. The next step is to set a price range with the thresholds in mind: $600,000 for the full duty exemption, $750,000 for the grant and the end of duty relief, and the federal price caps. Obtaining loan pre-approval from a lender that is both an approved agent for the grant and a participating lender for any federal scheme may simplify the process.

After a contract is signed, the conveyancer or solicitor claims the duty exemption or concession on the Digital Duties Form, and the lender lodges the grant application so that the funds are available at settlement or at the first progress payment. After settlement, at least one buyer must move in within 12 months and remain for 12 continuous months. BorrowWise is an education site and can connect readers with an accredited broker who can confirm how these measures apply to a particular purchase. This guide is general information only, current as at September 2026.