First Home Owner Grant WA and Other Home Buyer Assistance

What the First Home Owner Grant in Western Australia provides

The First Home Owner Grant in Western Australia is a one-off payment of $10,000, or the consideration paid to buy or build the home if that is less, towards the purchase or construction of a new home that will be the buyer's principal place of residence. It is paid under the First Home Owner Grant Act 2000 and administered by RevenueWA, part of the Department of Treasury and Finance. There is no income or assets test. Only one grant is payable for each eligible transaction, so two people buying together receive one grant between them.

The grant is limited to new homes. An eligible transaction may be a contract to purchase a new home, a comprehensive home building contract, the construction of a home by an owner-builder, or the purchase of a home that has undergone substantial renovations. A contract to build a modular home may be treated as either a building contract or an owner-builder transaction, depending on its terms. Established homes are not eligible for the grant, although buyers of established homes may still qualify for the first home owner rate of duty.

Who is eligible for the WA First Home Owner Grant

Each applicant must be at least 18 years of age when applying, although an exemption from the age requirement may be sought. At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The applicants must hold a relevant interest in the land on which the home is situated and must own the home in their own capacity rather than, for example, through a company.

An applicant is not eligible if they, or their spouse or de facto partner, have previously received a first home owner grant or the first home owner rate of duty in any Australian jurisdiction. Nor are they eligible if they owned residential property anywhere in Australia before 1 July 2000, or owned residential property on or after that date and lived in it before 1 July 2004, or lived in it for a continuous period of at least six months beginning on or after 1 July 2004. These rules are applied nationally, so prior ownership in another state counts.

RevenueWA investigates applications and checks that recipients meet the residence requirement. Knowingly making a false or misleading statement can lead to prosecution and penalties of up to $20,000.

Value caps and the 26th parallel in Western Australia

The total value of the transaction must not exceed a cap, which depends on where the home is located. For transactions commencing on or after 7 May 2026, the cap is $800,000 for homes south of the 26th parallel of south latitude and $1,000,000 for homes north of it. RevenueWA notes that the area south of the 26th parallel includes all of the Perth metropolitan area, so every Perth purchase is subject to the lower cap. For transactions commencing on or before 6 May 2026 the southern cap was $750,000.

How the total value is measured depends on the transaction. For a purchase it is the greater of the price paid and the value of the home when the contract was made. For a comprehensive building contract it is the contract price, including variations, plus the value of the land. For an owner-builder it is the value of the completed home plus the value of the land. Because building contract variations count towards the total, buyers building close to the cap may wish to allow a margin for later changes.

The commencement date that determines which cap applies is the contract date for a purchase or a building contract, and the date the foundation is laid for an owner-builder.

The residence requirement for WA first home buyers

The grant and the first home owner rate of duty are both approved on condition that the residence requirement is met. Each applicant must live in the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months, starting within 12 months of completion of the eligible transaction. For a purchase, completion is usually settlement. For a building contract, it is usually the date the builder hands over the keys.

An applicant who cannot meet the requirement must notify the Commissioner in writing within 30 days of the end of the 12 month period, or of the date it becomes apparent that they cannot comply, whichever is earlier. Failing to do so may lead to repayment of the grant, reassessment of duty with penalties, and ineligibility for a future grant. Where the reason is unforeseen or beyond the applicant's control, the Commissioner may consider a written application to shorten the residence period, extend the time to move in, or exempt one of two or more joint applicants.

How the WA grant works with the first home owner rate of duty

The first home owner rate of duty is Western Australia's main form of first home buyer duty relief, and it is shown in the table on this page. Eligibility is aligned with the grant, but it is broader. A buyer qualifies if they are eligible for the grant, or would be eligible except that the home is established, no consideration was paid, or, for transactions from 7 May 2026, the value exceeds the grant cap. For agreements entered into from 7 May 2026, no duty is payable on a home valued at up to $600,000, and a concessional rate applies up to $800,000. For vacant land the thresholds are $450,000 and $550,000.

A buyer of a new home within the cap may therefore receive both the $10,000 grant and a duty exemption or concession. A buyer of an established home may receive the duty concession but not the grant. A buyer of vacant land who then signs a building contract may receive the vacant land duty concession on the land and the grant once the home is built, provided the combined value is within the grant cap. The Government has stated that the duty saving for a first home buyer who buys vacant land and builds a home can reach $25,390, before the grant is taken into account.

Both the grant and pre-approval for the first home owner rate of duty are sought on the same application form, F-FHOG1. If the buyer has not been approved for the grant or pre-approved for the concession before settlement, duty is assessed at the general rate and must be paid in full, and a refund is sought afterwards through a reassessment.

Keystart and other Western Australian State schemes

Keystart is a lender owned by the Government of Western Australia. Its Low Deposit Home Loan requires a deposit of the higher of 2 per cent or $2,000 and charges no lenders mortgage insurance. The loans are for owner-occupiers only, are principal and interest, and are subject to income limits and a property price limit that Keystart reviews against REIWA median house price data. In April 2026 the Government increased the low deposit price limit from $800,000 to $860,000 across the State. Keystart allows the First Home Owner Grant to be used towards the deposit when building a new home.

Keystart also offers shared equity loans in which the Housing Authority co-owns part of the home. Under the Urban Connect Shared Equity Home Loan, the Housing Authority can contribute up to $250,000 towards a new or off-the-plan apartment, townhouse, villa or unit, or certain new builds on small lots, with a price limit of $800,000. The price limit for Keystart's other shared equity products was raised to $720,000. Keystart also provides an Aboriginal Home Loan and an Access Home Loan for people with a permanent disability or carers of a dependant with a permanent disability. Current income limits and rates are published on the Keystart website and change from time to time.

Separately, RevenueWA's off-the-plan duty concession applies to new dwellings bought off the plan under contracts signed up to 30 June 2028, and RevenueWA examples show that a first home buyer can receive it together with the first home owner rate of duty.

Combining WA assistance with federal schemes and sequencing the steps

Western Australian assistance can generally be used alongside the federal schemes described on the national government grants hub. The RevenueWA grant pages note that the First Home Owner Grant is different from the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme and the Help to Buy scheme. The federal schemes do not provide State grants or duty concessions, which are applied for separately under the Western Australian rules, and a buyer using a federal scheme remains responsible for costs such as duty. Each scheme has its own price caps. The 5% Deposit Scheme caps for Western Australia, shown on this page, are $850,000 in Perth and regional centres and $600,000 elsewhere, which differ from the grant caps and the duty thresholds. A buyer may therefore qualify for one measure and not another at the same price.

A practical sequence is to confirm eligibility first, then obtain finance pre-approval, and then apply for the grant or duty pre-approval as early as the transaction allows. Many buyers apply through their lender if it is a RevenueWA approved agent, in which case the lender processes and lodges the application on the buyer's behalf. Buyers who are not borrowing, or whose lender is not an approved agent, can apply online through the FHOG Application Portal. The application must be lodged within 12 months of completion, and late applications cannot be accepted.

Before signing a contract, it is useful to check the price against every relevant threshold: the grant cap, the duty thresholds, any Keystart price limit and any federal scheme cap. BorrowWise is an education site and can connect readers with an accredited mortgage broker who can explain how these measures apply to a particular purchase. This guide is general information only and is not personal financial advice.