First Home Buyer Scheme Finder
Answer seven quick questions and leave your details to see which first home buyer schemes and grants you're likely to qualify for in your state, what each could be worth, and the catch.
How the first home buyer schemes fit together
First home buyer support comes from two levels of government. The federal government runs the 5% Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy and the First Home Super Saver scheme, and each state runs its own first home owner grant and stamp duty concession. They have different price caps, income tests and ownership rules, and some can be combined while others can't. The finder checks all of them against your answers at once.
The 5% Deposit Scheme since October 2025
On 1 October 2025 the Home Guarantee Scheme became the 5% Deposit Scheme (opens in a new tab), with no income cap and no limit on places. You can buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, because the government guarantees up to 15% of the property's value to your lender. Price caps still apply: in New South Wales it's $1,500,000 in Greater Sydney and the regional centres, and $800,000 everywhere else.
Single parents and legal guardians can use a 2% deposit version, and don't need to be first home buyers. The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee closed to new applicants the same day, so regional buyers now use the 5% Deposit Scheme too.
Help to Buy: sharing the cost with the government
Help to Buy (opens in a new tab) opened on 5 December 2025. The government contributes up to 40% of the price of a new home, or 30% of an existing one, and takes the same share of the sale price when you sell or buy it out. You need a deposit of at least 2% and must be an Australian citizen. As at 23 September 2026 the income caps are $103,000 for singles and $165,000 for couples and single parents, and 10,000 places are released each year. Our Help to Buy guide covers how the share works over time.
5% Deposit Scheme or Help to Buy?
You can't use both, so for most buyers this is the real decision. On a $750,000 established home with a $50,000 deposit, the 5% Deposit Scheme means borrowing $700,000 and owning the whole home, with about $24,422 of lenders mortgage insurance avoided. Help to Buy could bring the loan down to $475,000, with the government owning 30% of the home. The finder shows this comparison with your own numbers.
Grants and stamp duty on top
Both federal schemes can be combined with your state's first home owner grant and stamp duty concession. The grant is for new homes only, and each state sets its own amount and cap (NSW $10,000, VIC $10,000, QLD $30,000, WA $10,000, SA $15,000, TAS $20,000, NT $50,000; the NT's is the HomeGrown Territory Grant). The ACT has no grant. Stamp duty concessions vary even more, so work out your exact figure with our stamp duty calculator.
The First Home Super Saver scheme
The First Home Super Saver scheme (opens in a new tab) lets you save for a deposit inside super, where the tax on your savings can be lower. Up to $15,000 a year and $50,000 in total counts, and each of you can use it if you're buying together. You apply to the ATO, which works out how much can be released. Because it involves your super, the finder explains how it works rather than showing a dollar figure.
