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First home buyer support in Australia has changed substantially over the past year, with a mix of federal and state schemes now available depending on where you live and your circumstances. This is a general national overview of what’s available. Because eligibility rules, place limits and dollar caps can change and vary by state, always confirm the current detail directly with Housing Australia or your state revenue office before relying on any figure.
Information current as at September 2026.
Federal schemes
Low-deposit home loan guarantees
The federal government runs a guarantee scheme that lets eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit than a lender would normally require, without needing to pay lenders mortgage insurance. Under this arrangement, the government guarantees a portion of the loan rather than lending money directly. There’s a separate guarantee pathway for eligible single parents and guardians, which allows an even smaller deposit. Place limits, income tests and property price caps have shifted over time, so check current eligibility on Housing Australia’s website before assuming you qualify.
Shared equity: Help to Buy
A federal shared equity scheme has also become available, under which the government contributes a portion of a home’s purchase price in exchange for a share of ownership, reducing the size of the loan a buyer needs to service. It rolled out progressively across most states and territories through late 2025 and into 2026, though not every state and territory joined on the same timeline, and place numbers are limited each intake. If you’re interested, check whether it’s currently open in your state and what the application round looks like right now, as this has changed since launch.
First Home Super Saver Scheme
This long-running federal scheme allows first home buyers to make voluntary extra contributions into superannuation and later withdraw them, along with associated earnings, to put toward a home deposit. It’s a tax-effective savings mechanism rather than a grant, and it has its own contribution and withdrawal rules and caps, which are worth checking directly with the ATO before planning around a specific figure.
State and territory schemes
Every state and territory runs its own additional first home buyer support on top of the federal schemes, most commonly a First Home Owner Grant for new builds, and stamp duty (transfer duty) concessions or exemptions for buyers under a certain purchase price. These vary significantly by state, both in the dollar amount offered and the property price thresholds that apply, and they’re updated periodically in state budgets. If you’re buying in Queensland, see our detailed breakdown of the current First Home Buyer Grants and Transfer Duty Concessions in Queensland. Buyers in other states should check their own state revenue office for the equivalent current detail, since a Queensland-specific figure won’t apply elsewhere.
How these schemes typically work together
Many first home buyers end up combining more than one form of support, for example using a low-deposit guarantee alongside a state stamp duty concession, or building super contributions through the First Home Super Saver Scheme while saving separately for the balance of a deposit. Not every scheme can be combined with every other one, and eligibility for one doesn’t guarantee eligibility for another, so it’s worth mapping out which combination actually applies to your situation rather than assuming.
What to check before relying on any scheme
- Whether the scheme has place limits or intake rounds that might close before you’re ready to buy
- Current income and property price caps, which are reviewed periodically and vary by location
- Whether the property you’re considering (new build vs established, apartment vs house) meets the scheme’s specific criteria
- Whether your state’s grant or concession has a minimum residency requirement after settlement
- Whether a scheme changes your ongoing loan structure or ownership arrangement in a way that affects you later, particularly for shared equity arrangements
Where to get current, authoritative detail
Because scheme rules change and this is genuinely one of the more complex areas for a first home buyer to navigate, the most reliable next step is to check Housing Australia and Moneysmart.gov.au for federal schemes, and your state revenue office for grants and duty concessions. A mortgage broker who works across first home buyer schemes regularly can also help map out which combination genuinely applies to your situation.
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