The First Home Owner Grant: amounts and rules by state
FHOG eligibility rules by state and territory: property type, residence requirements and how to apply. Amounts summarised; full table linked.
What are the eligibility rules for the First Home Owner Grant in each state?
There’s no single First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) — every state and territory runs its own scheme, and the rules differ on far more than the dollar amount. Property type restrictions, residence requirements and citizenship conditions all vary by jurisdiction, and getting one detail wrong can mean an application is knocked back. This guide covers the rules; for the dollar amounts side by side, see our guide to first home buyer grants available in Australia.
A First Home Owner Grant is a one-off payment from a state or territory government to eligible first home buyers, separate from any stamp duty concession and separate from the federal 5% Deposit Scheme. Eligibility for one doesn’t affect eligibility for the others, and each is assessed independently by the relevant state revenue office or an approved agent.
Does the FHOG apply to established homes?
No — with one exception. In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, the FHOG is restricted to new homes, substantially renovated homes, or homes built under a comprehensive building contract; established homes get nothing. The Australian Capital Territory has no FHOG at all (see below). The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction whose current grant covers established homes — its $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant draws no distinction between new and established for transactions commencing between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2027, reverting to a new-home-only test from 1 October 2027.
What property types qualify in each state?
| Jurisdiction | Covers | Excludes |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | New builds, off-the-plan, renovations, vacant land, owner-builder | Established homes |
| VIC | New builds, off-the-plan, homes rebuilt after demolition | Established homes |
| QLD | New builds, substantial renovations, off-the-plan, owner-builder | Established homes |
| SA | New builds, off-the-plan apartments, substantially renovated homes, comprehensive building contracts, owner-builder | Established homes; vacant land bought alone (a subsequent building contract can still qualify) |
| WA | New builds, substantial renovations, owner-builder | Established homes |
| TAS | New builds (incl. kit homes), off-the-plan, owner-builder | Established homes |
| ACT | No FHOG — see Home Buyer Concession Scheme | Grant ceased 1 Jul 2019 |
| NT | New AND established homes (current date band) | — |
A few of these need unpacking. NSW runs two separate caps depending on the route: a purchase-price cap for a completed new or substantially renovated home, and a different combined land-plus-contract cap for vacant land and owner-builder routes — they aren’t interchangeable. Queensland’s “new home” test has included homes bought under a builder’s terms arrangement since December 2020, and its anti-avoidance rule denies the grant if you demolish an existing home without living in it first. In the ACT, the grant itself ceased in 2019; what replaced it is a stamp duty concession, not a cash grant, and it’s covered separately in our guide to stamp duty concessions by state.
What are the residence requirements?
Every jurisdiction requires the applicant to move in and live in the home for a minimum period — but the length of that period, and when the clock starts, both vary.
| Jurisdiction | Move in by | Minimum continuous occupancy |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 12 months of completion/purchase | 12 months (6 for pre-2023 contracts) |
| VIC | 12 months of settlement/completion | 12 months |
| QLD | 1 year of completion | 6 months |
| SA | 12 months of completion/settlement | 6 months |
| WA | 12 months of completion | 6 months |
| TAS | 12 months of completion | 6 months |
| ACT | n/a (no FHOG; HBC uses 1 year) | n/a |
| NT | 12 months of completion | 12 months (current band); 6 outside it |
Most jurisdictions also allow the Commissioner some discretion to extend the start window or shorten the occupancy period in special circumstances — that’s a case-by-case decision made by the revenue office, not something a reader can assume applies to them.
Who can apply — citizenship and prior-ownership rules
Across every state and territory the applicant must be at least 18, and a natural person rather than a company or trust. Most jurisdictions require only that at least one applicant be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (NSW, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT); none currently require every applicant to hold that status for the FHOG itself. Every jurisdiction also disqualifies an applicant (or their spouse or de facto partner) who has previously received a FHOG anywhere in Australia, or who has previously owned residential property in Australia beyond each state’s own look-back rules — the detail of “previously owned” differs (some measure from 1 July 2000, others use a different reference point), so check the conditions on your own state’s page before assuming you qualify.
How much is the grant in each state? (as at July 2026)
- NSW — $10,000
- VIC — $10,000
- QLD — $30,000 (contracts from 20 Nov 2023)
- SA — up to $15,000
- WA — up to $10,000
- TAS — $20,000 (transactions 1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2027; this amount changes most financial years)
- ACT — none; replaced by the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, a duty concession
- NT — $50,000 (HomeGrown Territory, transactions 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2027)
These figures move with each state budget and several have changed in the past two years. For the full amounts table with caps and conditions side by side, see our guide to first home buyer grants available in Australia — this page focuses on the rules that determine whether you qualify at all.
How do you apply for the First Home Owner Grant?
Applications are handled by the relevant state or territory revenue office, usually through an approved agent such as your home loan lender, or directly with the revenue office itself. Application forms, required evidence and processing timeframes differ by state — check your own jurisdiction’s page before starting: revenue.nsw.gov.au · sro.vic.gov.au · qro.qld.gov.au · homeseeker.sa.gov.au · wa.gov.au · sro.tas.gov.au · revenue.act.gov.au · legislation.nt.gov.au.
If you’re specifically working through the NSW process, our separate guide covers applying for the NSW First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme — note that’s the duty concession, a different scheme to the grant covered here. NT applicants should note the application window runs longer than the purchase window: the Territory Revenue Office states eligible applicants can apply for the HomeGrown Territory Grant until 30 September 2028, but that’s the lodgement deadline, not the transaction cut-off — the contract to buy or build still needs to be signed by 30 September 2027 for the current $50,000 rate to apply. Applications are administered by the Territory Revenue Office.
What else is worth checking before you apply
The grant is separate from any stamp duty concession and from the federal 5% Deposit Scheme — qualifying for one doesn’t affect the others, but the conditions aren’t identical, so check each on its own terms rather than assuming they line up. Which combination of grant, duty concession and deposit scheme makes sense for a given purchase depends on the property, the state, and the buyer’s own circumstances — a licensed conveyancer or your state revenue office can confirm what actually applies before you sign a contract.
As at July 2026. Figures and conditions above are current at time of writing but state and territory governments change these settings at every budget — always check the linked revenue office page before relying on a figure.
For the deposit side of buying your first home — including how the 5% Deposit Scheme and FHOG interact — see our guide to how much deposit you need for a first home in Australia.
