First Home Owner Grant NSW [2026 Complete Guide]

What is the First Home Owner Grant NSW?

The grant is a one-off payment from the NSW Government, administered by Revenue NSW, towards your first new home. The home can be a house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar that is newly built, bought off the plan or substantially renovated. Nobody can have lived in it before.

The grant isn’t means tested, you don’t pay tax on it, and you don’t pay it back as long as you meet the living rules. One grant is paid per property purchase, not per person.

Grant amount

$10,000

New or renovated home

Price up to $600,000

Land plus building contract

Combined value up to $750,000

Living rule

Move in within 12 months, stay 12 continuous months

Which homes qualify, and the price caps

Off-the-plan apartments and townhouses qualify, with the $600,000 cap applied to the contract price. Settlement on an off-the-plan purchase usually happens once the building is finished, so that’s when a grant lodged through your lender is paid. Check the contract’s sunset date with your conveyancer, as delays can push settlement out.

A substantially renovated home can qualify when:

• most of the home was removed or replaced,
• the seller, builder or a tenant hasn’t lived in it before, during or after the renovations, and
• it’s the first time the home has been sold since the work was finished.

Who is eligible for the First Home Owner Grant

Every applicant must meet these rules:

• At least 18 years old.
• Buying as a person, not through a company or trust.
• At least one applicant is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
• Neither you nor your spouse or partner has received a First Home Owner Grant anywhere in Australia.
• Neither of you owned a home or other residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000.
• Neither of you has lived for six continuous months or more in an Australian home you owned on or after 1 July 2000.
• You’ll move in within 12 months of settlement or completion and live there for at least 12 continuous months (contracts from 1 July 2023).

A few details matter. If you bought residential property after 1 July 2000 but never lived in it for more than six continuous months, such as an investment, you may still qualify. Property you own overseas doesn’t count. Temporary residents aren’t eligible, and the grant can’t be backdated once permanent residency comes through. You can’t claim the grant on a property you inherited. Members of the Australian Defence Force may be exempt from the living rule if all buyers are on the NSW electoral roll.

How to apply for the First Home Owner Grant

1. 1

   Decide when you need the money

   If the grant is part of your funds for settlement, or for the first progress payment on a build, apply through the approved agent providing your loan (usually your lender). For contracts exchanged on or after 1 July 2023 the form is OFH 002.

2. 2

   Gather your documents

   Proof of identity in four categories (for example a birth certificate or foreign passport and visa, a driver licence, a Medicare card and a utility bill). If you were born overseas you must supply your foreign passport. Add the signed contract, a title search, and the seller’s statement that this is the home’s first sale and it has never been occupied. If you’re buying from family or a related party, or there’s no contract, you’ll also need the signed transfer, evidence the price was paid and evidence of the property’s total value.

3. 3

   Sign the declaration and lodge

   Your lender lodges the form once you’ve ticked the declaration, printed your name and dated it. If you’ve already settled or finished building, apply online through the Revenue NSW FHOG portal within 12 months of settlement or completion.

4. 4

   Move in and stay

   Move in within 12 months and live there for at least 12 continuous months.

The full document list is on the Revenue NSW grant page (opens in a new tab).

Building a new home with the grant

When you buy vacant land and sign a comprehensive home building contract, Revenue NSW adds the land value, the contract price and any variations done together. The total must not exceed $750,000. Applied through your lender, the grant can go towards the first progress payment.

If you apply after the build, you’ll need:

• the front page, signature page and schedules 1 to 5 of the signed building contract,
• a title search showing you as owners, and recent evidence of the land value,
• the interim or final occupation certificate, and
• the builder’s final statement, including all variations.

Owner builders face the same $750,000 cap and need council approval for the foundations, the final inspection report or occupation certificate, and receipts totalling more than the grant.

For the whole process, see our building your own home page and our guide to building a house in Sydney.

How the grant combines with other first home buyer help

Revenue NSW says the grant can be paid on top of other exemptions and concessions. When you buy a completed new home, the grant’s $600,000 cap sits well under the duty scheme’s $800,000 exemption threshold, so a buyer who also meets the duty scheme’s rules pays no transfer duty either.

When you build, transfer duty applies to the land purchase. Land up to $350,000 is exempt for eligible first home buyers and land below $450,000 gets a reduced rate; our vacant land concession blog explains the rules. The grant can also sit alongside the federal 5% Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy and the First Home Super Saver Scheme. Our guide to first home buyer assistance compares them, and the first home buyer stamp duty guide covers the duty rules in detail.

First Home Owner Grant vs the transfer duty exemption

The grant and the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme are both run by Revenue NSW, and buyers often mix them up. They have different rules:

In short, the grant covers fewer homes and has a lower cap, but its ownership test is more forgiving. Someone who once owned an investment property they never lived in might get the grant but still pay full transfer duty.

If your plans change after you get the grant

If you can’t move in within 12 months of settlement, or you move out before 12 continuous months, contact Revenue NSW straight away to repay the grant. If you don’t, you may be fined up to $11,000. Revenue NSW checks applications against data from other agencies and businesses, and there are substantial penalties for false or misleading information.

If you disagree with a decision on your application, you can lodge an objection or ask for a reassessment within 60 days.

Not sure the grant, the duty exemption and your loan all line up? Our first home buyers page explains how we help, and you can estimate the duty on land or an established home with our NSW transfer duty calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the First Home Owner Grant on an established home in NSW?

No. The NSW grant is only for new homes: newly built, bought off the plan, or substantially renovated and sold for the first time since the work. If you buy an established home you may still pay no transfer duty, or a reduced amount, under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, which covers new and existing homes up to $1 million.

If we buy as a couple, do we each get $10,000?

No. Revenue NSW pays a single grant per property purchase, not per person, so a couple buying together receive one $10,000 grant. Both of you must meet the eligibility rules, including the rules about owning or living in a home before. The grant isn’t means tested, so your income doesn’t affect it, and you don’t pay tax on it.

I own a property overseas. Can I still get the grant?

Yes. Revenue NSW says you can be eligible as long as you haven’t owned property in Australia before, so a home overseas doesn’t rule you out on its own. You still need at least one buyer to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident; temporary residents aren’t eligible, and the grant can’t be backdated once you get permanent residency.

When is the grant paid if I’m building a new home?

If you apply through the lender financing your build, the grant can be paid towards your first progress payment. The combined value of the land, the building contract and any variations must stay at or under $750,000. If you’ve already finished building, you can apply to Revenue NSW online instead, within 12 months of completion, with your occupation certificate and the builder’s final statement.

I owned an investment property. Am I still eligible for the grant?

Possibly. If you bought residential property after 1 July 2000 and never lived in it for six continuous months, for example because it was only ever rented out, you may still get the grant. The NSW transfer duty exemption is stricter: you and your partner must never have owned residential property in Australia, so you would pay full transfer duty on the new home.

Sources

1. Revenue NSW: First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant (opens in a new tab)
2. NSW Government: First Home Owner (New Home) Grant (opens in a new tab)
3. Revenue NSW: First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (opens in a new tab)
4. Revenue NSW: How to calculate transfer duty (2026–27 rates) (opens in a new tab)
5. Housing Australia: Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme for first home buyers (opens in a new tab)