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Victoria supports first home buyers through two main channels: the First Home Owner Grant for new homes, and exemptions or concessions on transfer duty (stamp duty) that apply to both new and established homes. Federal programs such as the Home Guarantee Scheme run alongside these, and can be combined where you meet each scheme's rules. Amounts, thresholds and eligibility settings change with state budgets, so this guide concentrates on how each type of help works rather than reciting figures that may date. The facts here were last reviewed in July 2026 — always confirm the current details with the State Revenue Office Victoria before relying on them.
The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is a one-off payment for first home buyers purchasing or building a new home — one that has not previously been sold or occupied as a place of residence. That includes newly built houses, off-the-plan apartments and townhouses, and homes built under a construction contract on land you own. Established homes do not qualify.
As at July 2026, the grant is a one-off payment of $10,000 for eligible new homes, subject to a property value cap — check the current amount and cap with the State Revenue Office Victoria. Victoria has at times paid a higher grant for new homes in regional Victoria, tied to specific contract date windows, and those boosted amounts have opened and closed over the years. If you are buying regionally, check what applies to your contract date rather than relying on figures you have seen quoted online.
Most buyers apply for the grant through their lender when they apply for their home loan, which keeps the approval and the payment aligned with settlement or construction milestones.
Duty relief is usually the most valuable help a Victorian first home buyer receives. The structure works in bands: eligible first home buyers pay no duty at all on homes below a set dutiable value threshold, and a sliding-scale concession on homes valued between that threshold and an upper cap. Above the cap, normal duty applies with no first home buyer discount — the relief cuts off entirely rather than tapering forever.
As at July 2026, the widely used bands have for some years been a full exemption up to $600,000 of dutiable value and a concession between $600,001 and $750,000 — but these thresholds can change, so confirm the current bands with the State Revenue Office Victoria before you set your price range. Importantly, this relief applies to both new and established homes, unlike the grant.
Because the concession cuts out above the cap, a small difference in dutiable value near the upper band can mean a large difference in duty. Use our stamp duty calculator to see how duty changes across your target price range.
Victoria has an off-the-plan duty concession that can work in a first home buyer's favour: for eligible purchases, the dutiable value can be based on the land plus the construction completed at the contract date, rather than the full contract price. Buying early in a development can therefore bring a purchase under the exemption or concession thresholds even when the contract price sits above them. Victoria has also run temporary, expanded off-the-plan concessions in recent years — the settings and end dates change, so check the current position with the State Revenue Office.
In regional Victoria, lower price points mean many purchases fall entirely under the exemption threshold, and the state's history of boosted regional grants reflects a policy lean toward regional new builds. If you are building rather than buying, our guide to construction loans explains how progress payments and lending work alongside the grant.
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The federal Home Guarantee Scheme, administered by Housing Australia, lets eligible buyers purchase with a deposit as small as 5 per cent without paying lenders mortgage insurance, because the Commonwealth guarantees part of the loan. Property price caps apply and differ between Melbourne and the rest of the state, and the scheme's settings have been expanded in recent years — check the current rules with Housing Australia.
On the shared equity front, Victoria ran its own scheme (the Victorian Homebuyer Fund) for several years, and the federal Help to Buy shared equity scheme has since entered the picture; availability of both has changed over time, so verify what is currently open before building plans around it. If your deposit is the main constraint, our low deposit home loans guide compares the pathways, including when paying LMI is a reasonable trade-off.
The details differ scheme by scheme, but Victorian and federal first home buyer help follows familiar patterns:
Claiming help you were not entitled to — or failing the residence requirement without notifying the State Revenue Office — can mean repaying the benefit, sometimes with penalties.
Stacking the help correctly is mostly a matter of timing. A Home Guarantee Scheme place is reserved through a participating lender at application; the grant is lodged with your loan application; and the duty exemption or concession is claimed through your conveyancer before settlement. Each piece changes your funds to complete, so lock down what you actually qualify for before you bid at auction — Victorian auctions are unconditional, and there is no cooling-off period to fix a funding gap afterwards. Our first home buyer guide covers the full process, and our borrowing capacity calculator helps you set a realistic ceiling.
A broker can tell you which lenders participate in the Home Guarantee Scheme, lodge the grant with your application, and make sure your settlement figures reflect the duty relief you genuinely qualify for. Rules shift with each budget, so it pays to check your position early — get in touch and we can work through which Victorian and federal help fits your situation.
No. The grant is only for new homes — newly built, off the plan, or built under a construction contract — that have not previously been sold or lived in as a residence. Established homes can still qualify for the transfer duty exemption or concession, which for many buyers is worth more than the grant anyway.
It depends on the dutiable value. Eligible first home buyers pay no duty below a set threshold and a sliding-scale concession up to an upper cap; above the cap, normal duty applies. As at July 2026 the commonly cited bands have been $600,000 and $750,000, but thresholds can change — confirm the current figures with the State Revenue Office Victoria and model your purchase with a stamp duty calculator.
Victoria has at times offered a higher First Home Owner Grant for new homes in regional areas, but those boosted amounts were tied to specific contract date windows and have opened and closed over the years. Check with the State Revenue Office Victoria what applies to your contract date before factoring a regional boost into your budget.
Often, yes. Victoria's off-the-plan concession can base the dutiable value on the land plus construction completed at the contract date rather than the full price, which can bring a purchase under the first home buyer exemption or concession thresholds. The settings have changed several times, so confirm the current rules with the State Revenue Office before you sign.
Potentially yes — they are separate programs with separate eligibility tests, and using one does not exclude the others. The practical constraint is that your purchase must fit within each scheme's price or value caps at the same time. A broker or Housing Australia's website can help you confirm the current caps for your location.
This article is general information only and doesn't consider your personal objectives, financial situation or needs — it isn't personal credit advice, and lending criteria, rates, fees and government schemes change. Before acting, speak with a licensed MakeMyLoan broker or credit representative who will assess your circumstances and provide a credit guide before any credit assistance is given.
