First home buyer grants and duty concessions in WA: what's on offer

Western Australia helps first home buyers in two main ways: a First Home Owner Grant for new homes, and a concessional rate of transfer duty (stamp duty) that removes or reduces duty on lower-priced homes and vacant land. WA also has something no other state offers in quite the same way — Keystart, a state-backed lender for low-deposit borrowers — and federal programs like the Home Guarantee Scheme run alongside all of it. Amounts, caps and thresholds shift with state budgets, so this guide explains how each type of help works rather than anchoring you to figures that may date. The facts here were last reviewed in July 2026 — confirm the current details with [RevenueWA](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/revenuewa) before you rely on them.

The First Home Owner Grant in WA

The First Home Owner Grant is a one-off payment for first home buyers who buy or build a new home — one that has not previously been lived in or sold as a place of residence, including off-the-plan purchases and homes built under a construction contract. Established homes do not qualify for the grant, though they can still attract duty relief.

As at July 2026, the grant is a one-off payment of $10,000 for eligible transactions, subject to property value caps — check the current amount and caps with [RevenueWA](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/revenuewa). A distinctive WA feature is that the value cap depends on where the property sits relative to the 26th parallel: homes north of it have a higher cap than homes in the south, a recognition that building costs in the state's north — the Pilbara, the Kimberley and other northern regions — run well above Perth levels. If you are buying or building in the north, do not assume the commonly quoted southern cap applies to you.

Most buyers apply for the grant through their lender with the home loan application, which times payment to settlement or the first construction progress draw. If you are building, our [construction loans](/loans/construction-loans) guide explains how progress payments work alongside the grant.

The first home owner rate of duty

For many WA buyers the bigger saving is on transfer duty. Eligible first home buyers pay duty at the first home owner rate: no duty at all below a set value threshold, then a concessional rate that phases up to the normal rate at an upper cap. Separate, lower thresholds apply to vacant land bought to build a first home on.

Two things are worth knowing about how WA applies this. First, unlike the grant, the concessional duty rate is available for established homes as well as new ones — so buyers of older homes in Perth's middle suburbs or regional centres are covered. Second, WA has lifted its thresholds in recent state budgets, and the value limits can differ depending on where in the state the property is located. Rather than working from a remembered figure, check the current thresholds with [RevenueWA](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/revenuewa) and model your purchase with our [stamp duty calculator](/calculators/stamp-duty). WA has also run duty concessions for off-the-plan apartment purchases at various times — worth checking if you are buying into a development.

North and south of the 26th parallel

The 26th parallel — the line of latitude that roughly separates the northern third of Western Australia from the rest — shows up in WA's first home buyer settings because property and construction costs in the north can be dramatically higher than in Perth. In general terms, value caps for the grant are more generous for northern properties, and it always pays to check whether a location-based difference applies to any concession you are counting on.

If you are moving north for work — common in mining and resources — and buying rather than renting, factor in that lenders also treat some northern towns differently: postcode-based lending restrictions and lower maximum loan-to-valuation ratios can apply in single-industry towns. The government help and the lending appetite are separate questions, and you need both to line up.

Keystart and the federal Home Guarantee Scheme

WA buyers have two notable low-deposit pathways. The federal Home Guarantee Scheme, administered by [Housing Australia](https://www.housingaustralia.gov.au), 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. Price caps apply and differ between Perth and regional WA, and the scheme has expanded in recent years — check the current settings with Housing Australia.

Keystart is WA's own answer to the deposit problem: a state-backed lender offering low-deposit home loans without LMI, subject to its own income and property price limits. Keystart is a transitional lender by design — many borrowers refinance to a mainstream lender once they build equity. The federal Help to Buy shared equity scheme adds a further option for eligible buyers. Which pathway suits you depends on your deposit, income and property — our [low deposit home loans](/articles/first-home-buyers/low-deposit-home-loans) guide compares the trade-offs, including when simply paying LMI is the pragmatic choice.

Eligibility: the patterns to expect

Across the grant, the duty concession and the federal schemes, the same eligibility patterns recur:

• First home test. You — and usually your spouse or de facto partner — must not have owned residential property in Australia before, and must not have previously received the grant. A partner's history counts even if the new purchase will be in your name only.
• Owner-occupier purpose. The help is for a home you will live in, not an investment property.
• Residence requirement. You generally must move in within a set period and occupy the home continuously for a minimum time — commonly in the six-to-twelve-month range, though the exact rule varies by scheme. Check the current requirement with RevenueWA.
• Individuals, not entities. Companies and trusts are generally excluded; applicants usually must be at least 18, with at least one an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

If you receive help you turn out not to be entitled to — including by failing the residence requirement — you can be required to repay it, sometimes with penalties, so tell RevenueWA if your circumstances change.

Sequencing the help with your loan

Getting the order right protects your settlement. A Home Guarantee Scheme place is reserved through a participating lender at application; a Keystart loan is an alternative pathway with its own application; the grant is lodged with your loan application; and the duty concession is claimed through your settlement agent or conveyancer before settlement day. Every piece changes your funds to complete, so confirm what you genuinely qualify for before you make an offer. Our [first home buyer guide](/articles/first-home-buyers/first-home-buyer-guide) walks the whole journey, and the [borrowing capacity calculator](/calculators/borrowing-capacity) helps you set a price range that keeps the concessions in play.

Talk it through with a broker

A broker can tell you which lenders participate in the Home Guarantee Scheme, whether Keystart or a mainstream low-deposit loan suits you better, and how the grant and duty concession change the cash you need at settlement. The settings move with each budget, so check your position early — [get in touch](/contact) and we can map the current WA and federal help against your plans.