First Home Buyer Schemes 2026: Your FHSS, Grant, Duty and 5% Deposit Map
Enter a home price to map your deposit, FHSS money, grant, duty relief, LMI avoided and the loan left over.
The short answer
- A 5% deposit on a $700,000 home is $35,000. You also need transfer duty where it applies and common buying costs. A grant may reduce the amount later, but its timing needs to work with settlement.
- In the NSW established-home example below, one eligible buyer's estimated FHSS release leaves $0 still to find after the deposit, duty and estimated buying costs. Change the state, savings and property type in the calculator for a useful figure.
- The 5% Deposit Scheme can remove estimated Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). It still leaves a $665,000 loan on this home. A 20% deposit would leave $560,000.
The four parts of your first-home buyer money map
First-home buyer support changes different parts of the purchase. The quickest way to understand your position is to keep four totals separate.
- Money you need upfront: your deposit, transfer duty and buying costs such as conveyancing, inspections and registration.
- Your own money: cash savings plus an estimated First Home Super Saver (FHSS) release. FHSS gives you access to eligible voluntary super contributions and associated earnings. It is still your money.
- Costs you may avoid: a first-home duty exemption or concession and estimated LMI removed through the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.
- Debt you create: the mortgage left after the deposit. The government guarantee does not pay part of the home price for you.
There is no honest “total scheme saving” number
Adding FHSS, a grant, duty avoided and LMI avoided produces a large figure with no clear meaning. Some of it is your own money. Some reduces a cost. The guarantee changes the loan you can take. Read each amount in the part of the purchase it changes.
Calculate the money you still need to find
Enter the home price, state and whether it is new or established. Add the cash you already have. Choose the number of eligible FHSS savers and the deposit you plan to use. The main result shows the remaining gap after those amounts are applied.
First-home buyer money map
Estimate your upfront target, your own money, costs avoided and the loan left over.
Cash outside super that you can use for the purchase.
Each buyer has an individual FHSS limit and must be eligible.
FHSS example inputs
Voluntary concessional contribution per saver.
Removes estimated LMI only when the deposit and published location-cap checks pass.
Published price cap: $1,500,000.
Editable planning rate.
$0
Before any grant: $0. Your lender and revenue office must confirm what money is available by settlement.
$39,700
$35,000 deposit + $0 duty + $4,700 estimated buying costs.
$62,108
$20,000 cash + $42,108 estimated FHSS release.
$56,363
$25,687 duty + $30,676 estimated LMI. These are not deposit money.
$665,000
$4,051 a month for 30 years at 6.15%.
Relief and grant check
- Transfer duty payable
- $0
- Duty avoided
- $25,687
- Potential new-home grant
- $0
5% Deposit Scheme planning check
Potentially within the modelled checks — $30,676 LMI avoided
This is not an eligibility decision. Citizenship or permanent residency, prior ownership, occupancy, participating-lender and property rules still apply.
- ✓ Price is at or below the selected $1,500,000 cap
- ✓ Deposit is at least 5% and below 20%
- ✓ Savings entered appear to leave less than a 20% deposit after buying costs
What the smaller deposit does to the loan
| Deposit | Cash deposit | Loan | Monthly | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | $35,000 | $665,000 | $4,051 | $793,493 |
| 10% | $70,000 | $630,000 | $3,838 | $751,730 |
| 20% | $140,000 | $560,000 | $3,412 | $668,205 |
The four figures cannot be added into one “benefit” number
FHSS and cash are your money. A grant is conditional support. Duty and LMI avoided are costs you may not pay. The guarantee leaves you with a larger mortgage.
The grant appears separately because eligibility and payment timing vary. Check whether your lender will count it towards settlement funds before relying on the smaller result.
A $700,000 first home in every state and territory
These tables start with the same buyer in each place: a 5% deposit, no cash already saved and one eligible FHSS saver on $100,000 who contributes $15,000 a year for three years. The estimated net FHSS release is $42,108. The home is in a capital city or named regional-centre category and passes the published $700,000 price cap in all eight jurisdictions. Monthly repayments use a 30-year loan at 6.15%.
Established home
| State | Duty to pay | Duty avoided | Potential grant | LMI avoided | Still to find | Monthly loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $0 | $25,687 | $0 | $30,676 | $0 | $4,051 |
| VIC | $24,713 | $12,357 | $0 | $33,744 | $21,008 | $4,051 |
| QLD | $0 | $17,350 | $0 | $33,437 | $0 | $4,051 |
| WA | $16,150 | $11,115 | $0 | $33,744 | $13,531 | $4,051 |
| SA | $32,330 | $0 | $0 | $34,051 | $30,245 | $4,051 |
| TAS | $26,748 | $0 | $0 | $33,744 | $23,353 | $4,051 |
| NT | $34,650 | $0 | $0 | $33,744 | $31,064 | $4,051 |
| ACT | $0 | $17,048 | $0 | $32,517 | $0 | $4,051 |
New home
| State | Duty to pay | Duty avoided | Potential grant | LMI avoided | Still to find | Monthly loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $0 | $25,687 | $0 | $30,676 | $0 | $4,051 |
| VIC | $24,713 | $12,357 | $10,000 | $33,744 | $11,008 | $4,051 |
| QLD | $0 | $17,350 | $30,000 | $33,437 | $0 | $4,051 |
| WA | $16,150 | $11,115 | $10,000 | $33,744 | $3,531 | $4,051 |
| SA | $0 | $32,330 | $15,000 | $34,051 | $0 | $4,051 |
| TAS | $26,748 | $0 | $20,000 | $33,744 | $3,353 | $4,051 |
| NT | $34,650 | $0 | $50,000 | $33,744 | $0 | $4,051 |
| ACT | $0 | $17,048 | $0 | $32,517 | $0 | $4,051 |
How to read “still to find”
It is the 5% deposit, first-home duty and estimated buying costs, less the FHSS release and any potential grant. The table assumes no other cash savings. It does not include an emergency fund, moving costs or costs that depend on the property itself. Grant timing may leave you needing more cash at settlement.
A 5% deposit gets you there sooner with a bigger loan
The 5% Deposit Scheme can help an eligible buyer avoid LMI. The Australian Government guarantees up to 15% of the property value to the participating lender. You still borrow 95% of the price and repay that loan with interest.
On a $700,000 home, the 5% deposit leaves a $665,000 loan. The 20% deposit leaves $560,000. That is $105,000 more debt before any lender fees. The calculator shows the monthly repayment and total interest for 5%, 10% and 20% deposits at your chosen rate.
Avoiding LMI does not make the larger loan free
LMI protects the lender if a low-deposit loan goes bad. Removing it can save a sizeable upfront or capitalised premium. Interest on the extra amount borrowed can matter more over a long loan term. Compare both figures.
How FHSS, grants, duty relief and the 5% scheme fit together
FHSS can work with the other three
An eligible buyer can use FHSS with a state first-home owner grant, state duty relief and the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. Two eligible buyers can each use their own FHSS amount. The annual and total limits apply to each person.
FHSS takes planning because contribution and release timing matter. Read our FHSS versus bank savings guide before relying on the estimate. It covers contribution caps, the ATO determination and the release timetable.
A first-home owner grant usually needs a new home
The grant column is zero for established homes in the table because current state and territory grants generally target new homes. Price caps, construction definitions, previous ownership and occupancy rules differ. Treat the calculator result as a prompt to check the exact contract with the revenue office.
Duty relief follows its own state rules
A grant and duty relief are separate. You may qualify for one without the other. South Australia gives eligible first-home buyers full duty relief on a new home or vacant land, while an established home still attracts ordinary duty. Tasmania's established-home exemption ended on 30 June 2026. The ACT removed the income and property-value caps from its Home Buyer Concession Scheme on 1 July 2026.
The 5% scheme has lender and property checks
The calculator checks the selected deposit, published location cap and whether the available savings entered appear to leave less than a 20% deposit after buying costs. A participating lender must still confirm citizenship or permanent residency, prior ownership, occupancy, property, loan and savings requirements. The loan must meet the scheme rules and lender policy.
Where Help to Buy fits
Help to Buy is a different path. It is a shared-equity scheme with a minimum 2% deposit. The Australian Government can contribute up to 30% of an established home or 40% of a new home. Income and property-price caps apply, and the government shares in future gains or losses on its share.
You can combine Help to Buy with FHSS and eligible state grants or duty concessions. You cannot use it with another government guarantee or shared-equity loan. This calculator does not model Help to Buy because its government equity, repayments and future sale outcome need a separate comparison.
Checks to make before you rely on the number
- Ask a participating lender or broker to confirm the 5% scheme cap for the property postcode and whether your savings position meets the rules.
- Check the revenue-office grant and duty pages for your state against the contract date, price and property type.
- Request an ATO FHSS determination and allow time for release. Do this before depending on the money for settlement.
- Get a conveyancer to prepare a settlement estimate. Add inspections, lender fees, insurance, moving costs and a cash buffer.
- Compare the 5% and 20% loan repayments at a higher interest rate that your budget could realistically face.
Common questions
Sources and assumptions
Every figure on this page is computed for the 2026-27 financial year using the rates and thresholds published by the sources below, and was last regenerated on 28 July 2026. Rates change each year; check the source before relying on a number.
- Australian Government — 5% Deposit Scheme for first-home buyers
- Australian Government — 5% Deposit Scheme property price caps
- Australian Government — 5% Deposit Scheme Information Guide
- ATO — First home super saver scheme
- ATO — Quarterly shortfall interest charge rates used for FHSS associated earnings
- RBA — May 2026 new owner-occupier principal-and-interest lending rate
- Australian Government — Help to Buy
- Australian Government — Help to Buy combinations with FHSS, grants and concessions
- Moneysmart — Saving for a house deposit and LMI
State and territory first-home sources
- Revenue NSW — First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme
- Revenue NSW — First Home Owner Grant
- State Revenue Office Victoria — First-home buyer duty exemption or concession
- State Revenue Office Victoria — First Home Owner Grant
- Queensland Revenue Office — First home concession for new homes
- Queensland Revenue Office — 2026 State Budget updates
- WA Government — 2026–27 housing taxation package
- RevenueSA — First-home buyer relief for eligible properties
- RevenueSA — First-home buyer relief available
- State Revenue Office Tasmania — Established-home duty relief
- State Revenue Office Tasmania — First Home Owner Grant eligibility
- Northern Territory Treasury — HomeGrown Territory grants
- ACT Revenue Office — 2026–27 Budget updates
- ACT Revenue Office — Home Buyer Concession Scheme