Federal schemes
| Scheme | What the official page says about the visa test |
|---|---|
| 5% Deposit Scheme (the renamed earlier federal scheme) | Minimum 5% deposit, or 2% for single parents and legal guardians, with no income caps and no lenders mortgage insurance from 1 October 2025. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents on the Home Loan Date, when the loan agreement is signed. The guide says you do not meet the test if you are a temporary resident, if only one of a couple qualifies, or if you have applied for, are eligible for or have been approved for permanent residency but have not yet received the visa. |
| Help to Buy | A shared equity scheme with a minimum 2% deposit, where the Government contributes up to 30% of the price of an existing home or 40% of a new one. The page says all applicants must be Australian citizens, so permanent residents are outside it too. Taxable income must be at or below $103,000 for an individual or $165,000 for single parents and joint applicants. |
| First Home Super Saver Scheme | Lets you take eligible voluntary super contributions out for a first home, up to $15,000 a year and $50,000 in total. The ATO's eligibility list covers age (18 or over), never having owned property in Australia, your name being on the title, and no earlier completed release. It lists no citizenship, permanent residency or visa test. |
The 5% guide defines permanent resident by the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. Section 5 of that Act lets the Minister determine that some Special Category visa holders count, which is why New Zealand citizens are discussed in a separate guide.
To see what is at stake, take a $700,000 purchase. A 5% deposit is $35,000, while Moneysmart says a 20% deposit, which avoids lenders mortgage insurance, is $140,000. That is a $105,000 difference in the savings needed, and the scheme is not open to a temporary visa holder.
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State and territory grants and concessions
Amounts and thresholds change on 1 July and with state budgets, so treat these as the figures published on the dates checked.
| State | Grant for new homes | Duty relief | Visa test stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $10,000, with a price cap of $600,000 for a purchase or $750,000 for land plus build | Exemption up to $800,000 and a concession up to $1 million for new or existing homes, and for vacant land an exemption up to $350,000 and a concession up to $450,000 (contracts from 1 July 2023) | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident. Revenue NSW says benefits are not available to temporary residents and cannot be backdated to a later PR grant. |
| Victoria | $10,000 for new homes up to $750,000 | Duty savings for homes up to $750,000 | The State Revenue Office publishes the grant and duty concession tests. Check its pages for the visa test and for how it treats New Zealand citizens. |
| Queensland | $30,000 for new homes under $750,000 (contracts from 20 November 2023) | First home concession for homes under $800,000, saving up to $24,525. From 1 August 2026, home concessions need a citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree. | At least one grant applicant a citizen or permanent resident. A New Zealand citizen with a Special Category visa counts if they hold a current New Zealand passport. |
| South Australia | Up to $15,000, with no price cap for contracts from 6 June 2024 | No stamp duty on eligible new homes or vacant land (contracts from 6 June 2024) | Citizen or permanent resident, and New Zealand citizens permanently living in Australia on a Special Category visa may also apply. Only one applicant must qualify. |
| Western Australia | Up to $10,000, with a value cap of $800,000 south of the 26th parallel or $1,000,000 north of it (from 7 May 2026) | No duty up to $600,000 and a concessional rate to $800,000 for home and land (from 7 May 2026) | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident. Foreign transfer duty of 7% still applies to a foreign person. |
| Tasmania | $20,000 for transactions starting 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 | The fact sheet reviewed (updated July 2024) covers an exemption up to $750,000 for established homes settling to 30 June 2026. Check the current position. | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident. |
| ACT | None: payments ceased on 1 July 2019 | Home Buyer Concession Scheme: from 1 July 2026 the property value and income limits are removed and duty is $0 for eligible buyers | The page lists no citizenship or visa test. Eligible buyers must be 18 or over, meet the prior property rules and live in the home for a year. |
| Northern Territory | HomeGrown Territory grant of $50,000 for first home buyers of new homes (contracts 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027) | Not reviewed for this guide | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident. The application guide mentions New Zealand citizens with a Special Category visa. |
When your status is tested
The date that counts varies by scheme, so a PR grant that lands before or after a particular date can decide the outcome:
- 5% Deposit Scheme: the Home Loan Date, when you sign the loan agreement.
- Queensland home concessions: when the transaction was entered into, for transactions from 1 August 2026.
- Western Australian grant: the time of making the application.
- Northern Territory grant: the time of completing the application.
The pages for New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania do not state a testing date in the text reviewed, and the Victorian pages could not be read in full, so ask the State Revenue Office which date counts. The guide to applying while PR is pending covers what changes at grant.
Buying with someone who is not eligible
A first home benefit does not remove foreign buyer duty. Revenue NSW says eligible New Zealand citizens and permanent residents can still owe surcharge purchaser duty if they are not ordinarily resident, and the Western Australian fact sheet says foreign transfer duty is still chargeable. State treatment of a mixed purchase differs:
- NSW: you can still apply if you and other eligible buyers acquire at least half the property, and the others pay transfer duty on their share. That arrangement does not apply if your spouse is the ineligible buyer.
- Queensland: a concession applies to the eligible buyer's share only. In the example given, one buyer with a 75% share claims it, and the other buyer's 25% share attracts full transfer duty plus additional foreign acquirer duty.
- Victoria: the State Revenue Office describes foreign purchaser additional duty as an extra 8% on residential property. Check its pages for how a purchase with someone who is not a citizen or permanent resident is treated.
The stamp duty guide explains how the surcharges work, and the deposit guide for temporary residents covers the cash side.
Keep reading
- Can a New Zealand citizen get a home loan in Australia?
- Can you get a home loan while waiting for permanent residency?
- How much deposit do you need for a home loan as a temporary resident?
- Australian expat first home buyer: which grants and schemes can you use?
- Stamp duty for expats and non-residents buying in Australia
- Can you still get a home loan on a 457 visa?
Frequently asked questions
Can a temporary visa holder get the First Home Owner Grant?
Generally no. The state pages reviewed require at least one applicant to be a citizen or permanent resident, and Revenue NSW says temporary residents cannot claim it. A temporary visa holder who buys with a citizen or permanent resident partner may be able to, because only one applicant has to qualify in most states. Confirm with the state revenue office.
Can a temporary resident use the 5% Deposit Scheme?
No. The Information Guide (1 July 2026) says every applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident on the Home Loan Date. It lists a temporary resident, a couple where only one qualifies, and someone whose permanent visa has been applied for or approved but not yet received as not meeting the test. A participating lender confirms eligibility.
Does the First Home Super Saver Scheme need permanent residency?
The ATO's eligibility page lists four conditions, none of them a citizenship, permanent residency or visa test: you must be 18 or over, a first home buyer who has never owned property in Australia, named on the title, and without a completed release. The First Home Buyers site adds that you should plan to live in the home you buy or build. Whether it suits you depends on your super fund and contributions, so ask the ATO.
Do New Zealand citizens get different treatment?
In several places, yes. Queensland and South Australia treat a Special Category visa holder like a permanent resident for their grants, the Northern Territory's application guide mentions them, and Help to Buy requires Australian citizenship. The 5% Deposit Scheme is covered in the New Zealand guide, and Victoria's pages are the place to check its test. Each body applies its own test, so check each one.
If I qualify for a grant, do I avoid the foreign buyer surcharge?
Not automatically. Revenue NSW says eligibility for its First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme does not exempt a foreign person from surcharge purchaser duty, and Western Australia says foreign transfer duty is still chargeable where a first home owner rate applies. The two are separate decisions, so the revenue office or your solicitor should assess both.
Sources
- Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme Information Guide, 1 July 2026, First Home Buyers
- Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, First Home Buyers
- Australian Government Help to Buy Scheme, First Home Buyers
- First Home Super Saver Scheme, First Home Buyers
- Eligibility for the FHSS scheme, Australian Taxation Office
- Australian Citizenship Act 2007, Federal Register of Legislation
- Buying a house, Moneysmart (ASIC)
- First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant, Revenue NSW
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, Revenue NSW
- Understanding the First Home Owner Grant, State Revenue Office Victoria
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession, State Revenue Office Victoria
- Eligibility for the first home owner grant, Queensland Revenue Office
- First home concession, Queensland Revenue Office
- Home concession changes from August 2026, Queensland Revenue Office
- First Home Buyer: eligibility, RevenueSA
- About the first home owner grant, Western Australian Government
- Duties fact sheet: first home owner rate, Western Australian Government
- About foreign buyers duty, Western Australian Government
- First Home Owner Grant, State Revenue Office Tasmania
- First home buyers of established homes duty relief, State Revenue Office Tasmania
- About the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, ACT Revenue Office
- First Home Owner Grant, ACT Revenue Office
- Buying or building a new home, Northern Territory Government
- First Home Owner Grant guide to the application, Northern Territory Government
Checked 7 October 2026.
Expat Finance is an independent guide. It is not a lender, mortgage broker or credit provider, it does not hold an Australian credit licence, and it does not give credit, legal, tax or migration advice. It is not affiliated with any bank, the ATO or the Foreign Investment Review Board. General information only, not legal, tax, migration or financial advice.