First Home Owner Grant NSW 2026

Quick answer: The FHOG in NSW is $10,000 for eligible first home buyers purchasing or building a new home. Value cap: $600,000 for existing new homes, $750,000 for homes you build. Plus full stamp duty exemption up to $800,000.

NSW’s stamp duty exemption threshold is $800,000 — $200,000 higher than Victoria’s. Buy under that mark and you pay zero stamp duty, which can save you $25,000 or more.

Eligibility

You need to tick all five boxes:

• First home buyer — never owned residential property in Australia
• Over 18, Australian citizen or permanent resident
• New home — must be brand new (never lived in) or a home you build
• Value cap — $600,000 for purchasing new, $750,000 for building
• Live in it — must move in within 12 months and stay for 12 consecutive months

How Much Can You Save?

Example: Building in Western Sydney

Under $800,000, you pay zero stamp duty regardless of whether you buy established or build. But building gets you the extra $10,000 FHOG on top. And you get a new home with new warranties, not someone else’s renovation shortcuts.

NSW Stamp Duty for First Home Buyers

Calculate your total build cost in NSW

Free estimate including FHOG savings, stamp duty, and suburb-specific construction costs.

Calculate Your Savings

How to Apply

If you’re building (most common)

1. Lodge before first drawdown — if you want the grant applied to your first progress payment, lodge through your lender (they act as an “approved agent”) before that drawdown happens
2. Your builder and lender handle most of it — in practice, the FHOG application gets bundled into the contract process. You sign, they lodge.
3. The $10,000 comes off a progress payment — it reduces what you owe at the first or final stage, so it’s not cash in your hand, but cash off your bill
4. You can also apply directly — via firsthome.gov.au/apply/nsw or through Revenue NSW, though you’ll typically wait until construction finishes to receive it

If you’re buying a new home

1. Your conveyancer lodges it at settlement — you don’t need to do much here
2. The $10,000 comes off the purchase price — it reduces what you owe at settlement
3. Apply through your lender or directly via Revenue NSW

What you need

• 100 points of ID for all applicants
• Contract of sale or building contract
• Evidence the property is a new home
• Statutory declaration confirming eligibility
• If building: certificate of occupancy (upon completion)

Processing time: Revenue NSW says 15 business days once they have a complete application. Missing documents will push that out.

Why applications get rejected

Revenue NSW doesn’t publish rejection stats, but the usual trip-ups are predictable:

• Previous property ownership — you or your spouse/partner owned residential property in Australia, or lived in an owned property for 6+ continuous months since 1 July 2000
• Previously received FHOG — in any Australian state or territory
• Home exceeds value cap — over $600,000 (buying new) or $750,000 (land + building contract + variations)
• Not a new home — established homes do not qualify, even if you’ve never owned before
• Late application — must be lodged within 12 months of settlement or construction completion
• Residency not met — for contracts from 1 July 2023, you must live there for 12 continuous months (increased from the previous 6-month requirement)

Stamp Duty Exemption for Vacant Land

Buying land first and building later? Different thresholds apply to the land purchase itself (updated 1 July 2023):

So if you buy $340,000 land in Western Sydney, you pay zero stamp duty on the land. Then when the build completes, you separately claim the $10,000 FHOG — as long as land plus build stays under $750,000 total.

Source: Revenue NSW — First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme

What Happened to the Property Tax Option?

There used to be an option to pay annual property tax instead of stamp duty. That was the NSW First Home Buyer Choice scheme, which launched 16 January 2023 and closed to new applications on 1 July 2023.

If you got in before the cutoff, you’re grandfathered in. Those buyers pay:

• Owner-occupied: $400/year + 0.3% of land value (indexed annually from July 2024)
• Non-owner-occupied: $1,500/year + 1.1% of land value

But if you’re buying in 2026, this door is shut. Stamp duty is your only option.

Source: Revenue NSW — First Home Buyer Choice

Common Questions

What’s the difference between the $600K and $750K caps?

• $600,000 — applies when you’re buying an existing new home (never lived in)
• $750,000 — applies when you’re building a new home (land + build contracts)

The government set the building cap higher because they want more homes built. Simple as that.

Can I get the FHOG and stamp duty exemption together?

Yes, and you should. They’re separate programs, so you can stack them. Say you’re building a $650K home (land $280K + build $370K). You get the $10,000 FHOG plus $0 stamp duty. That’s $10,000 cash back and roughly $25,000 in stamp duty you never have to pay.

What about the First Home Buyer Guarantee (federal)?

Formerly the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, this federal program lets you buy with just 5% deposit and skip Lenders Mortgage Insurance. It stacks with the NSW FHOG. Spots fill quickly each financial year — check NHFIC for current availability.

Information current as of April 2026. Based on Revenue NSW guidelines.

Related Guides

• Cost to Build in Sydney — Full Sydney cost breakdown
• Stamp Duty NSW — Detailed stamp duty guide
• First Home Owner Grant VIC — Victorian comparison
• Build vs Buy — Should you build or buy?