ACT Home Buyer Concession 2026-27: Uncapped

From 1 July 2026, the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme has no income test and no property value cap. A buyer who has not owned property in the last 5 years, and who will live in the home, now pays no stamp duty at any price. The ACT still has no First Home Owner Grant, so the support comes as a duty exemption rather than a cash payment. AgentBridge breaks down what the scheme does, who qualifies and how it stacks with the Land Rent Scheme and federal programs.

First Home Buyer Help Available in the ACT in 2026-27

The Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS), administered by the ACT Revenue Office, is the ACT's main program. It is not restricted to first home buyers in the strict sense: it is open to buyers who have not owned property in the last 5 years, even if they owned a home before that.

The Land Rent Scheme is the ACT's secondary program. It lets eligible lower and moderate income households lease the land from the ACT Government rather than buy it, which reduces the upfront capital required. The First Home Owner Grant has not existed in the ACT since 1 July 2019.

Federal programs sit on top. The First Home Guarantee lets eligible buyers settle with a 5% deposit and avoid lenders mortgage insurance. Help to Buy is a federal shared equity option that opened on 5 December 2025.

At a Glance

The ACT First Home Owner Grant: Status

The ACT does not run a First Home Owner Grant in 2026-27. Grant payments ceased for transactions from 1 July 2019. Buyers researching ACT support should not expect a cash grant; the support comes through duty exemptions.

ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme

From 1 July 2026, an eligible buyer pays $0 duty on a home or vacant residential land, with no property value limit. The income test that applied to earlier transactions has been removed. The ACT Revenue Office's ACT Budget 2026-27 updates (1 July 2026) confirm that the property price cap and income threshold are removed from the scheme, and its Home Buyer Concession Scheme page sets out the remaining eligibility tests.

To qualify, all buyers must meet these requirements:

• Individuals aged 18 or over. The scheme is not available when buying through a company, as a trustee or as a business partnership.
• The 5-year property test. No buyer, and no buyer's domestic partner, can have owned or held a legal or equitable interest in any property, in the ACT, elsewhere in Australia or overseas, in the 5 years before the transaction date. Limited exemptions apply, including for executors and trustees under a will, court-ordered or agreed transfers after separation, separated spouses who are still legally married, and family violence.
• Owner-occupation. At least one buyer must own and live in the home as their principal place of residence continuously for at least 1 year, starting within 1 year of settlement (or of the certificate of occupancy, for vacant land).

The transaction date is the date contracts are signed and exchanged, not the settlement date. A contract exchanged on or before 30 June 2026 is assessed under the earlier rules, including the income test and the $1,020,000 threshold.

The scheme is self-assessed. The buyer (through their conveyancer) claims it with a code on the Buyer Verification Declaration before lodging the transfer. The ACT Revenue Office runs compliance checks, and a buyer who does not meet the residence requirement must pay full duty plus possible penalty tax (25% by default) and interest. Keep supporting documents for at least 5 years. The Duties Operations Team can be contacted on (02) 6207 0028 (option 3).

Worked Example: What the Uncapped Scheme Is Worth

Take an eligible buyer purchasing a $1,200,000 home.

Full owner-occupier duty at $1,200,000 is $33,958 plus $6.40 for each $100 (2,000 lots of $100) on the $200,000 over $1,000,000. That is $33,958 plus $12,800, or $46,758.

Under the 2025-26 rules the concession was capped at $35,238, so the buyer paid $46,758 less $35,238, or $11,520. For a transaction from 1 July 2026 the same buyer pays $0.

Below $1,020,000 the outcome is unchanged: an eligible buyer of a $900,000 home paid no duty in 2025-26 and pays none now. Without the concession, owner-occupier duty on $900,000 is $19,208 plus $5.90 per $100 on the $150,000 over $750,000, or $19,208 plus $8,850, which is $28,058.

Other ACT-Specific Schemes

Newly Unit Titled Duty Exemption (new from 1 July 2026). For owner-occupiers buying a newly built, ready-to-occupy unit that was not sold off the plan. The unit must be bought directly from the developer who registered the units plan, within 2 years of that registration, and the buyer must be its first occupant. At least one buyer must live in it for 12 continuous months, starting within a year of settlement. There is no 5-year property test, so it can help buyers who do not qualify for the HBCS.

Off-the-Plan Unit Duty Exemption. For contracts from 1 July 2026, owner-occupier purchases of off-the-plan unit-titled apartments and townhouses attract no duty, with no value limit. It is not restricted to first home buyers, but at least one buyer must live in the property for 12 continuous months, starting within 12 months of completion, so investors cannot use it.

Land Rent Scheme. Eligible buyers lease the land from the ACT Government rather than buy it, paying land rent of 2% a year of the land's unimproved value, and finance only the home build (plus duty on the lease grant). Eligibility for leases granted from 1 October 2013 includes a household gross income test ($170,000 with no dependent children, plus $3,330 per dependent child up to 5), no other property ownership, and living in the home once the certificate of occupancy is issued. Lessees can later convert to a standard Crown lease by paying for the land at its value at that time.

Pensioner and Disability Duty Concession Schemes. From 1 July 2026 both schemes have no property value cap. The pensioner scheme is for pensioners selling their current home to move, and now includes DVA Service Pension recipients. The disability scheme is for NDIS participants. Neither is a first home buyer scheme, but both can interact with a purchase.

Stacking With Federal Schemes: First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy

First Home Guarantee. Eligible first home buyers can buy with a 5% deposit and avoid lenders mortgage insurance. Since 1 October 2025 the guarantee has unlimited places and no income cap, and the ACT has a single property price cap of $1,000,000.

Help to Buy. The Commonwealth takes an equity share of up to 40% of the price of a new home or 30% of an existing home, reducing the loan the buyer needs, with a minimum 2% deposit. For 2026-27 the income limits are $103,000 for a single applicant and $165,000 for joint applicants or a single parent. The ACT price cap is $1,000,000, and the scheme supports about 10,000 households a year.

A typical ACT first home buyer in 2026-27 claims the HBCS (no duty) and uses one federal program (the First Home Guarantee or Help to Buy). Because the HBCS is now uncapped, the federal price caps, not the duty rules, are usually the binding limit at the top of the market.

How to Apply and What You'll Need

Most ACT applications run through the buyer's conveyancer or solicitor. The conveyancer claims the HBCS (or the relevant exemption) with its code on the Buyer Verification Declaration before the transfer is lodged with Access Canberra. No separate application is needed.

Applicants should expect to keep:

• proof of identity (driver's licence, passport)
• the contract of sale or building contract
• evidence of the transaction date and price
• evidence supporting the 5-year property test, and any exemption claimed
• evidence of residence once living in the home.

The ACT Revenue Office provides an eligibility checker and a conveyance duty calculator on its website. Run your numbers through both before exchange.

First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy applications run separately through participating lenders.

Common Disqualifications to Watch For

The 5-year property test is the main disqualifier now that the income test is gone. It covers any legal or equitable interest in any property, anywhere, held by a buyer or their domestic partner, including an interest as a beneficiary of a fixed trust. Check it carefully with your conveyancer.

The owner-occupier requirement of 12 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement, matters. Buyers who plan to rent the property out first should not claim the concession. The Commissioner can vary the residence requirement only for unforeseen circumstances, on a request made within 18 months.

Buying through a company or trust, or with a non-individual co-buyer, rules out the scheme.

The transaction date decides which rules apply. A contract exchanged on or before 30 June 2026 remains under the 2025-26 caps and income test, even if it settles later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there still an income limit for the ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme? No. For transactions from 1 July 2026 the income test has been removed. It applied to transactions up to 30 June 2026.

Is there a property price cap on the HBCS in 2026-27? No. From 1 July 2026 eligible buyers pay no duty on a home or vacant residential land at any price. Federal scheme price caps still apply if you also use the First Home Guarantee or Help to Buy.

Can I claim the HBCS if I owned a property 7 years ago? Yes. The test is whether you or your domestic partner owned or held an interest in property in the last 5 years. Ownership outside the 5-year window does not disqualify you.

Can I claim the HBCS on an investment property? No. At least one buyer must live in the property as their principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement.

Why doesn't the ACT have a First Home Owner Grant? The ACT stopped paying the grant for transactions from 1 July 2019 and put its support into duty concessions instead. That remains the position in 2026-27.

Related Resources

• ACT Stamp Duty 2026-27: Rates and Concessions: the full rate tables and worked examples.
• How to Buy Property in the ACT: the full ACT purchase process from offer to settlement.
• First Home Buyer Schemes in Australia: the national guide to grants and federal schemes.
• ACT Revenue Office: Home Buyer Concession Scheme

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Scheme details change frequently. Confirm current thresholds with the ACT Revenue Office or your conveyancer before exchange. This article is general information only and is not personal financial product advice. Speak to a licensed adviser before making decisions that affect your financial position.

Previous editions: ACT Home Buyer Concession Scheme and Grants for 2026 (2025-26 rules)