Victoria First Home Owner Grant and Concessions for 2026

Victoria has two live first home buyer programs in 2026: a cash grant for new builds and a transfer duty exemption and concession for new and established purchases. A third, the Victorian Homebuyer Fund shared equity scheme, closed to new applications on 10 September 2025. Most eligible Victorian first home buyers can stack at least one state program with the federal Home Guarantee Scheme or Help to Buy.

First Home Buyer Help Available in Victoria in 2026

Victoria's state-level programs are the First Home Owner Grant and the First Home Buyer duty exemption and concession, both administered by the State Revenue Office (SRO) Victoria. The Victorian Homebuyer Fund, which ran through participating lenders, is closed to new applicants.

Federal programs sit on top. The Home Guarantee Scheme allows eligible buyers to settle with a 5% deposit and avoid lenders mortgage insurance. Help to Buy, the federal shared equity scheme, opened on 5 December 2025. Victorian first home buyers also have access to off-the-plan duty concessions on new apartments and townhouses, which are not first-home-specific but are widely used by first home buyers in metro Melbourne.

At a Glance

The Victorian First Home Owner Grant: Amount Eligibility Property Type

The Victorian First Home Owner Grant pays $10,000 toward an eligible new home purchase or build. The home must be valued at no more than $750,000 (including land and any contract variations), and it must not have been previously occupied or sold as a place of residence.

The grant is paid at settlement (for purchases) or on first progress payment (for owner-builders and house-and-land contracts). Applications run through the buyer's participating lender or directly with the State Revenue Office. Approved agents (most major lenders) can lodge applications on the buyer's behalf.

Eligibility runs along familiar lines. All applicants must be at least 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident (joint applicants need at least one to qualify), and neither applicant nor a spouse can have previously owned residential property in Australia or received a first home owner grant.

The owner-occupier requirement is stricter than some other states. Buyers must move in within 12 months of completion and live there for 12 continuous months as a principal place of residence. Selling or leasing before the 12 months triggers a clawback.

Victorian First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Exemption and Concession

The Victorian First Home Buyer duty exemption is the bigger lever for most buyers. It delivers a full exemption from transfer duty for eligible purchases up to $600,000, and a tapered concession between $600,001 and $750,000. The concession applies to both new and established homes.

Real-world numbers make the case. Standard Victorian transfer duty on a $600,000 established home would be roughly $31,000. A full exemption is the single largest piece of state support in the Victorian first home buyer toolkit. For purchases in the $600,001 to $750,000 band, the concession phases out, with the saving reducing as the price rises.

The exemption and the First Home Owner Grant run alongside each other rather than instead of each other. An eligible new-build buyer below $600,000 can claim both: the $10,000 grant plus the full duty exemption. For established homes the duty exemption is the only state program available, since the First Home Owner Grant covers new builds only.

The exemption is applied at settlement by the buyer's conveyancer through the SRO's online duty calculator and lodgement system. No separate application is required beyond the standard duty paperwork.

Other Victoria-Specific Schemes

The Victorian Homebuyer Fund is the state's shared equity scheme. The Victorian Government takes an equity stake of up to 25% on an eligible property in exchange for reducing the buyer's required loan size. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, the maximum equity contribution rises to 35%.

Buyers must contribute at least a 5% deposit and meet income and property value caps. The buyer owns the rest of the property and pays no rent on the Victorian Government's share. Equity can be bought out progressively or at sale.

The Homebuyer Fund closed to new applications on 10 September 2025. Existing participants remain in the scheme under their agreements. The property value caps at closure were $950,000 in metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong, and $700,000 in regional Victoria. Buyers seeking a shared equity option in 2026 should check the federal Help to Buy scheme. Source: State Revenue Office Victoria.

Regional Victoria does not have a separate first home owner grant in 2026. The previous $20,000 regional FHOG concluded in 2021 and was not reinstated. Regional buyers access the same $10,000 grant as metro buyers.

Stacking With Federal Schemes: Home Guarantee Help to Buy

The federal Home Guarantee Scheme works alongside the Victorian schemes. Eligible first home buyers can settle with a 5% deposit and avoid lenders mortgage insurance. Since 1 October 2025 places are unlimited and there is no income cap. The property price cap is $950,000 in Melbourne and Geelong, and $650,000 in the rest of Victoria, both well above the SRO's $750,000 first-home duty cap.

Help to Buy, the federal shared equity scheme, opened on 5 December 2025. Buyers need a 2% deposit, and the Commonwealth takes up to 30% (established) or 40% (new) equity in exchange for reducing the buyer's loan size. Help to Buy has income limits, indexed each 1 July, and the same $950,000 and $650,000 price caps as the Home Guarantee in Victoria. It is a separate program from the now-closed Victorian Homebuyer Fund.

A typical Victorian first home buyer stacks one federal program (Home Guarantee or Help to Buy) with one or two state programs. For new-build buyers below $600,000, that means the grant plus the duty exemption plus a federal guarantee: three programs working together on a single purchase.

How to Apply and What You'll Need

Most Victorian first home buyer applications run through the buyer's lender or conveyancer. The lender or conveyancer lodges the application with the State Revenue Office at settlement, and any duty exemption or concession is applied directly to the settlement statement.

Applicants should expect to provide:

• Proof of identity (driver's licence, passport)
• Proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency
• Contract of sale or building contract
• Evidence of consideration paid (deposit receipts)
• Statutory declaration confirming first home buyer status
• For new-build grants, a certificate of occupancy

For the Victorian Homebuyer Fund, applications are lodged directly with a participating lender once eligibility is confirmed. The lender handles the equity-contribution paperwork with SRO Victoria.

Federal Home Guarantee applications run separately through participating lenders. Buyers should engage their broker or lender early. Places have been unlimited since 1 October 2025, so the timing pressure is the lender's own processing rather than a scheme quota.

Common Disqualifications to Watch For

Prior property ownership is the most common disqualifier, including investment property held briefly, inherited shares or off-the-plan purchases that never settled. The same rule applies to a spouse or de facto partner, even where the partner is not on the new contract.

The owner-occupier requirement in Victoria is stricter than in some other states. The 12-continuous-months rule for the First Home Owner Grant catches buyers who plan to rent out the property or who have a deployment, work posting or similar reason they cannot remain in the home for 12 months.

Exceeding the $750,000 cap on the First Home Owner Grant eliminates eligibility entirely. The same applies to the $750,000 cap on the duty concession: purchases above $750,000 receive no concession at all. Buyers near the cap should check the cost of any contract variations carefully, since variations push the total over the threshold.

For new builds, the home must be genuinely new or substantially renovated. Cosmetic renovations on an existing home do not qualify.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I claim the First Home Owner Grant and the duty exemption together? Yes, for an eligible new-build purchase below $600,000. The grant pays $10,000 in cash and the exemption removes the transfer duty entirely.

Does the $20,000 regional First Home Owner Grant still apply? No. The regional $20,000 grant concluded in 2021 and has not been reinstated. Regional Victorian buyers access the same $10,000 grant as metro buyers.

What is the difference between the Homebuyer Fund and federal Help to Buy? Both are shared equity schemes, but the Homebuyer Fund closed to new applications on 10 September 2025. Help to Buy, which opened on 5 December 2025, is the shared equity option now open to new buyers.

Can I move into the home later than 12 months after settlement? The 12-month rule is mandatory. Late occupancy without an SRO-approved exemption (deployment, illness, similar) triggers clawback of the grant and any duty concession.

Does the duty exemption apply to vacant land? Vacant land is handled separately under Victorian transfer duty rules. First home buyers building on vacant land may access the exemption or concession on the land component, subject to the $600,000 / $750,000 thresholds applied to the combined land and building cost.

Related Resources

• AgentBridge: The Complete Australian Guide to First Home Buyer Schemes in 2026
• AgentBridge: How to Buy Property in Victoria: The Full Process for 2026
• AgentBridge: Victorian Stamp Duty Explained: Rates Concessions and How to Calculate It
• State Revenue Office Victoria: First Home Owner Grant

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Scheme details change frequently. Confirm current thresholds with the State Revenue Office Victoria 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.