WA First Home Grants and Concessions 2026-27

Western Australia's 2026-27 housing taxation package, announced on 7 May 2026, lifts first home buyer duty relief for the third time in three years. For transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026, an eligible first home buyer pays no transfer duty on a home up to $600,000 and a concessional rate up to $800,000, with one threshold across the state. The First Home Owner Grant cap south of the 26th parallel rises to $800,000. AgentBridge sets out what each WA scheme does, who qualifies and what the new numbers mean on a typical purchase.

First Home Buyer Help Available in Western Australia in 2026-27

WA runs four state-level programs for first home buyers. The First Home Owner Grant is a $10,000 payment for new homes. The First Home Owner Rate of Duty (FHOR) removes or reduces transfer duty on new and established homes and vacant land. Keystart Home Loans is a state-backed low-deposit lender. The Home Buyers Assistance Account is a smaller payment toward settlement costs on purchases up to $500,000 made through a licensed real estate agent.

Federal programs sit on top. The First Home Guarantee lets eligible buyers settle with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. Help to Buy, the federal shared equity scheme, opened on 5 December 2025 and became available in WA after the state's enabling legislation passed in December 2025. Most WA first home buyers can stack at least one federal program with one or two state programs.

At a Glance

The WA First Home Owner Grant: Amount, Eligibility, Property Type

The grant pays $10,000 toward buying or building an eligible new home. It covers newly built homes, off-the-plan apartments and substantially renovated homes that have not previously been occupied as a residence. For owner-builders, eligibility turns on the date building work starts. There is no income or assets test.

The value cap depends on location. For transactions with a commencement date on or after 7 May 2026, homes south of the 26th parallel (Perth, Peel, Geraldton and the South West) have an $800,000 cap, up from $750,000. Homes north of the 26th parallel (the Pilbara, Kimberley and northern WA) keep the $1,000,000 cap.

Applicants must be at least 18, at least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and nobody on the application can have received a first home owner grant before. Neither the applicant nor their spouse can have owned a residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000, or owned and lived in one since then.

You must live in the home as your principal place of residence for at least 6 continuous months, starting within 12 months of completion or settlement. Apply within 12 months of completion, either online, through your lender if it is an approved agent, or directly with RevenueWA.

WA First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Concession

The First Home Owner Rate of Duty is the bigger lever for most WA first home buyers. It removes transfer duty below a lower threshold and charges a concessional rate above it, up to a ceiling where the concession ends. The rate turns on the date the agreement is entered into, not the settlement date.

Homes (new or established), transactions on or after 7 May 2026:

• no duty up to $600,000
• $16.15 per $100 over $600,000, for homes between $600,001 and $800,000
• no FHOR above $800,000, wherever the home is in WA

Vacant land, transactions on or after 7 May 2026:

• no duty up to $450,000
• $20.14 per $100 over $450,000, for land between $450,001 and $550,000
• no FHOR above $550,000

The FHOR is also no longer tied to the grant caps. Before 7 May 2026, the home and land together had to fall within the grant cap for the duty concession to apply. From 7 May 2026, only the FHOR thresholds above apply.

FHOR eligibility follows the grant rules, except that it also covers established homes. The buyer must meet the grant's residence requirement even if no grant is paid.

Timing and refunds. The new thresholds apply to transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026, subject to the amending legislation. Until it commences, RevenueWA assesses duty at the earlier rates. An eligible buyer who pays duty at the earlier rates can then apply for a reassessment and a refund of the difference. Your settlement agent can confirm how this applies to your contract.

Worked Examples: First Home Owner Rate From 7 May 2026

$550,000 established home in Perth. The value is under the $600,000 threshold, so duty is $0. Before 7 May 2026, duty was $13.63 per $100 on $50,000 over $500,000, which is $6,815.

$600,000 home. Duty is $0. At the general rate, the same purchase would attract $11,115 plus $4.75 per $100 on $240,000, or $11,115 plus $11,400, which is $22,515.

$650,000 established home in Perth. The amount over $600,000 is $50,000. At $16.15 per $100, duty is $8,075. Before 7 May 2026, a Perth or Peel buyer paid $13.63 per $100 on $150,000 over $500,000, which is $20,445.

$750,000 established home in Perth. The amount over $600,000 is $150,000. At $16.15 per $100, duty is $24,225. Before 7 May 2026, a Perth or Peel home at this price was above the $700,000 FHOR ceiling and paid the general rate: $28,453 plus $5.15 per $100 on $25,000, which is $29,740.50 (rounded to $29,741).

$500,000 vacant land. The amount over $450,000 is $50,000. At $20.14 per $100, duty is $10,070. Before 7 May 2026, land at this price was above the $450,000 ceiling and paid the general rate: $11,115 plus $4.75 per $100 on $140,000, which is $17,765.

Near $800,000 the concession fades out: at $800,000 the FHOR gives $32,300 against $32,315.50 at the general rate.

Other WA-Specific Schemes

Keystart Home Loans is a state-owned lender offering low-deposit home loans to eligible first home buyers and other priority groups. Its Low Deposit Home Loan lets eligible buyers settle with a 2% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. Income limits, property value caps and other eligibility tests apply. Keystart is aimed at buyers who cannot quite meet the deposit or serviceability tests at a major bank. The 2026-27 package also includes funding for 500 homes through Keystart shared equity loans.

The Home Buyers Assistance Account, run by Consumer Protection, reimburses up to $2,000 of settlement costs such as mortgage registration, settlement agent, valuation, inspection and loan establishment fees. The home must be established or partially built (not vacant land or a house-and-land package), cost no more than $500,000 (the limit since 16 December 2024) and be bought through a WA-licensed real estate agent. You must not have owned a home in WA, must intend to live in it for at least the first 12 months, and must apply within 90 days of settlement.

Off-the-plan duty concession. Buyers of new dwellings off the plan, including first home buyers above the FHOR ceiling, can look at the off-the-plan concession. For contracts from 12 March 2026 it runs to 30 June 2028, applies in full up to $800,000 and phases down above that to the base rate from $900,000. It now includes survey-strata and community titles (land) schemes. Details are in our WA transfer duty guide.

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

The First Home Guarantee works alongside the WA schemes. Eligible first home buyers can settle with a 5% deposit and avoid lenders mortgage insurance. Since 1 October 2025 there is no limit on places and no income cap. The property price cap is $850,000 in Perth and $600,000 in the rest of WA.

Help to Buy is the federal shared equity scheme. The Commonwealth contributes up to 40% of the price of a new home or up to 30% of an existing home, and the buyer needs a deposit of at least 2%. Income limits are $100,000 for a single applicant and $160,000 for joint applicants or a single parent. The home must be at or below the Help to Buy price cap for its location, which you can check with Housing Australia's postcode tool. Help to Buy and Keystart are separate programs, so a buyer generally uses one or the other.

A typical WA first home buyer in 2026-27 stacks the First Home Owner Grant (for a new home), the FHOR duty concession and one federal program. Buyers who cannot access mainstream lending use Keystart instead. Buyers of an established home at or below $500,000 through a licensed agent can add the Home Buyers Assistance Account.

Stacking example: $700,000 new home in Perth. The home is under the $800,000 grant cap, so the buyer receives $10,000. FHOR duty is $16.15 per $100 on $100,000, which is $16,150. With the First Home Guarantee, the buyer can settle with a 5% deposit of $35,000 and pay no lenders mortgage insurance. Before 7 May 2026, the same purchase attracted FHOR duty of $27,260.

How to Apply and What You'll Need

Most WA first home buyer applications run through the buyer's settlement agent. The settlement agent lodges the transfer duty paperwork with the FHOR applied. To get the FHOR, lodge a first home owner grant application or a pre-approval for the FHOR with an approved financial institution or RevenueWA before settlement. If you are not approved before settlement, duty is assessed at the general rate and you apply for a reassessment and refund once approved.

Applicants should expect to provide:

• proof of identity (driver's licence, passport)
• proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency
• the contract of sale or building contract
• evidence of consideration paid (deposit receipts)
• a statutory declaration confirming first home buyer status
• for new-home grants, evidence of completion
• for the Home Buyers Assistance Account, receipts for eligible settlement costs

Keystart applications run through Keystart directly or through brokers, with a full credit and income assessment. First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy applications run separately through participating lenders.

Common Disqualifications to Watch For

Prior property ownership is the most common disqualifier. The rule extends to a spouse or de facto partner.

The grant cap depends on location, so buyers near the 26th parallel should confirm which cap applies. Going over a cap removes the grant entirely rather than reducing it. The same is true of the FHOR ceiling at $800,000 for homes and $550,000 for land.

The residence rule requires 6 continuous months of occupation. Defence postings, fly-in fly-out rosters and similar patterns can complicate it. RevenueWA has some discretion in genuine cases, but the burden is on the applicant.

The Home Buyers Assistance Account requires a purchase through a licensed real estate agent. Private sales, vacant land and house-and-land packages do not qualify, and the $500,000 limit is strict.

For the grant, the home must be genuinely new or substantially renovated. Cosmetic renovations do not qualify.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the new WA first home owner duty thresholds? For transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026, an eligible first home buyer pays no duty on a home up to $600,000 and $16.15 per $100 over $600,000 up to $800,000, statewide. Vacant land is duty-free to $450,000, with $20.14 per $100 over $450,000 up to $550,000.

I signed on or after 7 May 2026 and was charged the old rate. Can I get a refund? Yes. The new thresholds apply from 7 May 2026, subject to the amending legislation. Until it commences, duty may be assessed at the earlier rates, and an eligible buyer can apply to RevenueWA for a reassessment and refund.

Can I claim the First Home Owner Grant and the FHOR together? Yes, for an eligible new home. The grant pays $10,000 and the FHOR removes or reduces the transfer duty.

What does a first home buyer pay on a $650,000 home in Perth? For a contract entered into on or after 7 May 2026, duty is $16.15 per $100 on the $50,000 over $600,000, which is $8,075.

Does the $1,000,000 grant cap apply to my Pilbara or Kimberley purchase? Yes. Homes north of the 26th parallel keep the $1,000,000 cap. Confirm your property's location with your settlement agent before signing.

Related Resources

• AgentBridge: WA Transfer Duty Explained: Rates, Concessions and How to Calculate It
• AgentBridge: How to Buy Property in Western Australia
• AgentBridge: Buyers Agents in WA
• WA Government: 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package
• WA Government: Transfer duty assessment

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Previous editions: WA First Home Owner Grant and Concessions for 2026 (Before 7 May 2026)