First Home Owner Grant Victoria: 2026 Guide to the $10,000 Grant

By Andrew Paterson

The First Home Owner Grant in Victoria is a one-off $10,000 payment for first home buyers. It only applies to new homes, and that single rule shapes how you plan the whole purchase.

This guide covers the grant itself in detail: who qualifies, what counts as new, how and when it is paid and how to avoid having to pay it back.

General information only. Not financial, credit, tax or legal advice. Figures checked against State Revenue Office Victoria (SRO) in September 2026, so confirm current rules before you sign.

Key fact	Current rule
Grant amount	$10,000, paid once
Value cap	$750,000 or less
Property type	New homes only (house, townhouse, apartment or unit)
Live-in rule	12 months continuous, starting within 12 months of settlement or completion
Applying direct to the SRO	Within 12 months of settlement or completion

Stamp duty relief and the 5% Deposit Scheme are covered in our overview of first home buyer grants and stamp duty concessions in Victoria. This article stays focused on the grant.

How much is the grant?

The grant is $10,000 and it is the same amount anywhere in Victoria. Metro and regional buyers get the same figure.

You may still see a $20,000 regional figure online. That boost applied to contracts from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2021 and has not been brought back.

What counts as a new home

The SRO treats a home as new if it has not previously been sold or occupied as a home, leased out or used for short-term accommodation. It can be a house, townhouse, apartment or unit.

Three kinds of purchase usually qualify:

• Buying a newly built home that nobody has lived in, including off the plan
• Signing a contract with a builder to build your home
• Building your own home as an owner builder

The definition also covers a home built to replace a demolished one and a substantially renovated home. The renovation test is strict and cosmetic work such as a new kitchen and carpet will not meet it.

Buying an established home means no grant. You may still get stamp duty relief, which applies to established homes as well as new ones.

The $750,000 value cap

The home must be worth $750,000 or less. For an off-the-plan purchase, the SRO uses the contract price.

If you are building, the value is generally assessed on the land plus the build contract. Site costs and upgrades can push that total over the line, so keep an eye on variations before you sign.

Go even $1 over the cap and you lose the whole grant. There is no partial payment.

Who is eligible

Everyone who will be on the title has to apply. If you have a spouse or partner, their details go on the form too, even if they will not be on the title.

All applicants must be:

• A natural person, not a company or trust
• At least 18 years old at settlement or completion of construction

At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at settlement, or when a new build is ready to live in. For settlements from 26 November 2025, New Zealand citizens are also eligible whether or not they hold a special category visa.

Couples with different visa situations can find other schemes trickier, so it is worth reading how permanent residents and mixed-citizenship couples are treated.

Who is ruled out

You are not eligible if you or your spouse or partner have ever:

• Received a First Home Owner Grant anywhere in Australia
• Owned a home or other residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000
• Lived for a continuous six months or more in an Australian home either of you owned on or after 1 July 2000

These tests apply to your partner even if they are not buying with you. A partner who owned and lived in a home years ago can rule you both out.

Investment property and overseas property

Owning property does not automatically disqualify you. If you bought on or after 1 July 2000 and never lived there as your home, you may still qualify.

The ownership tests look at residential property in Australia. A home you owned overseas is not counted under these rules.

If a grant was received and later paid back, you may be able to apply again. Victim-survivors of family violence may also be eligible even after previous ownership or a previous grant.

The 12-month residency rule

At least one applicant must live in the home as their principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months. That period has to start within 12 months of settlement or completion of the build.

You sometimes see a six-month move-in rule quoted for the grant. Six months belongs to the prior-ownership test above, while the residency rule is 12 months.

The SRO may ask for evidence that you lived there. If your plans change and you cannot meet the rule, you must tell the SRO in writing within 14 days and repay the grant.

The Defence Force exemption

Permanent Australian Defence Force members are exempt from the residency rule. When the purchase or build is completed, you need to be a member of the Army, Navy or Air Force on duty or leave.

You also need to be enrolled to vote in Victoria. The exemption does not extend to reservists or Australian Public Service staff.

How and when the grant is paid

There are two ways to apply, and the right one depends on when you need the money.

Through your lender

Most buyers apply through their bank or credit union, which must be an SRO approved agent. If you need the grant for settlement or for your first progress payment on a build, this is the route you must use.

The lender checks your eligibility, verifies your identity and lodges the form once you have signed it and had it witnessed. Your lender will tell you when the funds will be paid.

On a new build, the grant is usually released around the first progress payment. Our guide to construction loan progress payments explains how those stages work.

Directly with the SRO

If no approved agent is lodging for you, you can apply online with the SRO. You can only do this after settlement or once the home is built, and you must lodge within 12 months.

The SRO aims to review applications within 10 working days and pays the grant into your nominated account once approved. The money arrives after settlement, so it cannot help fund the purchase itself.

Documents to have ready

Each applicant, and any spouse or partner, needs three identity documents:

1. Proof of citizenship or permanent residency, such as a birth certificate, passport or visa grant notice
2. Photo identification, such as a driver licence
3. Evidence of living in Australia, such as a Medicare card

You will also need property documents. These include the signed contract of sale or building contract, a title search and usually the certificate of occupancy.

Buying a completed new home needs a signed vendor statement confirming nobody has lived there. Owner builders applying direct also need evidence of when the foundations were laid and of building costs at least equal to the grant.

Paying the grant back

You may have to repay the grant if you were not eligible, gave false information or did not meet the residency rule. The SRO checks applications against council records, title details, financial details and your partner’s history.

Penalties and interest can be added. Giving false or misleading information is an offence that can lead to prosecution.

If you spot a problem yourself, you can make a voluntary disclosure. Payment plans of up to 12 months are available, although interest applies to late amounts.

How the grant fits with other help

The grant can sit alongside Victoria’s first home buyer stamp duty exemption or concession. It can also be used with either of the two federal deposit schemes.

• 5% Deposit Scheme – buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). Read how the 5% Deposit Scheme works.
• Help to Buy – the government takes an equity share and you can buy with a 2% deposit, subject to income caps.

You cannot use the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy on the same purchase. Our Victorian overview compares the options and their price caps.

A worked example

Say you buy a house-and-land package with separate contracts: land at $300,000 and a build contract at $350,000. The total is $650,000, which is under the $750,000 grant cap.

We have assumed a 5% deposit through the 5% Deposit Scheme. The LMI figure uses one insurer’s published estimator rate of 3.97% plus 10% Victorian stamp duty on the premium.

Item	Amount
Total land and build	$650,000
First Home Owner Grant	$10,000
Stamp duty on the $300,000 land (first home buyer exemption)	$0 (about $13,070 at general rates)
5% deposit	$32,500
LMI avoided on a $617,500 loan	About $27,000

With separate land and build contracts, duty is usually charged on the land only. That is why the stamp duty saving in this example is smaller than on a completed home at the same price.

These are estimates. Your duty depends on how the contracts are structured, and LMI varies between lenders and insurers.

Some lenders will not count the grant towards your deposit, so check that before relying on it. Building your savings early helps, and these tips on saving a house deposit faster may be useful.

Common mistakes that cost the grant

1. Letting upgrades push a build over $750,000. Check the combined land and build figure before you sign any variations.
2. Forgetting a partner’s history. Their past ownership or grant counts against you both.
3. Assuming a renovated home is new. Most homes marketed as renovated fail the legal test.
4. Moving in late or leaving early. The 12 months must start within 12 months of settlement or completion and run without a break.
5. Applying through the wrong channel. If you need the money at settlement or for the first progress payment, your lender has to lodge it.
6. Not telling the SRO when plans change. You have 14 days to notify them, and penalties can follow if you don’t.

Where to start

The grant works best when it is planned alongside your loan, deposit and stamp duty position. Getting pre-approved tells you what you can borrow before you look at new homes or talk to builders.

If you want help checking your eligibility and lining up the grant with your loan, we are happy to talk it through. It is also worth reading your contract of sale carefully before you sign.

This article is general information only and does not take your personal circumstances into account. The First Home Owner Grant is administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria and its rules can change. Confirm your eligibility with the SRO, your lender or your conveyancer before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Does an off-the-plan apartment qualify?

It can. Apartments, units and townhouses all count if they are new and you will live there, and the SRO uses the contract price to test the $750,000 cap.

Can I get the grant on an established home?

No. The home must be new, which means it has not been sold or lived in as a home before. An established home may still qualify for the first home buyer stamp duty exemption or concession.

Can I rent the home out after I get the grant?

Only after one applicant has lived there as their main home for 12 continuous months. If you lease it out before then, you will generally need to notify the SRO within 14 days and repay the grant.

My partner owned a home before we met. Does that matter?

Yes. If your partner owned property before 1 July 2000, or lived for six continuous months in a home they owned after that date, you are both ineligible.

How long do I have to apply?

If you apply directly with the SRO, you must lodge within 12 months of settlement or completion of the build. If your lender is lodging for you, they will usually handle it before settlement or your first progress payment.