First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme – key definitions and eligibility criteria

Understand the exact requirements and possible exemptions and see if you might be eligible for the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme.

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Home Buyer Assistance Finder

To quickly see what NSW government assistance you may be eligible for – including the First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme – use our self-assessment tool.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (FHBAS), applicants must satisfy the requirements below.

Properties

The maximum property purchase price is $1 million. The transaction you enter into must be for the acquisition of the whole of the property.

Purchasing requirements

Single applicants

You must not have owned or co-owned residential property in Australia before and you must be:

over 18*
an individual (not a company or trust**)
an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

_{*The age requirement may be waived at the discretion of Revenue NSW.

**May be waived in specific circumstances, such as when a trustee is purchasing property for someone to whom they are the legal guardian.}

Couples

If you are buying with a partner or spouse:

neither of you must ever have owned or co-owned residential property in Australia*
neither of you must have previously received an exemption or concession under the scheme*
at least one of you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

_{*If your spouse or partner has previously owned residential property in Australia, or has been a previous recipient, you won't be eligible for FHBAS, even if they are not buying with you.}

Others

If you’re buying a home with friends or family (not your spouse or partner):

the eligible first home buyer/s must be purchasing at least half of the property, and
the ineligible buyer/s must pay transfer duty on their share of the property.

Residence requirement

If you're buying an existing home, you must occupy the home as your principal place of residence. You will need to:

move into the property within 12 months, and
live in the property continuously for at least 12 months.

If you're buying vacant land, you must intend to build a new home and:

move into the property within 12 months of the completion of construction
live in the property continuously for at least 12 months.

_{*The above requirements are for transactions entered into on or after 1 July 2023.}

Exemption for permanent Australian Defence Force members

Current permanent members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are exempt from the residence requirement if they are enrolled to vote in NSW.

For joint applications, only one of the applicants needs to be an ADF member to be eligible for the exemption.

All applicants must be enrolled to vote in NSW.

Key definitions

New home

A home which:

has not been previously occupied or sold as a place of residence, or
was substantially renovated, or
built to replace demolished premises.

Spouse/partner

Someone you are:

legally married to, or
living with in a de facto relationship.

If you are legally married but have separated, you are not considered to have a spouse/partner if you:

are not living with the person, and
have no intention of living with that person.

False claims

There are substantial penalties for providing false or misleading information when applying for FHBAS. We regularly check applications for inaccuracies and compare the information provided with relevant data from other government agencies and businesses.

Objections and reviews

You can lodge an objection or request a review if you’re dissatisfied with a decision we’ve made regarding your application.