Last reviewed: August 2026
Staying Current on the First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme
Government schemes supporting first home buyers, including price caps, income thresholds and place allocations, are reviewed and adjusted periodically at both the federal and NSW state level. Rather than quoting figures here that may already be out of date by the time you read this, here is what is worth checking and how we can help you stay current.
What tends to change
Property price caps for scheme eligibility, income thresholds for individuals and couples, and the number of places available under guarantee-style schemes are the details most likely to be updated, sometimes more than once a year.
Where to check current details
The Housing Australia website and Revenue NSW are the primary sources for current federal and state scheme details respectively. We also track these updates directly so you do not have to.
Why this matters for your timeline
If you are planning a purchase months in advance, it is worth checking scheme details again closer to your purchase date rather than relying on figures from when you first started looking, particularly around price caps in your target area.
Federal versus state schemes aren't mutually exclusive
One thing worth understanding clearly: the federal 5% Deposit Scheme (administered by Housing Australia) and NSW's stamp duty concessions under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme are entirely separate programs with their own eligibility rules. A buyer can, in the right circumstances, access both at once, a reduced deposit through the federal guarantee and a stamp duty exemption through the state scheme, on the same purchase. Because the criteria for each are assessed independently, it's worth having both checked together rather than assuming qualifying for one automatically means qualifying for the other.
How we help
We check your eligibility against the current version of every relevant scheme before you make an offer, and flag any upcoming changes that might affect your timing or your budget.
Useful tools and resources
For the current federal scheme details, see Housing Australia's First Home Guarantee page. For NSW stamp duty concessions, see Revenue NSW's Assistance Scheme page.
To see what you might be able to borrow under current settings, try our free Purchasing Power Calculator.
