First Home Owners Grant - FHOG

If you are buying or building your first home, you may be eligible for benefits under the First Home Owner Grant Scheme and/or the First Home Plus Scheme.
The First Home Owner Grant Scheme is fully funded by state Governments. The Scheme was established to assist eligible first home buyers to purchase their first home by offering a $7000 grant. Federal Government FHOG website


  • 1. What is the First Home Owner Grant?
    The First Home Owner Grant (the grant) scheme was established to encourage and assist home ownership and to offset the effect of the GST on home ownership by providing a grant to first homeowners. The First Home Owner Grant Act 2000 (the Act) came into effect on 1 July 2000 and the grant is an on-going scheme with no end date yet specified.

    The grant is not means-tested nor is it restricted by the price of the property. We administer the grant with the help of a number of banks and lending institutions who are     approved agents.

    Download the application form

    Source of information

    http://www.myhomeloanapproval.com.au/?r=100000 Back to top
  • 2. How much is the grant?
    A payment of up to $7000 is payable to eligible first home owners.
    First Home Bonus
    If you are eligible to receive the grant, you may also be entitled to receive an additional payment of $3,000 or $5,000 (subject to meeting certain requirements), which is known as the First Home Bonus (the bonus). For contracts entered into on or after 6 May 2008, an additional bonus of $3000 is also available in addition to the $5,000 bonus for the purchase or construction of a new home in a regional municipality in Victoria. You do not have to complete a separate application form for the bonus as your eligibility will automatically be considered when you apply for the grant.

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  • 3. Are you eligible to receive the grant?
    To be eligible to receive the grant, the following criteria must be satisfied:

    • You and your spouse/partner must not have received a grant in any State or Territory of Australia.
    • You and your spouse/partner must not have owned residential property, either jointly, separately or with some other person prior to 1 July 2000, in any State or Territory of Australia
    • You and your spouse/partner must not have occupied for a continuous period of at least 6 months, a residential property in which either of you acquired a relevant interest on or after 1 July 2000 in any State or Territory of Australia.
    • You must be a natural person (not a company) and at least 18 years of age at the time of settlement or completion of construction
    Note: the Commissioner of State Revenue (the Commissioner) has a discretion under the Act to exempt an applicant from the age requirement where the home will be occupied as the applicant’s principal place of residence. 
    • You (or at least one applicant) must be a permanent resident or Australian citizen at the time of settlement or completion of construction of the home
    http://www.myhomeloanapproval.com.au/?r=100000


    Note: A permanent resident includes the holder of a permanent visa under section 30(1) of the Migration Act 1958. New Zealand citizens holding a special category visa under section 32 of the Migration Act 1958 also satisfy this requirement.
    • You (or at least one applicant) must occupy the home as your/their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least 6 months, commencing within 12 months of either settlement or completion of construction.
    Note: The Commissioner may approve a lesser period if he is satisfied that there are good reasons why you cannot comply with the 6-month requirement. The Commissioner also has a discretion to extend the 12-month period if satisfied that you cannot occupy the home within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction due to circumstances that were unforseen and beyond your control. If you wish to have the Commissioner exercise his discretion, you should contact us in writing as soon as you are aware that you may not be able to satisfy the residency requirement and provide reasons.

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  • 4. What types of transactions are eligible?
    On or after 1 July 2000 each applicant must have:

    • entered into a contract of sale or agreement for the purchase of a new, established, or off the plan home in Victoria; or
    • entered into a contract to build a home on their land in Victoria; or
    • in the case of owner builders, commenced construction (laying of foundations) of a home on their land in Victoria.


    Source of information
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  • 5. Which homes qualify?
    A home that qualifies is a building that may be lawfully used as a place of residence and is, in the Commissioner’s opinion, suitable for use as a place of residence. This includes new or existing homes such as a:
    • House
    • Flat
    • Unit
    • Townhouse or apartment located anywhere in Victoria, and
    • Moveable home relocated onto land owned by the applicant.
    The home must be used as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least 6 months. You must move into the home within 12 months of the date of settlement (in the case of an existing home), or the date construction is completed (in the case of a home built under a comprehensive building contract or as an owner builder).

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  • 6. What if the home is not in Victoria?
    Wach State and Territory in Australia has its own grant scheme. If you are purchasing or building your first home outside Victoria, please enquire at the Revenue Office of the State or Territory where the home is located.

    Source of information

    http://www.myhomeloanapproval.com.au/?r=100000 Back to top
  • 7. Who is required to be an applicant?
    All persons who are or will be owners of the home being purchased or built are required to be applicants. An owner of a home is a person who holds or will hold a relevant interest in the land on which the home is situated or being built.

    Most commonly, you will hold a relevant interest in a property if you are registered on title as the owner or hold an interest as purchaser under a terms contract. It does not include the interest of either a trustee or a beneficiary under a trust (apart from a beneficiary under a legal disability).

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  • 8. Spouse/Partner details
    A person is a spouse of another if they are legally married to each other. A person is a partner of another if they are in a domestic relationship regardless of gender.
    Whether or not your spouse/partner is an applicant, his or her details must be included on the application form and considered when answering the eligibility questions.

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  • 9. How and where do you apply for the grant?
    The completed application form and supporting documents should be lodged with an approved agent at the time of applying for finance or with us after settlement or completion of construction.

    Source of information Back to top
  • 10. Supporting Evidence
    http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/sro/SROWebsite.nsf/rebates_fhog.htm#1


    Source of information
    http://www.myhomeloanapproval.com.au/?r=100000 Back to top
  • 11. When will the grant be paid?
    The date the grant is paid depends on whether you are building or buying. It also depends on whether you are applying through an approved agent or the SRO. The following table details the various scenarios.
    http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/sro/SROWebsite.nsf/rebates_fhog.htm#11
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  • 12. Can a decision be appealed?
    If you are dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s decision on your application, you may lodge a written objection with the Commissioner. Your objection  must be lodged with the Commissioner within 60 days of the date of the notice advising that your application has been denied. Your objection must state fully and in detail, the grounds of your objection.
    If your objection is disallowed by the Commissioner, you may, within 60 days, request that the matter be referred to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.     Back to top
  • 13. Penalties
    The SRO, as part of its role in administering the First Home Owner Grant Act 2000, conducts ongoing investigations to ensure that applicants comply with the conditions of the Act. If applicants receive the grant when they are not entitled, or do not comply with the residency requirement, penalties and interest may be imposed. The amount of any penalty which may apply is dependant on the circumstances of each case and is in addition to having to repay the grant. In some circumstances the penalty applied is equal to the amount of the grant received. Back to top
  • 14. Making a false or misleading statement
    It is an offence for a person to make a false or misleading statement in or in connection with an application for a grant. If it is determined that a person has made such a statement, then they may be prosecuted. All applications undergo a rigorous review where applicants are checked for former home ownership in Victoria and interstate. Other checks into spouse/partner status, council records, title details and fi nance particulars are undertaken on a routine basis. Back to top
  • 15. Confidentiality And Privacy
    All information provided to the SRO is subject to the SRO Privacy Statement. Back to top
  • 16. Other Concessions
    In addition to the grant, you may also be entitled to the first home owner with family or pensioner duty concession. If you entered into a contract on or after 1 January 2007, a duty concession for a principal place of residence  may also be available to you. Different sets of eligibility criteria apply for these concessions.
    However, if you are entitled to the     bonus and the first home owner with family or pensioner duty concession, you must choose between the bonus and the relevant duty concession. If you are entitled to the bonus and the duty concession for a principal place of residence, you are entitled to both if you entered into a contract on or after 6 May 2008. If the date of your contract was before 6 May 2008, you must choose between the bonus and the duty concession.
    However, if you are entitled to the First Home Bonus (the bonus) and one of the above concessions, you must choose between the bonus and the relevant concession. Whether the bonus is worth more to you than the first home owner with family or pensioner duty concessions depends on the value of your property. As the maximum amount of the principal place of residence concession is $2850, the bonus will always be more generous in comparison. Back to top