Help to Buy scheme

Help to Buy is the Australian Government's shared equity scheme. You buy with a deposit of at least 2%, and the government contributes up to 30% of the price of an existing home, or up to 40% of a newly built one. You borrow less, so your loan and repayments are smaller.

Check if Help to Buy fits you

Written by Darren Parker, mortgage broker, Hope Island QLD.

Scheme details read from the government's own pages, 29 September 2026.

Help to Buy at a glance

  • Deposit

    at least 2% of the price.

  • The government's share

    up to 30% of an existing home, up to 40% of a newly built one.

  • Places

    10,000 a year.

  • Income limit (2026–27)

    $103,000 for a single applicant, $165,000 for joint applicants or a single parent, based on your 2026 tax assessment.

What it looks like on a $600,000 home

On an existing home at $600,000, a 2% deposit is $12,000. If the government takes its full 30% share, $180,000, your loan is about $408,000.

On a newly built home at the same price, the government can take up to 40%, $240,000, and your loan is about $348,000.

These are illustrations of the scheme's limits, before buying costs. What you'd actually get depends on the price, your income and the property.

Who can use Help to Buy?

Every applicant has to be an Australian citizen, and your income has to be at or below the limit for the year. The limits are indexed to wages each year: for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 they're $103,000 for one applicant and $165,000 for a couple or a single parent.

There are also price limits on the home, set by the government for each area rather than indexed. The government's Help to Buy eligibility tool shows the limit where you're buying.

What you can combine it with

You can't use Help to Buy alongside other help with the purchase itself, such as a state shared equity scheme, or a government loan or guarantee. That rules out using it with the 5% Deposit Scheme on the same purchase.

Stamp duty concessions and first home grants still apply, so you can use those alongside it.

Help to Buy or the 5% Deposit Scheme?

  • Help to Buy

    Deposit from 2%. You own the home but share some of its value with the government, so your loan is smaller. Income limits apply.

  • 5% Deposit Scheme

    Deposit from 5%. You own all of your home, and the government guarantees part of the loan so you don't pay LMI. No income limits.

You can only use one of them on a purchase. Which suits you depends on your income, your savings and the price you're buying at.

First Home Guarantee

Not sure which scheme fits your numbers? I'll lay them side by side. 

Help to Buy questions

At least 2% of the purchase price. On a $600,000 home that's $12,000, plus your buying costs (Australian Government Help to Buy scheme, as read by Money Brain on 29 September 2026).

Question not answered here? Ask it, and the answer gets added to this page. 

Is Help to Buy your best way in?

Tell me your income, what you've saved and roughly what you want to spend. I'll come back with whether Help to Buy fits, and how it compares with the 5% Deposit Scheme for you.

Send me your details

You'll hear back within the hour in business hours, and by 9am the next business day after hours.

Sources

  1. 1

    Australian Government: Help to Buy scheme, firsthomebuyers.gov.au/australian-government-help-buy-scheme. Read 29 September 2026; re-read 2 October 2026.

  2. 2

    Australian Government: Help to Buy income and threshold updates 2026–27, firsthomebuyers.gov.au/HTB-thresholds. Read 29 September 2026.

Updated 3 October 2026