Government Schemes & Concessions
Every grant, guarantee and concession you can claim, in one place.
There is more help on the table than most people realise: a 5% deposit with no lenders mortgage insurance, the government chipping in up to 40% of the price, stamp duty wiped or reduced, and grants for new builds. I'll work out which ones you qualify for, and how to stack them.
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Is this right for you?
First home buyers with a small deposit
Single parents getting back into the market
Anyone buying across the NSW–QLD border and unsure which rules apply
Documents you'll need
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Which ones apply to you?
The Tweed Coast and the Gold Coast sit in different brackets for different schemes, and the state the property is in decides the duty and grant rules. Here is the whole picture side by side.
- Federal
5% Deposit Scheme
Formerly the First Home Guarantee. The government backs part of your loan so you can buy with 5% down and skip lenders mortgage insurance.
- Minimum deposit
- 5% minimum
- Tweed Coast
- $800,000 price cap
- Gold Coast
- $1,000,000 price cap
- No income caps, no place limits and no waiting list since 1 October 2025
- Australian citizens and permanent residents who will live in the home
- Existing homes, new builds, townhouses and units all qualify
- Federal
5% Deposit Scheme for single parents
The same guarantee with a lower bar: single parents and legal guardians can get in with 2%, and you don't need to be a first home buyer.
- Minimum deposit
- 2% minimum
- Tweed Coast
- $800,000 price cap
- Gold Coast
- $1,000,000 price cap
- At least one dependent child living with you
- Previous home owners are welcome, as long as you own nothing now
- No LMI, no income cap
- Federal
Help to Buy
Shared equity: the government puts in up to 30% of the price for an existing home or 40% for a new one, so you borrow less and repay their share later.
- Minimum deposit
- 2% minimum
- Tweed Coast
- $1,300,000 price cap
- Gold Coast
- $1,000,000 price cap
- Income up to $103,000 (single) or $165,000 (joint or single parent)
- 10,000 places a year through a limited panel of lenders
- Repay the government share when you sell, or buy it back over time
- Federal
First Home Super Saver
Make extra contributions into super, where they are taxed at a lower rate, then release them for your deposit.
- How much
- Release up to $50,000 plus earnings
- Voluntary contributions only; your employer contributions stay in super
- Works alongside every other scheme on this page
- Buy alone or with a partner, sibling or friend who also uses it
- NSW · Tweed side
NSW first home buyer duty concession
Buying on the Tweed? Transfer duty disappears up to $800,000 and tapers off from there.
- Tweed Coast
- Nil to $800,000, reduced to $1,000,000. Vacant land: nil to $350,000, reduced to $450,000
- Move in within 12 months and live there for at least 12 continuous months
- Applies to new and established homes
- Claimed through your conveyancer at settlement
- NSW · Tweed side
NSW First Home Owner Grant
A one-off $10,000 towards a brand-new home or a land-and-build on the NSW side.
- Tweed Coast
- $10,000 for a new home up to $600,000, or land plus build up to $750,000
- New homes only: never lived in or sold as a residence before
- Stacks with the NSW duty concession and the 5% Deposit Scheme
- Paid at settlement or first construction drawdown
- QLD · Gold Coast side
QLD first home duty concession
On the Gold Coast side there is no transfer duty at all on a new home or land, and none on an established home up to $700,000.
- Gold Coast
- Nil on new homes and vacant land at any price. Established: nil to $700,000, partial to $800,000
- Move in within 12 months and treat it as your home
- New home or land concession has no price cap
- The property address decides which state’s rules apply, not your workplace
- QLD · Gold Coast side
QLD First Home Owner Grant
Queensland puts $30,000 towards a brand-new home, three times the NSW grant.
- Gold Coast
- $30,000 for a new home under $750,000
- New builds, off-the-plan and substantially renovated homes
- Extended for contracts signed from 1 July 2026
- Stacks with the QLD duty concession and the 5% Deposit Scheme
Can you stack them?
- A state grant, the state duty concession and the federal 5% Deposit Scheme can all apply to one purchase.
- Help to Buy cannot be combined with another guarantee or a state shared-equity or loan scheme, but grants and duty concessions still apply.
- The First Home Super Saver sits alongside any of them; it is a way to build the deposit, not a loan product.
- The Tweed sits in different brackets for different schemes: $800,000 under the 5% Deposit Scheme, $1,300,000 under Help to Buy. I check both for every client.
Figures accurate as at October 2026. Caps and thresholds change; I check them before every application.
How I can help
Most people I meet know one scheme exists, usually the 5% deposit one. Almost nobody knows all of them, or which ones can be used together. That's the gap I fill: I look at your deposit, your income, where you want to buy and whether it's new or established, and I map every grant, guarantee and concession you can claim.
The 5% Deposit Scheme (formerly the First Home Guarantee) lets you buy with 5% down and no lenders mortgage insurance. Since 1 October 2025 there are no income caps and no waiting list. Single parents can get in with 2%. The price cap is $800,000 for Tweed postcodes and $1,000,000 on the Gold Coast.
Help to Buy is different: shared equity. The government contributes up to 30% of the price for an existing home or 40% for a new one, and you repay that share when you sell or buy it back. Income caps are $103,000 for a single applicant and $165,000 for joint applicants or single parents, with 10,000 places a year. The Tweed counts as a regional centre here, so the cap is $1,300,000; the Gold Coast is $1,000,000.
The First Home Super Saver lets you build your deposit inside super, taxed at a lower rate, and release up to $50,000 plus earnings when you buy.
Then the state layer. In NSW, first home buyers pay no transfer duty up to $800,000 and a reduced rate up to $1,000,000, and a brand-new home attracts a $10,000 First Home Owner Grant. In Queensland there's no duty at all on a new home or land, none on an established home up to $700,000, and the First Home Owner Grant is $30,000 for a new home under $750,000.
Which state applies is decided by the property's address, not where you work or where you rent now. Buying in Tweed Heads on a Gold Coast income is one of the most common situations I see, and the rules are more generous than people expect once you know which bracket you're in.
Run the numbers
Borrowing power
Estimate how much you might be able to borrow.
Estimated borrowing power
Estimated borrowing power $414,000
Borrowing the full estimate with this deposit suggests a purchase price of about $514,000, before stamp duty and other costs.
Above 80% LVR. Lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) is a one-off cost most lenders charge when you borrow more than 80% of the property value. It protects the lender, not you, and is usually added to the loan.
- Assessed at 9.00% p.a.: your example rate plus a 3% serviceability buffer, over a 30-year principal and interest term.
- Take-home pay is approximated as 70% of gross income. Your real tax position will differ.
- Living expenses use the higher of the figure you enter and a minimum of $2,000 a month plus $400 for each dependant.
- A second applicant adds their income only. The living-expense minimum does not change with the number of applicants.
- Owner-occupier and investor estimates use the same method here. Lenders treat rental income and investment debt differently, so an investor figure can move either way.
- LVR is the estimated loan as a share of the loan plus your deposit. It does not allow for stamp duty or other purchase costs coming out of the deposit.
Estimates only. Not a quote or credit approval.
Banks calculate this differently. Want me to give you a real-world estimate from my 30+ lenders?
Book a 15-min callStamp duty calculator
Estimate transfer duty across all Australian states.
NSW vs QLD
$8,562 less than NSW, using the same answers above. Concession rules differ between the states, so check your eligibility in each.
Estimates only. Not a quote or credit approval.
Banks calculate this differently. Want me to give you a real-world estimate from my 30+ lenders?
Book a 15-min callCommon questions about the schemes
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme on the Tweed Coast?
Yes. Tweed postcodes sit in the 'rest of NSW' bracket, so the price cap is $800,000. Over the border on the Gold Coast it's $1,000,000. You need to live in the home, be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and have at least 5% saved. Since 1 October 2025 there are no income caps and no waiting list, and you skip lenders mortgage insurance entirely. Your lender confirms eligibility as part of the loan application, which is where I come in.
What's the difference between the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy?
The 5% Deposit Scheme is a guarantee: you borrow the full amount and the government backs part of the loan so you avoid LMI. Help to Buy is shared equity: the government puts in up to 30% of the price for an existing home or 40% for a new one, so you borrow less and repay their share when you sell or buy it back. Help to Buy has income caps ($103,000 single, $165,000 joint) and 10,000 places a year. You can't hold both on the same purchase.
Do I pay stamp duty as a first home buyer?
It depends on which side of the border the property is. In NSW, first home buyers pay no transfer duty up to $800,000, with a reduced rate up to $1,000,000. In Queensland there's no duty on a new home or vacant land at any price, and none on an established home up to $700,000, tapering to $800,000. The property's address decides, not where you work or currently live.
Can I combine a grant, a stamp duty concession and the 5% Deposit Scheme?
Usually, yes. A state First Home Owner Grant, the state duty concession and the federal 5% Deposit Scheme can all apply to one purchase, and the First Home Super Saver works alongside any of them. The exception is Help to Buy: it can't be combined with another guarantee or a state shared-equity or loan scheme, though grants and duty concessions are still fine.
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Stephanie Newman Australian Credit Representative number 388799 and Coastal Home Lending Pty Ltd Australian Corporate Credit Representative number 578712 are licenced Credit Representatives of Australian Finance Group Ltd Licence number 389087. ACN 066385822. This is general information only. Please seek personal financial advice tailored to your circumstances.
All loan applications are subject to lender credit assessment and approval criteria. Terms, conditions, fees and charges apply.