Victoria First Home Owner Grant 2026: $10,000 Guide

What the $10,000 Grant Covers in Victoria

The grant is $10,000, and it's only for a new home worth $750,000 or less. According to the SRO's current rates page (opens in a new tab), that rate began on July 1, 2013 and hasn't moved since, so inflation has eaten into it every year.

A home counts as new if it hasn't been sold, lived in, leased out or used for short-term accommodation before. The SRO's eligibility page (opens in a new tab) says that includes:

• off-the-plan apartments and townhouses (the $750,000 test uses the contract price);
• house-and-land packages and homes you contract a builder to build;
• owner-builder homes;
• substantially renovated homes sold for the first time; and
• homes built to replace a demolished one.

It can be a house, townhouse, apartment or unit. What matters is that you live in it as your home. Investment purchases, holiday homes and established homes don't qualify.

How the value is tested. For an off-the-plan purchase, the SRO uses the contract price. For a build, Grantsights checked the SRO's eligibility page and it doesn't spell out how land and building are combined; Western Australia's revenue office, for comparison, adds the land value to the building contract. Ask the SRO or your lender before you sign. If land counts, a common mistake is a $480,000 build on a $300,000 block: at $780,000 combined, you'd be over the cap and get nothing.

There's no regional top-up now. The SRO's historical rates page (opens in a new tab) records a $20,000 grant for new homes in regional Victoria from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021. That ended more than five years ago, but older articles still quote it. If someone tells you a Ballarat or Bendigo build gets $20,000, they're out of date.

Who Qualifies: the Rules That Catch Victorian Buyers

According to the State Revenue Office, every applicant has to be a natural person aged 18 or over, and at least 1 applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident on the relevant date. The SRO sets out these rules on its eligibility page, and a few of them trip up more Victorian buyers than the headline rules do.

Everyone on the title applies, and your partner is assessed too. Anyone named on the title must be listed as an applicant. If you have a spouse or partner, their details go on the form even if they won't own the home, and their history counts. You're out if you or your partner have received a First Home Owner Grant anywhere in Australia, owned residential property before July 1, 2000, or owned and lived in a home for 6 continuous months since then.

An investment property doesn't always rule you out. The SRO gives the example of someone who bought a house in 2004 and always rented it out. Because they never lived in it, they may still qualify. Expect to prove it with leases and tax records.

The relevant date depends on the deal. For a purchase, citizenship or residency is checked at possession, usually settlement. For a build, it's checked when the home is ready to live in.

New Zealand citizens. For settlements from November 26, 2025, the SRO says New Zealand citizens can apply whether or not they hold a special category visa. Before that date, they needed the visa and had to be in Australia at settlement.

Victim-survivors of family violence. The SRO says victim-survivors may be eligible for first home buyer relief even if they've owned a home or received a grant before. That's a separate route with its own page on the SRO site.

The 12-month living rule. At least 1 applicant must live in the home as their main residence for 12 months, starting within 12 months of settlement or construction finishing. That's twice the 6-month rule in Western Australia and South Australia. Permanent Australian Defence Force members on duty or leave and enrolled to vote in Victoria are exempt; reservists and public servants aren't.

The Stamp Duty Exemption Is Usually Worth More

For a $600,000 home, the first home buyer duty exemption saves $31,070, about 3 times the grant. According to the SRO's first home buyer duty page (opens in a new tab), a first home buyer pays no duty on a home valued up to $600,000 and reduced duty between $600,001 and $750,000. Unlike the grant, the exemption covers established homes and vacant land too.

Grantsights calculated the duty you'd otherwise pay from the SRO's published rate tables (principal place of residence rates up to $550,000 and general rates above that):

Data: Grantsights calculation from the SRO's principal place of residence and general land transfer duty rate tables, read October 29, 2026. The SRO's calculator gives the exact concession between $600,001 and $750,000.

The two benefits have different tests. The grant needs a new home; the duty exemption doesn't. Both use the same ownership history rules, and receiving either one counts against you later. The duty exemption is usually claimed at settlement by your conveyancer, while the grant goes through your lender or the SRO.

Off-the-plan buyers get a third lever. The SRO's temporary off-the-plan concession (opens in a new tab) lets you deduct construction costs incurred after the contract date from the dutiable value of an apartment or townhouse in a strata scheme with common property. It covers contracts signed from October 21, 2024 and before April 21, 2027, and it has no value limit. It doesn't cover house-and-land packages outside a strata scheme.

Grantsights Analysis of Victoria's Grant Statistics

According to the State Revenue Office statistical tool, 8,537 grants for new homes were recorded in 2025-26, worth $85.45 million. Grantsights analysis of the SRO's statistical tool export, adding up 315 monthly figures into financial years, shows a 59.6% fall from the 2020-21 peak of 21,140.

Data: State Revenue Office Victoria, First Home Owner Grant statistical tool (opens in a new tab), export of "First home owner statistics for new homes" (all postcodes), July 2000 to September 2026, downloaded October 29, 2026. The tool labels these as numbers of applications. Averages above $10,000 between 2017-18 and 2021-22 reflect the $20,000 regional grant. Recent months may be revised.

Four findings stand out:

Grants fell 60% in five years. From 21,140 in 2020-21 to 8,537 in 2025-26 is a drop of 59.6%. The 2020-21 peak coincided with the federal HomeBuilder program and the last year of the $20,000 regional grant. The first quarter of 2026-27 is running 14.3% below the same quarter a year earlier (1,969 against 2,298).

Only about 1 in 5 Victorian first home buyers gets the grant. The SRO's first home buyer duty statistics (opens in a new tab) show 42,208 duty exemptions or concessions in 2024-25, worth $825.6 million. Set against 9,180 grants that year, that's roughly 22%. The rest bought established homes or went over the $750,000 limit.

Regional grants collapsed when the top-up ended. Postcode 3217 (Armstrong Creek, Charlemont, Mount Duneed) had 902 grant applications in 2020-21 and 341 in 2024-25. Postcode 3350 (Ballarat area) went from 318 to 46. Regional buyers still get duty relief, with 9,644 regional duty concessions in 2024-25, but far fewer are buying new.

For example, Wollert received 492 grant applications in 2024-25, the 5th highest postcode in the state. The grant mostly lands where developers sell house-and-land packages under $750,000, which is the outer growth ring.

Where grant buyers and duty buyers split

Grantsights compared the SRO's 2024-25 top-10 postcode tables for the grant (data as at November 28, 2025) and for first home buyer duty concessions. The share of first home buyers who also got the grant varies a lot between suburbs:

Data: SRO First Home Owner Grant 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) and duty concession by postcode 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) tables, read October 29, 2026. Postcodes 3977 and 3030 aren't in the grant top-10 lists, so their counts are below the 10th-ranked metropolitan figure (258). The two tables count different things (grant applications versus duty applicants), so the shares are indicative.

In Clyde and Fraser Rise, most first home buyers are buying new. In Cranbourne, Point Cook and Werribee, most are buying established homes, so they get the duty relief but not the $10,000.

How to Apply and When the $10,000 Arrives

There are 2 routes, and the right one depends on whether you need the money at settlement. The SRO's application page (opens in a new tab) sets them out.

If you need the grant for settlement or your first progress payment, you must use an approved agent. The SRO's approved agents page, updated October 8, 2026, lists institutions including BDCU Alliance Bank, Circle Credit Co-operative and Geelong Bank. Ask your lender whether it lodges grants before you choose it.

Applying directly takes paperwork. Each applicant and their partner provides 3 documents: one proving citizenship or residency, one proving identity and one proving you live in Australia (a Medicare card works). You can't use one document for 2 categories. Add a marriage, divorce or death certificate, or a statutory declaration if you're separated. For property, you'll need the contract of sale, building contract and certificate of occupancy as relevant.

Realistic timing.

1. Before you sign: check the value against $750,000, including land if you're building.
2. At contract: tell your lender you want the grant lodged with your loan.
3. Settlement or first progress payment: the grant is paid through the lender, or you lodge directly afterwards.
4. Within 12 months: move in. Stay at least 12 months.
5. If plans change: tell the SRO within 14 days.

The SRO says it checks council records, title details and your finances. Giving false information can lead to prosecution, and repayment can come with penalties and interest.

What the SRO Doesn't Tell You on Its Grant Page

The SRO's pages are accurate, but they're written for eligibility, not for deciding what to buy. Here's what's missing, based on our review of the SRO's own statistics.

The limits are old. The $10,000 amount dates from July 1, 2013, and the SRO's historical page shows the $750,000 limit already applied to the 2017-21 regional grant. Neither has kept up with building costs, so a buyer who adds a bigger block or upgrades can lose the grant. Get the builder to confirm the total before you sign.

The grant pushes you towards the fringe. The grant table shows 9 of the top 10 postcodes in 2024-25 were in Melbourne's growth areas. If you'd rather buy an established unit closer in, you lose $10,000 of grant but may still pay no duty under $600,000. That trade is often worth it once you count transport and time.

Builders can price the grant in. It's easy to underestimate this one. A $10,000 "first home buyer bonus" in a house-and-land ad is usually the government grant, not a builder discount. Compare the total price with similar packages.

Lodging late is a quiet failure. If you apply directly, the 12-month window starts at settlement or completion. Miss it and you've lost the money; the SRO's page doesn't offer a late-application route.

Shared equity changed. The Victorian Homebuyer Fund (opens in a new tab) is closed to new participants. It used to contribute up to 25% of the price (35% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander buyers) with a 5% deposit. Old guides and builder brochures still mention it.

Federal Schemes You Can Stack in Victoria

According to Housing Australia, the federal 5% Deposit Scheme caps Melbourne and Geelong purchases at $950,000 and other Victorian areas at $650,000. Its property price caps page (opens in a new tab) lists those limits, which are higher than the state grant's $750,000.

That mismatch matters. A $900,000 new townhouse in Melbourne can use the 5% Deposit Scheme but gets no state grant and only partial or no duty relief. A $700,000 new home can use all three: the federal guarantee, the $10,000 grant and the duty concession.

The 5% Deposit Scheme isn't money paid to you. It's a guarantee that lets you borrow 95% of the price without lenders mortgage insurance, so you're paying interest on a larger loan. Help to Buy, the federal shared equity scheme, is the closest replacement for the closed Victorian Homebuyer Fund; our Australia-wide guide covers its income limits.

Comparing states? Our guides to the Western Australia first home owner grant and the South Australia first home owner grant show different rules: South Australia pays $15,000 with no price cap, and Western Australia's cap is $800,000 in Perth.

Scams Aimed at Victorian First Home Buyers

According to the State Revenue Office, phishing emails pretending to come from the SRO are increasing. Its scams and staying safe online page (opens in a new tab) lists the warning signs: a sender address that isn't from sro.vic.gov.au, a vague subject line, pressure to act within 60 minutes, and links or attachments asking for personal details. Real texts come from "SRO VIC".

• Don't pay to "unlock" a grant. The grant comes only from the SRO or your lender as approved agent. No one legitimate charges a fee for it.
• Check bank detail changes by phone. Settlement involves large transfers. Call your conveyancer on a number you already have before sending money to new account details.
• Verify before you reply. If you're unsure about a message, the SRO says to call 13 21 61 or email cybersecurity@sro.vic.gov.au.

Grantsights won't ever contact you about a grant application, because it doesn't handle any.

Related Household Guides

If you're setting up a new Victorian home, our Solar Homes Victoria guide covers the state's solar panel and battery rebates, and the solar battery rebate guide explains the federal battery discount. Buying in Ireland instead? Our Help to Buy scheme Ireland guide covers that country's first-buyer tax refund.

Sources Checked

Every source below was read or downloaded on October 29, 2026:

• State Revenue Office Victoria, Understanding the First Home Owner Grant (opens in a new tab) (updated September 29, 2026)
• SRO, Apply for the First Home Owner Grant (opens in a new tab) and approved agents page (updated October 8, 2026)
• SRO, First Home Owner Grant current rates (opens in a new tab) and historical rates (opens in a new tab)
• SRO, First home buyer duty exemption or concession (opens in a new tab) (updated October 22, 2026) and principal place of residence duty rates (opens in a new tab)
• SRO, Strata apartments and townhouses temporary concession (opens in a new tab) (updated October 22, 2026)
• SRO, First Home Owner Grant statistical tool (new homes export) and yearly top-10 postcode tables for 2020-21, 2023-24 and 2024-25
• SRO, first home buyer duty concession by year and by postcode 2024-25
• SRO, Victorian Homebuyer Fund (opens in a new tab) (closed scheme) and scams page (updated October 19, 2026)
• Housing Australia, property price caps for the 5% Deposit Scheme (opens in a new tab)