First Home Buyer Grants and Stamp Duty in South Australia: A Plain-English Guide

Buying your first home in South Australia comes with help that many buyers don't fully understand — and some leave on the table. Here is a plain-English overview of the three main forms of support: the state First Home Owner Grant, South Australian stamp duty relief, and the federal Home Guarantee Scheme. Because these rules change, we link you to the official source for each so you can confirm the current detail.

1. The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)

The First Home Owner Grant is a one-off payment from the South Australian Government for eligible people buying or building their first home. According to RevenueSA, the grant is worth up to $15,000 for an eligible new home.

A few of the conditions RevenueSA sets out:

• The home must become the principal place of residence for all applicants for at least 6 continuous months.
• For contracts entered into on or after 13 February 2025, you will not be eligible if you (or your spouse or domestic partner) own or have previously owned residential property in Australia — even if you never lived in it.
• For contracts entered into, or owner-builder construction commenced, on or after 6 June 2024, no property value cap applies to an eligible new home.
• Applications can be made from the start of the eligible transaction but must be lodged within 12 months of completion.

The grant generally applies to new homes — newly built, off-the-plan, or substantially renovated, depending on the rules. Because the eligibility detail is specific, the RevenueSA First Home Owner Grant page is the source of truth for your situation.

2. Stamp duty relief for first home buyers

Stamp duty (also called transfer duty) is a state tax on property purchases, and for many buyers it's one of the largest upfront costs. South Australia offers stamp duty relief for eligible first home buyers, administered by RevenueSA.

Two practical points are worth highlighting:

• Stamp duty relief is a separate application from the First Home Owner Grant — qualifying for one does not automatically grant the other, and you apply for each separately.
• The eligibility criteria for the relief are similar to the grant, but you should check both sets of rules, because the detail differs.

Because stamp duty figures and thresholds are set by the state and can change at budget time, we deliberately don't quote specific dollar amounts here that might date. Use RevenueSA's official pages to confirm what applies to you, and we can help you factor the cost into your overall budget.

3. The federal Home Guarantee Scheme

Alongside the state support, the Australian Government runs the Home Guarantee Scheme, administered by Housing Australia. The best-known part is the First Home Guarantee, which can help eligible first home buyers get in sooner with a smaller deposit.

How it works, in Housing Australia's own terms:

• Eligible buyers can purchase with a deposit of as little as 5% of the property value, without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
• Housing Australia guarantees to the lender up to 15% of the property value — so the guarantee protects the lender, it is not a cash payment to you.
• You can't apply to Housing Australia directly — you apply through a participating lender as part of your home loan application.

There was a significant change here: Housing Australia announced that from 1 October 2025, place limits and income caps were removed and property price caps were raised, so all eligible first home buyers who have saved a 5% deposit can apply. This widened access considerably compared with earlier years when places were capped.

Can you use more than one?

In many cases, eligible buyers can benefit from a combination — for example, the First Home Owner Grant andthe First Home Guarantee — provided they meet each program's separate eligibility rules. The programs are run by different bodies (RevenueSA for the state grant and stamp duty relief; Housing Australia for the federal guarantee), so each is assessed on its own terms.

This is exactly the kind of thing a broker helps untangle: working out which support you may be eligible for, how it affects your deposit and borrowing power, and how to sequence the applications.

Where to start

If you're a first home buyer in Adelaide or anywhere in South Australia, a sensible order is:

1. 1Read the official eligibility rules on the RevenueSA and Housing Australia websites linked below.
2. 2Work out a realistic deposit and budget — our calculator can help you model repayments.
3. 3Talk to a broker about which support you may qualify for and how it fits your loan.

You can explore our first home buyers page, try the repayment calculator, or get in touch for a plain-English conversation about your options.