If you're trying to buy a home in Australia in 2026 with less than a 20% deposit, you have more pathways than at any point in the past two decades. The question is which ones actually fit your situation — and which ones you can stack.
The current landscape
As of early 2026, seven distinct low-deposit pathways are available to Australian buyers. Three sit at the federal level — run by Housing Australia under the broader Home Guarantee Scheme. Two are state lenders (Keystart in WA, HomeStart in SA). Two are state-based grant and concession regimes. Add to that the off-the-plan weekly deposit plans offered by developers and their agents (now standard across most major apartment projects), and the result is genuinely complex.
This playbook maps all seven against the four most common buyer profiles — first home buyer, single parent, downsizer, and investor — and tells you which combinations are likely to work.
The seven pathways, briefly
1. Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme
From 1 October 2025, the scheme formerly known as the First Home Guarantee is permanently expanded: no income cap, uncapped places, no LMI. You save a 5% deposit, the Government guarantees the next 15% of the property's value to your participating lender, and the lender waives LMI as a result.
Property price caps vary by state. NSW and the ACT have the highest caps ($1.5M and $1.0M respectively); the NT has the lowest at $600,000. Most first home buyers in capital cities will be well inside their state cap.
Source: Housing Australia, "Home Guarantee Scheme" — housingaustralia.gov.au
2. Family Home Guarantee
Single parents and guardians with at least one dependent child can buy with a 2% deposit and skip LMI. The Government guarantees the next 18% of value. The same property price caps as the 5% scheme apply. You don't have to be a first home buyer — but you can't currently own property.
Source: Housing Australia, "Family Home Guarantee"
3. Help to Buy (shared equity)
The big new arrival. From 5 December 2025, eligible first home buyers can apply through participating lenders. The Government contributes up to 40% of the price of a new home (30% of an existing home) in exchange for an equivalent ownership share. You save a 2% deposit. You share in any capital gain or loss when you sell or "staircase out" by buying back the Government's share.
Income caps: $103,000 single, $165,000 joint or single parent. 10,000 places per year for four years. Citizenship required (permanent residents may qualify under lender discretion).
Source: firsthomebuyers.gov.au/help-to-buy
4. First Home Super Saver Scheme
Voluntary super contributions (within the existing annual caps) can be withdrawn for a first home deposit. Couples can each withdraw up to $50,000 — a combined $100,000. The 15% super tax rate usually beats the buyer's marginal rate, so the tax savings can be substantial.
Source: ATO, "First Home Super Saver Scheme" — ato.gov.au
5. State FHOG (cash grants)
NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS and NT each offer a First Home Owner Grant for new homes only. Amounts range from $10,000 (NSW, VIC, WA, NT, SA) to $30,000 (QLD — extended in the 2026-27 QLD Budget beyond its original 30 June 2026 sunset, no replacement end date). TAS drops from $30,000 to $20,000 from 1 July 2026 for 12 months. ACT does not offer a cash grant — its support is the stamp duty exemption instead. The ACT abolished FHOG in 2023.
Source: state revenue offices — see our state-by-state guide for links.
6. State stamp duty exemptions
Every state and territory except the NT offers a stamp duty exemption or concession for first home buyers. The shape varies enormously: NSW $800K full exemption, VIC $600K, QLD and SA zero duty on new homes at any price, ACT zero duty on all first homes at any price from 1 July 2026 (no price cap, no income test). Established-home exemptions are rarer; SA abolished its established-home concession in June 2023, and Tasmania's 100% exemption on established homes ≤$750,000 expired on 30 June 2026 and was not extended in the May 2026 state budget.
7. State-owned lenders (Keystart, HomeStart)
WA's Keystart and SA's HomeStart are government-backed lenders that accept 2% deposit (Keystart) or 2-3% (HomeStart) without LMI. Income-tested. These exist because the major banks don't always serve buyers in lower price brackets, particularly in regional areas.
Source: keystart.com.au, homestart.com.au
Who benefits from what
| Buyer profile | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First home buyer, $20K savings, $80K income, $600K property in Sydney | 5% Deposit Scheme + NSW FHOG + FHSS | 5% deposit ($30K) leaves $20K of the savings, plus $10K NSW grant covers legal/duty. The 5% scheme waives $20K-$30K of LMI. |
| Single parent, $15K savings, $75K income, $500K property in Adelaide | Family Home Guarantee + HomeStart + SA new-home stamp duty exemption | 2% deposit ($10K) saves you from the deposit gap. HomeStart covers the 2% loan. Zero stamp duty because it's a new home. |
| Couple, $50K savings, $150K combined income, $800K property in Brisbane | Help to Buy + QLD $30K FHOG + 5% scheme | 2% deposit + Government co-owns 40% (new) or 30% (existing). QLD's $30K FHOG (extended in 2026-27 QLD Budget) reduces the loan. The 5% scheme is moot if you use Help to Buy. |
| Downsizer, $400K proceeds, $1.2M property in Hobart | 5% Deposit Scheme + TAS FHOG (new home) | If buying a new townhouse, get the TAS FHOG — $30,000 until 30 June 2026, $20,000 from 1 July 2026 for 12 months. 5% scheme covers the deposit gap. New homes also get the permanent new-home stamp duty exemption. |
| Investor, $50K cash, buying $700K off-the-plan in Sydney | Weekly deposit plan + 5% scheme doesn't apply | Investors can't use 5% scheme or Help to Buy. Most investors use weekly deposit instalments offered by developers and their sales agents, paying $10K-$20K upfront and the rest over 12-24 months of construction. |
What you can stack
Most federal, state and grant schemes can be combined, but with limits. You generally can't double-dip on the deposit itself (e.g. you can't count the FHOG as part of your 5% deposit for the 5% scheme). You also can't use Help to Buy and the 5% Deposit Scheme for the same property — Help to Buy is the larger benefit, and using it means you waive the 5% LMI waiver.
What stacks cleanly:
- 5% Deposit Scheme + state FHOG + state stamp duty exemption + FHSS
- Family Home Guarantee + state FHOG + state stamp duty exemption + FHSS
- Help to Buy + state FHOG (new home) + state stamp duty exemption + FHSS
- Keystart or HomeStart + FHSS
What changed in late 2025 and what to watch in 2026
The single biggest change is the 1 October 2025 expansion of the 5% Deposit Scheme: no income cap, uncapped places, and price caps lifted. For most first home buyers, this is the dominant pathway and the one to plan around. The second is the 5 December 2025 launch of Help to Buy, which adds shared equity as a serious option for buyers below the income caps.
Three state-level changes are worth flagging. The QLD $30,000 FHOG was originally legislated to revert to $15,000 from 1 July 2026, but was extended in the 2026-27 QLD Budget — the higher amount continues with no current replacement end date. The TAS established-home 100% stamp duty exemption on homes ≤$750,000 expired on 30 June 2026 and was not extended in the May 2026 state budget; from 1 July 2026, first home buyers of established homes in Tasmania pay the full general duty scale. The TAS FHOG also dropped from $30,000 to $20,000 from 1 July 2026 for 12 months.
Finally, the ACT abolished stamp duty for all first home buyers from 1 July 2026 — making it the first Australian jurisdiction to do so, at any property value and any income. This is consequential for Canberra buyers but doesn't change the broader national picture.
Where to start
Three things, in order:
- Use the eligibility check on this site to see which schemes you qualify for. It takes 60 seconds and gives you an indicative answer based on your state, deposit, income and buyer type.
- Run the numbers in the deposit calculator. The headline figures (deposit, weekly, LMI saved, government co-ownership) only matter in the context of a specific property price and your actual cash position.
- Talk to a participating lender for the federal schemes. The 5% Deposit Scheme, Family Home Guarantee and Help to Buy are all administered by Housing Australia but applied for through panel lenders (the big banks and a few non-banks). The lender does the credit assessment and submits the application on your behalf.
For state-specific grants and concessions, the relevant state revenue office handles applications. Your conveyancer or solicitor will usually submit these as part of the settlement process.