We're lending for the Australian Government Help to Buy Scheme
The Help to Buy Scheme is an Australian Government initiative designed to make home ownership more achievable for more Australians.
What is the Help to Buy Scheme?
Whether you're a first-time buyer or someone returning to home ownership, Help to Buy offers support to secure a place to call home.
Help to Buy is an equity investment by the Government to support your purchase, secured by an interest-free loan, so that you retain sole ownership of the property title. Eligible buyers can purchase or build a home with as little as a 2% deposit, and benefit from a contribution from the Government of up to 40% for new homes or 30% for existing homes. The minimum government contribution is 5%.
You own the home but share some of the value with the Australian Government. The Government’s contribution allows you to consider properties beyond what your borrowing capacity and deposit alone would support, allowing you to access homes that meet your needs sooner, with greater financial confidence.
Bank Australia is proud to be a Participating Lender authorised to offer home loans for the Help to Buy Scheme.
Help to Buy's shared equity model can also remove the need for Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), potentially saving you thousands of dollars at purchase.
How does it work?
The Help to Buy Scheme is a shared equity Scheme where the Australian Government contributes towards the purchase price of your home. Under the Help to Buy Scheme:
You will need to:
- save a minimum 2% deposit
- obtain a home loan from a Participating Lender
- cover the costs of acquiring the home (e.g. stamp duty, legal fees, registration fees etc.)
The Australian Government will:
- contribute up to 30% (existing homes) or 40% (newly built homes) toward the purchase price
This allows you to buy a home sooner by:
- bridging the gap between what you can borrow and the price of a home that suits your needs
- helping your deposit go further, enabling you to buy sooner
When you buy a home through the Help to Buy Scheme, you own the home but share some of the value with the Government. As the Australian Government has contributed to purchasing the property, the Government will proportionally share any gains or losses made when you sell your home or when you buy out the Government’s equity share.
Find out more about the Help to Buy Scheme on the First Home Buyers website.
The relevant Target Market Determination can be found here.
Who it's for
To qualify for the Help to Buy Scheme, you’ll need to meet the list of eligibility criteria below:
- Be an Australian citizen
- 18 years of age or older
- Earn a taxable income of up to $100,000 per annum for individuals, or up to $160,000 for joint applicants (a maximum of two applicants may apply), or up to $160,000 for single parents
- Be purchasing a home to live in yourself or with others (no investment properties)
- Don’t currently own an interest in a property, either separately or jointly with someone else. Exceptions may apply for single parents
- Have saved a minimum deposit of 2% of the purchase price
- Have saved enough funds (on top of the deposit) to cover all additional costs (such as conveyancing costs, legal costs and stamp duty)
- Be purchasing a home under the property price caps for your state and region
- You will need to comply with income caps and participation requirements on an ongoing basis. If you no longer meet the Help to Buy eligibility requirements, we will work with you on a review of your circumstances. You may be required to buy back the Commonwealth Share in full or in part
Check your eligibility
Start with some basic information
Applicant details
I meet the qualifications listed above
Applicant Type
Are you a single parent?
Applicant 1's annual income
Annual income should be less than $100,000
Applicant 2's annual income
Total annual income should be less than $160,000
Home details
State your new home is located in
Region
Are you looking to purchase an established home or build a new home?
Purchase price cap for {{state}} – {{location}}
$500,000
Expected purchase priceExpected land and build cost
The expected purchase price or cost must be less than the price cap for your region.
Your contribution (not including stamp duty)
Minimum 2% deposit ($20,000) required.
Maximum Government contribution
$100,000
Home loan amount
$100,000
The loan amount should not exceed 6x your annual income. Try increasing your contribution.
Use these calculators to test your borrowing capacity and estimate stamp duty required
Home loan borrowing power
Estimate how much you may be able to borrow for your home loan.
Stamp duty calculator
Calculate the stamp duty payable on your home loan.
Confirm you can manage the loan and additional costs
Applicant confirmation
I can manage a loan of this size: e.g. meeting repayments on time
I have sufficient funds available to cover my contribution, stamp duty and associated costs
You appear to be eligible
Congratulations! It looks like we will be able to assist you to buy your dream home. Please note that if you are able to afford a higher loan amount that you may not be able to qualify for the Help to Buy Scheme.
You do not appear to be eligible
Based on your current entries, you may not meet the eligibility criteria, here's some things to check
- Your loan amount could be too high, try reducing your purchase price
- If you have additional funds, try increasing your contribution more
- Re-check you meet the eligibility criteria
What are the property price caps?
The Help to Buy Scheme is designed to get more Australians into their own homes, while staying within realistic and region-specific price limits.
Each participating State and Territory has its own property price caps, which sets the maximum purchase price for homes eligible under the Help to Buy Scheme. These caps reflect local market conditions and help ensure the Help to Buy Scheme remains fair and accessible across different regions.
What this means for you
While the price caps set the upper limit for eligible properties, your individual purchasing power will depend on:
- The maximum loan you can secure from a Participating Lender.
- The size of your deposit.
By combining your deposit, your borrowing capacity and the Government’s equity contribution, Help to Buy gives you a stronger foundation to enter the market with confidence.
Location | Property price cap effective 5 December 2025 |
|---|
New South Wales - capital city and regional centre* | $1,300,000 |
|---|
New South Wales - other | $800,000 |
|---|
Victoria - capital city and regional centre* | $950,000 |
|---|
Victoria - other | $650,000 |
|---|
Queensland - capital city and regional centre* | $1,000,000 |
|---|
Queensland - other | $700,000 |
|---|
Western Australia – capital city# | $850,000 |
|---|
Western Australia – other# | $600,000 |
|---|
South Australia – capital city# | $900,000 |
|---|
South Australia – other# | $500,000 |
|---|
Tasmania - capital city# | $700,000 |
|---|
Tasmania – other# | $550,000 |
|---|
Australian Capital Territory | $1,000,000 |
|---|
Northern Territory | $600,000 |
|---|
Jervis Bay Territory and Norfolk Island | $550,000 |
|---|
Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands | $400,000 |
|---|
*Regional centres are (1) in New South Wales - Illawarra, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Central Coast, Mid-North Coast, Coffs Harbour - Grafton, Richmond - Tweed, (2) in Victoria - Geelong, and (3) in Queensland - Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
#Not currently eligible in the scheme. Eligibility for Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmaina coming soon.
Why us?
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Your detailed Help to Buy guide
We spoke to Tristan Zimora, Manager of New Lending at Bank Australia, to give you an in-depth explainer on Help to Buy. See examples, how it can help and why we’re a Participating Lender.
