The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is a grant provided by the Department of Finance, and is a one off payment to assist first home buyers to build a residential property, or buy a new residential property that is used as their principal place of residence.
The FHOG is only available for purchasing or building of a new home, not for purchases of an existing home.
Currently the FHOG is a one off $10,000 payment, payable per eligible purchase, not per person. For example, if a couple were to purchase a new home and both were first home buyers, then only one grant of $10,000 will be paid. If a couple were to purchase a new home and one was a first home buyer but the other had previously owned a property, then no grant will be paid.
To be eligible for the FHOG, you must:
- be 18 years or over at the time of making the application;
- at least one applicant must be an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident at the time of making the application;
- applicants and/or their spouses or de facto partners cannot have:
- previously received the grant or first homeowner rate of duty from any jurisdiction in Australia;
- owned residential property anywhere in Australia before 1 July 2000;
- owned residential property anywhere in Australia on or after 1 July 2000 and occupied that property as a place of residence before 1 July 2004; or
- owned residential property anywhere in Australia on or after 1 July 2000 and occupied that property as a place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months that began on or after 1 July 2004; and
- You must live in the home as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months, commencing within the first 12 months of settlement if purchasing a home, or within 12 months from the date of completion if building a home
The FHOG is not means tested, but the value of the property may affect your eligibility. Please refer to the department of finance website for further information https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/fhog.