NSW Government Home Loan Schemes & Grants

Need Help Accessing a Government Home Loan Scheme or Grant?

Eligible NSW home buyers can access federal guarantee schemes to purchase with a 2% to 5% deposit while bypassing costly Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). Qualified first home buyers may also receive NSW’s $10,000 cash grant. Because these incentives require application through approved panel lenders, our brokers verify your eligibility and streamline the process at zero cost. (Government and Lender fees and charges may apply).

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What Government Home Loan Schemes Are Available?

First Home Guarantee

This federal government first home loan deposit scheme helps buyers enter the high-priced Sydney market without having to save a 20% deposit. Buyers can purchase their first home with just a 5% deposit while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), further reducing the overall cost of purchasing the home.

Family Home Guarantee

Aimed at single parents with dependents, this home loan scheme from the federal government allows the purchase of an existing or off-the-plan home, land, or a house and land package, with just a 2% deposit, while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee

For first home buyers in regional areas including regional NSW, this scheme allows purchase with a 5% deposit while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance. The scheme works in the same way as the First Home Guarantee, but applies higher price caps to account for the pricing realities of regional markets.

The Help to Buy Scheme

The Federal Government’s Help to Buy scheme is a shared equity initiative where the government contributes up to 40% for new homes or 30% for existing properties. This allows eligible buyers to enter the market with just a 2% deposit and no LMI. Income caps and price limits apply.

What is Our Government Scheme & Grant Application Process?

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Step 1: Eligibility & Goal Assessment

We’ll first gain a solid understanding of your property goals and financial circumstances, then review your eligibility for relevant federal guarantee schemes and NSW stamp duty exemptions or grants. From there, we map out a clear strategy to ensure you maximize all available government support before applying.

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Step 2: Matching You to the Right Scheme, Grant & Lender

Government home loan schemes and grants have strict eligibility criteria and are only available through approved agents. We’ll make sure you’re matched with the right scheme and lender, so you get access to all available support,

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Step 3: Comparing Participating Lenders

We’ll compare loan options across a broad range of lenders, being mindful of those who can help you access schemes and grants. We’ll present you with competitive options in an easy-to-understand way, making comparison simpler.

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Step 4: Application, Settlement & Ongoing Support

You can leave the paperwork to us. We’ll take care of loan pre-approval, approval and scheme or grant applications, making sure everything is done right and in a timely manner. We’ll remain on hand through settlement and beyond, with annual check-ins to ensure your loan is still a good fit.

Meet Our Expert Team

Government schemes and grants can save you thousands, if you know which ones you qualify for. Our Sydney team helps you sort through what’s available and make the most of anything you’re eligible for.

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Why Choose Mortgage Broker Sydney for Government Scheme & Grant Applications?

By choosing Mortgage Broker Sydney, you’ll enter the property market with a number of advantages:

Local expertise in markets, loans and government schemes puts you in the best possible position.
All guidance is provided with your best interests in mind, not the bank’s.
Allows you to access professional expertise at no extra charge.
Explores a wider range of lending options while ensuring access to schemes and grants via approved lenders.
Ongoing support beyond settlement, so your loan remains competitive.

20 Years of Sydney Market Experience

In addition to understanding the Sydney property market, we’re highly familiar with first home buyer scheme eligibility criteria and approved lender requirements, and can help you manage grant allocations to ensure you don’t miss out.

Legally Bound to Act in Your Best Interests

Unlike banks and other lenders, mortgage brokers are legally bound to act in your best interests. We’ll present loan options that are both suitable for your circumstances and give you access to helpful schemes or grants.

100% Free Service With No Hidden Fees

It costs nothing extra when you engage a mortgage broker to access a loan or assist you with a government guarantee scheme. We are paid a clear, fully disclosed commission by your home loan lender, so you get expert representation without additional costs (though standard lender fees and charges may apply).

Access to Lenders Participating in Government Schemes

Banks can only sell you their own products. We compare options across a range of approved lenders to find a competitive loan that suits your circumstances, while ensuring you gain access to the government support you are entitled to.

Support Through Settlement & Ongoing Reviews

Our guidance doesn’t stop once the contract of purchase is signed. We’ll remain on hand during settlement, then check in annually to ensure your loan remains competitive and suitable for you. If it doesn’t, we’ll help renegotiate.

Sydney Loan Calculators

Understanding your borrowing power helps you get the most from any scheme you’re eligible for. Our free calculators let you estimate repayments and check what you could borrow, based on Sydney property values.

View our Loan Calculators

What our clients say

Thank you for all your help and guidance. Not just for applying for the mortgage and liaising with my solicitor etc, but also the help you gave me last year when I was still in the researching phase. You were patient and let me go at the pace that suited me. That meant a lot to me.

Jane Hunter

Thanks so much again for getting my loan approved with such alacrity! You’ve been just amazing and I look forward to recommending your services to everyone I know!

Jane Malone

I know that we spoke on the phone the other day, but I just wanted to follow up with a written note to say thank you for being so helpful and for getting my loan through in such a short time. So thank you for your help and patience. I will certainly recommend you to anyone needing a loan, and fingers crossed, will be back to you later this year for a loan on a property that I want to build. I promise a longer lead time on that one!

Joanne Greenlees

Ben was fantastic front start to finish. He was always very generous with his time in talking through the different options and answering my many questions. He worked hard to get us the best deal we could get and we're very grateful for his efforts. I'd highly recommend.

William Twyman

Our experience with Laura as our broker has been excellent. She went above and beyond and did help us a lot. We were so happy with our new home 🏡 in the end. We couldn’t be more thankful to Laura. To be honest, the process of buying your first property in Australia is a bit complicated (especially for us that do not understand how the process of buying a property works here in QLD), but Laura did help us a lot. Will definitely recommend her services

Oliveira

Frequently Asked Questions

You can apply for the federal government’s Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme – including First Home Guarantee, Family Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee – through participating lenders.  If you are using a mortgage broker, they can make this application on your behalf.

Eligibility for government home loan schemes and grants is generally assessed based on the following criteria:

  • First home buyer status – whether or when you have owned a home in Australia in the past;
  • Citizenship and age – you must be a citizen or permanent resident, aged 18 plus;
  • Occupancy – whether you are planning to occupy the property as your own home;
  • Income limits – your income (or combined income) must fall below certain thresholds;
  • Property price caps – the value of the property purchased must fall under a certain amount, which varies by city or region.

If you’re worried about missing out, the good news is that neither the Australian Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme nor the NSW First Home Owner Grant work on a quota. There’s no annual cap, no volume limit, and no waitlist. If you’re eligible, a place is there for you, full stop.

Housing Australia has also dropped income caps from the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme entirely, so how much you earn no longer factors into whether you qualify.  What actually determines your eligibility now is the price of the property you’re buying: up to $1,500,000 for Sydney purchases under the 5% Deposit Scheme, and up to $600,000 for a finished new home or $750,000 for a new build under the NSW First Home Owner Grant through Revenue NSW.

Government home loan schemes – including the  First Home Guarantee, Family Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee – allow eligible buyers to purchase with a 2-5% deposit, and without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.  Home loan grants – including the First Home Owner Grant in NSW – provide eligible recipients with a one-off cash payment of $10,000 towards the purchase of a property.

Yes, if you meet the eligibility criteria of both a grant and a scheme, you can use both together. Both require application through participating lenders or agents. Your mortgage broker can ensure this process is done correctly.

Under the First Home Guarantee, eligible participants need to provide a 5% deposit to purchase their first home. This is less than the standard 20% deposit, and does not attract the usual Lenders Mortgage Insurance, as the government acts as security guarantor.

Unlike the First Home Guarantee, applicants for the Family Home Guarantee – which is available to single parents with dependents – may have owned a home before. To be eligible, applicants who have owned a property in the past must no longer own or have an interest in any property at the time of application.

If your contract price comes in even a dollar over the limit, you lose access to that scheme entirely for this purchase. There’s no partial support or sliding scale for going over. So if you’re bidding at auction or close to the cap in negotiations, build in a buffer rather than aiming right at the ceiling.

Income is a different story. Housing Australia has scrapped income caps on the 5% Deposit Scheme altogether, so what you or your household earn won’t knock you out of eligibility. The number that actually matters is the property price cap, $1,500,000 for Greater Sydney, not your income.

In addition to federal government home loan schemes – which allow for lower deposits while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance – Australia’s state governments also offer one-off cash grants to eligible buyers.

First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) by State
This grant provides a one-off payment of $10,000 to eligible first-home buyers when they purchase a property that is newly built, off the plan, or substantially renovated.  These grants are offered in every state, but availability, amounts and rules vary across states and change over time. In NSW, this first home loan grant is administered by Revenue NSW.

Additionally, first home buyers in NSW pay $0 in transfer (stamp) duty on homes valued up to $800,000, newly built or established. For properties valued $800,001 to $1,000,000 a sliding scale of concessions is available to reduce the amount of transfer (stamp) duty payable.

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly constructed properties or those or purchased off-the-plan. It cannot be accessed for existing properties or for renovations to established homes.

In addition to federal government home loan schemes – which allow for lower deposits while avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance – Australia’s state governments also offer one-off cash grants to eligible buyers.

First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) by State

This grant provides a one-off payment of $10,000 to eligible first-home buyers when they purchase a property that is newly built, off the plan, or substantially renovated.  These grants are offered in every state, but availability, amounts and rules vary across states and change over time. In NSW, this first home loan grant is administered by Revenue NSW.

Additionally, first home buyers in NSW pay $0 in transfer (stamp) duty on homes valued up to $800,000, newly built or established. For properties valued $800,001 to $1,000,000 a sliding scale of concessions is available to reduce the amount of transfer (stamp) duty payable.

Eligibility for government home loan schemes and grants is generally assessed based on the following criteria:

  • First home buyer status – whether or when you have owned a home in Australia in the past;
  • Citizenship and age – you must be a citizen or permanent resident, aged 18 plus;
  • Occupancy – whether you are planning to occupy the property as your own home;
  • Income limits – your income (or combined income) must fall below certain thresholds;
  • Property price caps – the value of the property purchased must fall under a certain amount, which varies by city or region.

If you’re worried about missing out, the good news is that neither the Australian Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme nor the NSW First Home Owner Grant work on a quota. There’s no annual cap, no volume limit, and no waitlist. If you’re eligible, a place is there for you, full stop.

Housing Australia has also dropped income caps from the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme entirely, so how much you earn no longer factors into whether you qualify.  What actually determines your eligibility now is the price of the property you’re buying: up to $1,500,000 for Sydney purchases under the 5% Deposit Scheme, and up to $600,000 for a finished new home or $750,000 for a new build under the NSW First Home Owner Grant through Revenue NSW.

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