First Home

Home buyers (and those advising them) should consider consulting with a Participating Lender, and seeking independent financial and legal advice about whether a particular home loan or property, and the terms of the HGS suit personal circumstances and objectives. 

Applications for the FHBG can be made directly with a Participating Lender or their authorised representative (a mortgage broker). 

NHFIC does not accept, assess, approve or maintain waitlists for any Guarantee place applications. 

The FHBG includes an income test, which is assessed by lenders using a Notice of Assessment (NOA). 

Once your tax return has been processed, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) sends a statement called the Notice of Assessment to your myGov Inbox.  

For Scheme reservations made from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, the relevant Notice of Assessment is the 2021-2022 financial year. From 1 July 2022 to 31 August 2022, NHFIC will provide a grace period to all participating lenders so that they can progress to the scheme pre-approval without the latest Notice of Assessment (NOA). However, the 2021-2022 NOA is still required prior to the issuance of a Guarantee Certificate so home buyers are encouraged to lodge their tax return as soon as possible. 

NHFIC advises applicants to speak to their Participating Lender to understand the risk of signing a Contract of Sale prior to obtaining the latest Notice of Assessment.  

For more information about Tax Time 2022, please contact the Australian Taxation Office.  

• Australian Military Bank
• Australian Mutual Bank
• Auswide Bank
• Bank Australia
• Bank First
• Bank of Heritage Isle
• Bank of Us
• bcu
• Bendigo Bank
• Beyond Bank Australia
• Border Bank
• Commonwealth Bank
• Community First Credit Union
• Credit Union SA 
• Defence Bank
• Firefighters Mutual Bank
• G&C Mutual Bank
• Gateway Bank
• Great Southern Bank
• Health Professionals Bank
• Indigenous Business Australia
• Illawarra Credit Union 
• IMB Ltd (trading as IMB bank) 
• Mortgageport
• MyStateBank
• NAB
• Newcastle Permanent Building Society
• P&N Bank
• People's Choice
• Police Bank
• QBANK | First Home Buyers
• Queensland Country Bank
• Regional Australia Bank
• Teachers Mutual Bank
• The Mutual Bank
• UniBank
• Unity Bank Limited
• WAW

The eligibility checker is a short questionnaire to assist home buyers to identify which Guarantee may be applicable.

To apply for the FHBG, applicants must be: 

• applying as an individual or couple (married /de facto) 
• an Australian citizen(s) at the time they enter the loan 
• at least 18 years of age 
• earning up to $125,000 for individuals or $200,000 for couple, as shown on the Notice of Assessment (issued by the Australian Taxation Office).  
• intending to be owner-occupiers of the purchased property 
• first home buyers who have not previously owned, or had an interest in, a property in Australia 

For more information, including full eligibility criteria, contact a Participating Lender. 

Home buyers (and those advising them) should consider consulting with a Participating Lender and seeking independent financial and legal advice about whether a particular home loan or property, and the terms of the HGS suit their personal circumstances and objectives. 

Before entering into a home loan agreement, home buyers should consider talking with their lender (or broker) about the potential implications of changing interest rates or house prices on individual circumstances. 

Applicants need to have between 5% and 20% of the value of an eligible property saved as a deposit.

View the relevant property price caps for each location.  

The minimum deposit required by the FHBG is 5%, but Participating Lenders may require a higher percentage deposit based on individual financial circumstances. Home buyers should speak with a Participating Lender to find out whether a deposit is made up of genuine savings for the purposes of their lending criteria and the FHBG.  

Applicants should confirm with their lender if any cash grants received under other Australian Government, State or Territory schemes or programs can be considered as part of their genuine savings.  

For more information and to discuss individual circumstances, contact a Participating Lender.  

VIEW OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOME GUARANTEE SCHEME.