The ACT's first home buyer grant was replaced by the home buyer concession scheme in 2019.
The scheme provides eligible first home buyers (and certain other buyers) with stamp duty concessions, depending on their income and dependent children.
To be eligible, all home or land buyers must:
- be at least 18 years old
- meet income requirements (see below), which includes the income of their domestic partners (if any)
- not have owned an interest in any other property in the last five years. (This also includes their domestic partners.)
- at least one buyer must live in the home continuously for a minimum of one year, beginning within 12 months of either settlement date or the date the Certificate of Occupancy and Use is issued
ACT home buyer concession income requirements
To be eligible for the home buyer concession, the income of all buyers, including their domestic partners, must be less than or equal to certain thresholds over the full financial year before the property transaction.
Thresholds for transactions from 1 July 2024 are below:
| Number of dependent children | Total income threshold |
| 0 | $250,000 |
| 1 | $254,600 |
| 2 | $259,200 |
| 3 | $263,800 |
| 4 | $268,400 |
| 5 | $273,000 |
Income refers to assessed taxable income - or where there is no taxable income, gross income applies. A partner's income must be included even if they won't be included as an owner on the title of the property.
Gross income is defined as total income from all sources and doesn't include any deductions. Income for a self-employed person is their business's trading profit, not the business's turnover.
Before 1 July 2024, the income threshold applies to gross income. Income thresholds for previous time periods can be seen on the ACT Revenue Office website.
What properties are eligible for the ACT's first home concession?
All ACT residential properties are eligible for the concession. It applies to vacant residential land and both new and established homes at any price.
However, from 1 July 2021, the ACT government applied a cap on the amount of tax waived under the first home buyer concession, as follows:
Concession cap
| Year | Maximum concession amount |
| 2025-26 | $35,238 |
| 2024-25 | $34,270 |
| 2023-24 | $34,504 |
| 2022-23 | $34,790 |
| 2021-22 | $35,910 |
Stamp duty thresholds
The concessional duty for transactions on or after 1 July 2025 are as follows:
| Property value | Duty payable |
| Less than or equal to $1,020,000 | $0 |
| More than $1,020,000 but less than $1,455,000 | $6.40 for every $100, or part of $100, by which the dutiable value exceeds $1,020,000 |
| $1,455,000 or more | a flat rate of $4.54 per $100 applied to the dutiable value, less an amount of $35,238 |
Earlier thresholds are available via the ACT Revenue Office website.
Residency requirements
At least one buyer must live in the home continuously for a minimum of a year, taking up residence within a year of either:
- the settlement date (for an eligible home)
- or the date that a Certificate of Occupancy and Use has been issued (for home built on vacant land)
There are some exemptions for certain circumstances but these need to be approved.
For full details on eligibility and how to claim the duty are available via the ACT Revenue Office website.