First home owner grant

From 7 May 2019, if you are buying or building a new home, you can apply for a First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) of $10,000.

You may also be eligible for the BuildBonus grant and Territory Home Owner Discount.

From 1 January 2020, you can apply for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. To find out if you are eligible or for more information, go to the Australian Government National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation website.

A new home is one that has never been previously lived in or sold as a place of residence.

To find out more about whether a building qualifies as a new home get the commissioner's guidelines.

Commissioner's guideline: what is a new home DOCX (217.7 KB)
Commissioner's guideline: what is a new home PDF (191.6 KB)

Before you apply, you should read the first home owner grant guide.

First home owner grant guide PDF (488.7 KB)
First home owner grant guide  DOCX (231.5 KB)

To find out if you are eligible for the FHOG, complete the eligibility test .

You can get up to $10,000 for a new home only and may also be eligible for the BuildBonus grant and Territory Home Owner Discount.

Your income and the price of your home don’t affect the FHOG.

To apply for the FHOG, follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application - this can be found in the guide.

Step 2. Attach any supporting documents.

You must include anyone who will be on the property’s title on the FHOG application.

If you have a spouse (or de facto) who will not own any part of the home, you must still include them as a non-applicant spouse.

Step 3. Submit your application.

If you are getting financial help to purchase or build your home, you must lodge your application with your financial institution.

If you are not getting finance you can lodge your application by mail or email to:

Territory Revenue Office
GPO Box 1974
Darwin NT 0801
ntrevenue@nt.gov.au

Read the list of approved agents for the first homeowner grant .

Your application must be submitted within 12 months of purchasing your new home or completing construction.

The date you can expect to receive the FHOG will depend on the type of contract you have and who you applied with.

Read below for more information.

Buying a home

If you applied for the FHOG through an approved agent, you will receive the money at settlement.

If you applied through the Territory Revenue Office, you will receive the money when your name is registered on the property title.

Buying a home under a terms contract

If you bought a home under a terms contract, you will receive FHOG money when you’re in possession of your home and instalments of at least $10,000 have been made (excluding the deposit).

Building a home

If you are building a home, you will receive the money when foundations have been laid and progress payments of at least $10,000 have been made (excluding the deposit).

Owner builder

If you are an owner builder, you will receive the money when construction of the home is completed.

If you disagree with a decision

If your application has been rejected and you believe the decision was wrong, you can lodge an objection.

An objection must be made in writing and submitted to the Territory Revenue Office within 60 days of the decision being made. You must clearly outline the grounds of objection.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your objection, you may appeal against the decision to the Taxation and Royalty Appeals Tribunal or to the Supreme Court.

If your circumstances change

At least one applicant for the FHOG must live in the home as their principal place of residence within 12 months of completion. They must stay there for a continuous period of at least six months.

To find out more about principal place of residence read the Commissioner's guideline: principal place of residence DOCX (216.8 KB)

In special circumstances the Commissioner can change this requirement.

To find out more read the Commissioner's guideline on discretion to exempt or vary compliance with the eligibility criteria.

Commissioner's guideline: discretion to exempt or vary compliance with the eligibility criteria DOCX (221.4 KB)
Commissioner's guideline: discretion to exempt or vary compliance with the eligibility criteria PDF (241.6 KB)

If you are not able to comply with any requirements of the FHOG, you must advise the Commissioner of Territory Revenue in writing within 30 days of your circumstances changing.

For more information contact TRO by calling 1300 305 353.


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