Income test
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The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme allows first home buyers with deposits as low as 5% to get a home loan without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) fees. Essentially, the government will act as the mortgage insurer guaranteeing home loans for eligible first home buyers with a minimum deposit of 5% of the property value. Our home loans have lower entry costs, with our low deposit requirement and no lender's mortgage insurance, so you can get into your own home sooner. If you're ready to apply, follow the steps to how much you can borrow and see if you qualify. Designed to help first home buyers purchase a property faster, the Scheme acts by lowering the deposit needed to take out a home loan. The Australian Government, through the National Housing and Finance Investment Corporation (NHFIC) will guarantee the difference between your deposit (of at least 5 percent) and 20 percent of the value of your home. An earnest money deposit is a deposit of good faith on a home loan from a buyer to a seller that serves to protect VA buyers and sellers in a real estate transaction. Skip to Content A VA approved lender.
The Scheme includes an income test for:
- singles – your taxable income for the previous financial year must not be more than $125,000.
- couples – your combined taxable income for the previous financial year must not be more than $200,000.
The income test is assessed by your lender.
For Scheme reservations made up to 30 June 2020, the relevant Notice of Assessment (NOA) from the Australian Taxation Office is for the 2018-19 income year. However, if you hold that reservation for too long (e.g. more than 90 days), your relevant NOA may end up being the 2019-20 income year.
For Scheme reservations made from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, the relevant NOA is the 2019-20 income year.
Prior ownership test
The Scheme is in place to assist genuine first home buyers.
The prior ownership test requires you to not have ever owned:
- a freehold interest in real property in Australia
- an interest in a lease of land in Australia with a term of 50 years (or more), or
- a company title interest in land in Australia.
These tests apply for property interests in all states and territories of Australia, regardless of whether the property was a commercial property, an investment or owner-occupied, and whether it was ever lived in.
They also apply if any of the interests listed above have been held by you on your own or together with someone else – for example, where you held an interest in property with a former spouse or de facto partner.
Note that if either of you – whether individually or with someone else – have held any of the interests listed above, as a couple you are not eligible first home buyers.
For your home loan to be covered by the Scheme, you will need to make a statutory declaration that confirms you have not held any interests of this kind. This declaration is made under the First Home Buyer Declaration provided to you by your participating lender.
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If you are unsure of whether you have held any of the interests listed above you should ask a professional adviser, as you will need to be sure that you are not giving a false declaration.
Citizenship test
The Scheme is only open to current Australian citizens.
The citizenship test for you being an ‘eligible first home buyer’ for the Scheme is that you will need to be an Australian citizen at the time you enter into a home loan with your participating lender.
If you are applying under the Scheme as part of a couple, you will both need to be Australian citizens.
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The Scheme is not open for permanent residents who are not Australian citizens.
Minimum age
The Scheme is only open to persons that are 18 years of age or over.
The minimum age test requires you to be 18 years of age or over at the time you enter into a home loan with your participating lender.
Deposit requirement
There is a minimum deposit requirement for the Scheme.
The Scheme is to assist singles and couples (together) who have at least five per cent (5%) of the value of an eligible property saved as a deposit. The 5% must be made up of genuine savings. If you have 20% or more saved, then your home loan will not be covered by the Scheme.
Your Participating Lender will be able to tell you if you satisfy this requirement. You should also confirm with your Participating Lender whether any cash grants under other Australian Government, State or Territory schemes or programs you may receive can be considered as part of
genuine savings by that Participating Lender.
Home Loan Deposit Requirements
Owner occupier requirement
The Scheme is provided to assist Australians to purchase their first home.
Investment properties are not supported by the Scheme.
To meet the owner-occupier requirement, you will need to:
- move into the property within six months from the date of settlement or, if later, the date an occupancy certificate is issued, and
- continue to live in that property for so long as your home loan has a guarantee under the Scheme.
If you don’t live in your property – including where you move out of the property at a later time – your home loan will cease to be guaranteed by the Scheme*. In these circumstances there may be terms and conditions of your home loan that require you to take certain actions – including that you may be need to pay fees and charges and/or take out insurance that would not have otherwise applied if your home loan were participating under the Scheme.
Your participating lender will be able to explain these terms and conditions to you.
* Members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are still required to be owner-occupiers under FHLDS however if they are unable to meet the owner-occupier requirement because of their duties, they can still be eligible if, at the time of entering into their loan agreement, they intend to live in the property.
FHLDS update: 10/2/21
On Wednesday 3 February, the Australian Government announcedaround 1800 First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) places from the 2019-20 financial year would be rolled over into this current financial year.
Eligible first home buyers can now apply for one of these First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) placesthrough a participating lenderbefore 30 June 2021.
These Scheme places are part of theFirst Home Loan Deposit Scheme, not theFHLDS (New Homes)– the key difference being that the FHLDS guarantee can be used foreligible new and existing homes. Standard income and prior property ownership tests, and minimum age, citizenship, owner-occupier and deposit requirements still apply.
On 1 July 2021, another 10,000 FHLDS places will be available for the 2021-22 financial year.
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The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) is an Australian Government initiative to support eligible first home buyers to build or purchase a new home sooner. The Scheme is administered by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).
Usually first home buyers with less than a 20 per cent deposit need to pay lenders mortgage insurance. Under the Scheme, eligible first home buyers can purchase or build a new home with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent (lenders criteria apply). This is because NHFIC guarantees to a participating lender up to 15 percent of the value of the property purchased that is financed by an eligible first home buyer’s home loan.
In the 2020-21 Federal Budget, the Australian Government announced an additional 10,000 FHLDS places for the 2020-21 financial year, specifically for eligible first home buyers building or purchasing new homes. These additional places are known as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (New Homes) or FHLDS (New Homes).
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There are currently 27 participating lenders across Australia offering places under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.
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To find out more information about the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and the FHLDS (New Homes), please select an option below: