Grants & incentives

Every dollar the government puts on the table when you build.

Between the state and federal governments there has never been more support for building a new home in WA, and almost none of it applies to buying established. Here is what is available right now.

Current as at August 2026
WA Government
$10,000
First Home Owner Grant

A $10,000 grant for first home buyers who build or buy a brand-new home. It does not apply to established homes at all. The property cap was lifted to $800,000 in the 2026–27 state budget, and grant eligibility is now separate from the stamp duty concessions.

The T's and the C's
  • New homes only, never established
  • Property cap: $800,000 (south of the 26th parallel; higher up north)
  • You must move in within 12 months of completion and live there at least 6 months
  • Not available if you (or your spouse) have owned and lived in a home in Australia before, or received the grant before
  • Applicants must be 18+ and at least one must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
wa.gov.au · FHOG
WA Government
$0 duty
Stamp duty relief on land

From 7 May 2026, first home buyers pay no stamp duty on vacant land up to $450,000, with concessional rates up to $550,000. When you build, duty is only ever assessed on the land, not the house, so the government puts the combined saving at up to $25,390 for a land-and-build.

The T's and the C's
  • First home buyers only, using the first home owner rate of duty
  • $0 up to $450,000 land value; concessional (not zero) between $450,000 and $550,000
  • You must build and live in the home, the same residence rules as the grant apply
  • Thresholds are set at the date you sign, contracts before 7 May 2026 are on the old thresholds
RevenueWA · transfer duty
WA Government
Low deposit
Keystart

WA’s own low-deposit lender: get into a new build with a deposit as low as 2% and no lenders mortgage insurance, then refinance to a mainstream bank when you are ready. The 2026–27 budget added a further $375 million for affordable Keystart homes.

The T's and the C's
  • Income caps apply: $155,000 for singles, $228,000 for couples and families (Perth metro, from April 2026)
  • Property price cap of $860,000 in Perth metro; regional limits differ
  • Owner-occupiers only, and you cannot own other property at settlement
  • Interest rate is higher than a typical bank loan, most people refinance out once they have equity
keystart.com.au
Federal Government
5% deposit
First Home Guarantee

Buy or build your first home with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, the federal government guarantees the rest to the lender. Since late 2025 there are no income caps and places are no longer limited.

The T's and the C's
  • Perth metro price cap of $850,000 (land + build combined); $600,000 in regional WA
  • No income caps since October 2025, but the lender still assesses whether you can service the loan
  • You must not have owned property in Australia in the past 10 years
  • Owner-occupiers only; couples must be married or de facto to apply jointly
Housing Australia · FHG
2026–27 Federal Budget

The negative gearing changes make new builds the clear pick for investors.

In the Albanese Government’s 2026–27 budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced that from 1 July 2027, negative gearing will be restricted to newly built properties. Investors buying established homes will no longer be able to offset rental losses against their personal taxable income, while those who build (or buy new) keep the full benefit.

The capital gains tax discount is changing at the same time, moving from the blanket 50% discount towards an indexation model, with new housing supply treated most favourably.

In short: the tax breaks now go to people who add a new home to the supply, not to people bidding on existing ones. (The changes were announced in the budget and still need to pass parliament.)

budget.gov.au
Build vs buy established

What building gets you that buying established does not.

Grants, duty, tax and running costs, compared line by line.

Building new
Buying established
First Home Owner Grant
$10,000 toward your build
Not available, new homes only
Stamp duty
Assessed on the land only, $0 for first home buyers up to $450k land value. The house itself never attracts duty.
Assessed on the full purchase price, on a median Perth home that is tens of thousands of dollars
Negative gearing (from 1 July 2027)
Retained for newly built properties
Removed for newly purchased established investment properties
Condition & warranty
Brand new, under builder’s warranty, nothing to renovate or repair
Condition unknown, repairs, rewiring and re-roofing are on you
Running costs
Built to current 7-star energy standards, cheaper to heat, cool and insure
Older stock generally costs more to run and insure
Choice
Your floorplan, elevation and inclusions, designed around how you live
Someone else’s layout and finishes
Late titles & price locks
A block with a later title date is a chance to save more, not a setback. You lock the build price now and keep saving toward your deposit while titles come through, so the price cannot run up on you while you wait.
You pay today’s asking price and settle in weeks, with no way to hold a price while you keep saving
The fine print

Figures on this page reflect the 2026–27 WA state budget measures (in effect from 7 May 2026) and the announced 2026–27 federal budget tax changes, which remain subject to legislation. Grant and concession eligibility criteria apply, including residence requirements and property caps, and thresholds change. Always confirm current details with RevenueWA and Housing Australia, and treat nothing on this page as financial or tax advice. We will happily walk you through what you are actually eligible for, at no cost.

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