For first home buyers in the Northern Territory
First home buyer NT: the $50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant, stamp duty and the 5% Deposit Scheme
You want to buy your first home in the Northern Territory and keep as much of your savings as you can. The Territory gives first home buyers $50,000 through the HomeGrown Territory Grant if you build or buy a new home, with no cap on the price, and you can ask your lender to release it early towards your deposit. There's no Territory grant for an established home now, and the house and land package exemption is the only stamp duty exemption on the Territory's home-buyer pages. Add the federal 5% Deposit Scheme and the help on a new home can pass $69,000, but each piece has its own test.
$50,000 HomeGrown Territory Grant for a new home, with no cap on the price [2]
Early release the grant can go towards your deposit, through your lender [2]
$750,000 5% Deposit Scheme price cap in Darwin, and $600,000 in the rest of the Territory [5]
The Northern Territory first home buyer guide
Twenty-seven questions Territory first home buyers ask before they sign, answered from the Northern Territory Government's own pages and the federal schemes' own rules.
What do first home buyers get in the NT?
Northern Territory first home buyers can get up to three kinds of help: the Territory's HomeGrown Territory Grant on a new home, the Territory's stamp duty exemption on a house and land package, and the federal schemes, led by the 5% Deposit Scheme [2][3][5]. They are separate, with separate rules, and a buyer can qualify for one without the others.
| Help | What it's worth | New or established | Price test |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeGrown Territory Grant (Territory) | $50,000 [2] | New homes only | No cap on the price [2] |
| House and land package exemption (Territory) | No stamp duty on the package [3] | New house and land package from a builder | No cap on the value [3] |
| 5% Deposit Scheme (federal) | A 5% deposit with no LMI [5] | Both | $750,000 in Darwin; $600,000 in the rest of the NT [5] |
| Help to Buy (federal) | A government share of up to 30% existing, 40% new [6] | Both | A price cap for the location [6] |
| First Home Super Saver (federal) | Up to $50,000 of savings from super [7] | Both | No price cap in its rules on record |
The grant is cash toward a new home. The house and land package exemption removes a tax you'd otherwise pay. The 5% Deposit Scheme doesn't give you money at all: it lets you buy with a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), the insurance a lender charges you for when you borrow more than 80% of the price [5].
What this means for you: almost everything the Territory itself offers is tied to a new home. If you're buying an established home, the federal schemes are where the help is.
How much is the first home owner grant in the NT?
The Northern Territory's first home grant is the HomeGrown Territory Grant, and it's $50,000 for first home buyers who build or buy a new home [2]. It replaces the Territory's $10,000 First Home Owner Grant, so if you're looking for the NT first home owner grant, this is the one that applies now [2].
It's a grant, not a loan. The Territory has extended it, and its last day to sign a contract and its last day to apply are in the sources [2]. If you're close to either one, check the Territory's page on the day you sign.
Can you get the NT grant on an established home?
No. The HomeGrown Territory Grant is only for a home that has never been lived in or sold as a place of residence [2]. The Territory did pay $10,000 to first home buyers who bought an existing home, but that grant covered a set window of contracts and it has closed [1].
An established home still has federal help. The 5% Deposit Scheme covers an existing house, townhouse or apartment [5], Help to Buy covers existing homes with a government share of up to 30% [6], and First Home Super Saver money can go toward buying or building a home [7].
What this means for you: on the Territory's side, choosing new over established is worth $50,000. That's a big enough number to weigh against location, price and the build time before you decide.
What counts as a new home for the HomeGrown Territory Grant?
A new home, for the HomeGrown Territory Grant, is one that has never been lived in or sold as a place of residence [2]. You can buy one finished, buy off the plan, build with a builder, or build it yourself as an owner-builder [2].
A transportable home can count too, if it's permanently fixed and legally approved to be lived in [2]. And the contract can't replace one you signed before the grant's window opened [2]. Swapping an older contract for a new one to get the grant doesn't work.
Is there a price cap on the NT first home grant?
No. The Territory's own words are: "There is no cap on the build or purchase price." [2]
The federal schemes do have caps. The 5% Deposit Scheme stops at $750,000 in Darwin and $600,000 in the rest of the Territory, and both the price you pay and the lender's valuation must be at or under the cap [5].
What this means for you: on a new home above the cap, you keep the $50,000 grant but lose the 5% Deposit Scheme. Below the cap, you can use both. The price you settle on decides which side of that line you're on.
Who can get the HomeGrown Territory Grant?
The grant's conditions are short, and each one is a pass or a fail:
Never owned a home before: anywhere in Australia [2].
Buy as a person: not a company or trustee [2].
Over 18: at least one buyer must be [2].
A citizen or permanent resident: at least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident [2].
Sign inside the grant's window: a contract to buy or build, or start building as an owner-builder, by the Territory's last day [2].
Live in it for at least 12 months: from when you take possession with your name on the title, or from when the build is finished [2].
Every owner of the home has to meet these, so a co-buyer who has owned a home before can rule the purchase out [2].
Can the NT grant go towards your deposit?
Yes, in the Northern Territory it can. The Territory says you can ask your lender to release the HomeGrown Territory Grant early to help with your deposit, subject to the lender's normal approval [2]. Without early release, the grant arrives after settlement or once building has started, which is too late for the deposit you pay when you sign.
Early release isn't automatic. It goes through your lender, so the lender you choose, and whether it will release the grant early, matters as much as the grant itself.
What this means for you: with early release, the $50,000 can be part of your deposit rather than money that turns up later. Plan it with your lender before you sign, not after.
When is the HomeGrown Territory Grant paid?
The HomeGrown Territory Grant is paid to your lender once your eligibility is confirmed [2]. Without early release, it's paid after settlement when you buy, after the foundation is laid when you build, and once the certificate of occupancy is issued for an owner-builder [2].
| How you buy | When the grant is paid |
|---|---|
| Through your lender, with early release | Early, towards your deposit, subject to the lender's approval |
| Buying a new home | After settlement |
| Building with a builder | After the foundation is laid |
| Owner-builder | Once the certificate of occupancy is issued |
You can apply through your lender or directly with the Territory Revenue Office, and you must apply within 12 months of settlement [2]. The Territory also sets a last day for applications, which is in the sources [2].
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in the NT?
Generally, yes. Stamp duty is a tax on buying property, and the one exemption on the Territory's home-buyer pages is for a house and land package bought from a builder in a single contract [3]. That exemption isn't only for first home buyers [3].
The Territory's treasury pages may list other concessions; we haven't read them at the source, so we don't say there are none and we don't print a figure we haven't read.
What this means for you: on most first homes in the Territory, plan for stamp duty as a cost on top of your deposit. The exception is the house and land package, which is worth checking before you choose how to buy new.
What is the NT house and land package stamp duty exemption?
The house and land package exemption removes stamp duty on a package bought this way:
From a building contractor, in a single transaction: one contract for the land and the house [3].
The builder bought the land from a developer: and paid stamp duty on the land's dutiable value [3].
Signed inside the exemption's window: the Territory's last day is in the sources [3].
No means test and no cap on the value: the Territory says so in those words [3].
Someone lives there: at least one buyer moves in within 12 months of completion and lives there for at least 6 months in a row [3].
The Territory's pages we read don't say how this exemption sits with the HomeGrown Territory Grant on the same purchase, so we check both on the contract before you sign.
When is stamp duty due in the NT?
Stamp duty in the Northern Territory is generally payable within 60 days of entering into the transaction, or at settlement, whichever is earlier [4].
What this means for you: if settlement is more than 60 days after you sign, the duty can fall due before settlement, from your own money. On an off-the-plan purchase or a long settlement, plan for that cash early.
How much is stamp duty in the NT?
The duty on your price comes from the Territory Revenue Office's own calculator, linked from the Territory's stamp duty page [4]. We don't print a Northern Territory duty figure here, because we haven't read the Territory's rates at the source.
Get the figure early. Your deposit, your duty and your legal costs all come from your savings, and the duty figure changes how much deposit you have left.
Can first home buyers in the NT avoid LMI?
Yes, through the federal 5% Deposit Scheme. It lets a Northern Territory first home buyer buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, because Housing Australia, a government agency, guarantees the lender in place of the insurance [5]. Single parents and legal guardians can buy from a 2% deposit [5].
| Home price | Deposit (5%) | Loan (95%) | LMI, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $20,000 | $380,000 | $12,768 |
| $500,000 | $25,000 | $475,000 | $15,960 |
| $600,000 | $30,000 | $570,000 | $19,152 |
| $750,000 | $37,500 | $712,500 | $32,134 |
The scheme has no income cap and no limit on places [5]. It has a ceiling as well as a floor: if you have 20% or more saved after purchase costs such as stamp duty and legal fees, you can't use it [5].
Here's what LMI would cost on a 95% loan for a first home buyer, from one insurer's published rate card [8]. Under the scheme, that cost isn't charged. These are illustrations from one card, not quotes; your premium depends on the insurer, the loan and the lender.
Some lenders also waive LMI for certain professions. See LMI waivers.
What is the 5% Deposit Scheme price cap in Darwin and the rest of the NT?
The 5% Deposit Scheme's price cap is $750,000 in Darwin, the Territory's capital city, and $600,000 in the rest of the Northern Territory [5]. Both the price you pay and the lender's valuation of the home have to be at or under the cap [5].
For vacant land with a separate contract to build, the land price and the build cost added together must stay under the cap too [5]. Which cap applies depends on where the home is, so check your suburb or town on the scheme's price caps page before you set your budget.
What this means for you: the HomeGrown Territory Grant has no cap, so the scheme's cap is the one that shapes your budget. A new home at or under the cap can get both; one above it gets the grant alone.
Building, buying off the plan or owner-building in the NT
A new build is where the Territory's grant lives, and the HomeGrown Territory Grant is open to owner-builders and off-the-plan buyers as well as people building with a builder [2].
The 5% Deposit Scheme is stricter. Owner-builder contracts aren't eligible: the builder must be licensed and registered, insured, at arm's length and on a fixed-price contract [5]. The building contract must be signed within 6 months of the loan settling, building must start within 12 months and finish within 36 months, and you move in within 6 months of the occupancy certificate [5].
Two more traps: the land has to be titled before the guarantee can be issued, inside the 90-day pre-approval window, and if you already own the vacant land, you can't use the scheme to build on it [5].
What this means for you: an owner-builder can get the $50,000 grant but not the 5% Deposit Scheme. If you need both, build with a licensed builder on a fixed price. See construction loans.
Help to Buy and the First Home Super Saver in the NT
Two more federal schemes are open to Territory buyers. Help to Buy is shared equity: the government contributes up to 30% of the price of an existing home, or up to 40% of a new one, and you buy with a deposit from 2% [6]. You own the home and share some of its value with the government [6]. There are 10,000 places a year, and the current income limits are $103,000 for a single and $165,000 for joint applicants or a single parent [6]. All applicants must be Australian citizens, and the home must be at or under the price cap for its location [6].
The First Home Super Saver Scheme lets you save for a deposit inside your super. You can put in up to $15,000 a year, and up to $50,000 in total, in voluntary contributions, then ask the Australian Taxation Office to release them, with deemed earnings, toward your first home [7]. You must ask the ATO for a determination before ownership of the home passes to you [7]. See Help to Buy and First Home Super Saver.
Can you use the NT grant with the 5% Deposit Scheme or Help to Buy?
Yes, with one firm exclusion. The 5% Deposit Scheme's guide says using it doesn't stop you getting other housing help from a state or territory government [5], and Help to Buy says grants and stamp duty concessions still apply [6]. So the HomeGrown Territory Grant can sit alongside either federal scheme.
| Combination | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| HomeGrown Territory Grant + 5% Deposit Scheme | Yes; the scheme doesn't stop territory help [5] |
| HomeGrown Territory Grant + Help to Buy | Yes; grants and duty concessions still apply [6] |
| HomeGrown Territory Grant + FreshStart New Home Grant | No [2] |
| 5% Deposit Scheme + Help to Buy | No [5] |
| Help to Buy + a territory shared equity scheme, loan or guarantee | No [6] |
The exclusion: the 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy can't be used together [5]. Help to Buy also rules out state and territory shared equity schemes, loans and guarantees [6]. And on the Territory's side, the HomeGrown Territory Grant can't be combined with the FreshStart New Home Grant [2].
See how the schemes fit together and the 5% Deposit Scheme against a guarantor.
What is the whole package worth on an NT home?
An illustration, not a client file. A first home buyer pays $600,000 for a newly built home in Darwin. The HomeGrown Territory Grant is $50,000. Through the 5% Deposit Scheme, a $30,000 deposit is enough, and the price is under the $750,000 Darwin cap. On one insurer's card, the LMI the scheme avoids would be $19,152 on the 95% loan. That's $69,152 of help, before any stamp duty exemption [2][5][8][9].
The table runs the same sum at other prices for a new home in Darwin. At $900,000, the grant still applies because it has no cap, but the price is over the scheme's cap, so there's no LMI saving from it [2][5][9].
| Home price | HomeGrown Territory Grant | LMI the 5% Deposit Scheme avoids | Total help |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $50,000 | $15,960 | $65,960 |
| $600,000 | $50,000 | $19,152 | $69,152 |
| $750,000 | $50,000 | About $32,134 | About $82,134 |
| $900,000 | $50,000 | None: over the $750,000 cap | $50,000 |
Buy an established home at the same price instead and the Territory's grant falls away; the 5% Deposit Scheme still applies. Buy outside Darwin and the scheme's cap is $600,000, so a $600,000 new home sits right on it [5].
Who counts as a first home buyer in the NT? Three different tests
There isn't one definition of a first home buyer in the Northern Territory. The HomeGrown Territory Grant, the 5% Deposit Scheme and the First Home Super Saver each ask their own question about what you've owned before.
What this means for you: passing one test tells you nothing about the others. A buyer who owned an investment unit in recent years and never lived in it has still owned property, and the 5% Deposit Scheme's 10-year test and the super saver test both count it [5][7]. That's why we check every test against your history before you sign.
| Scheme | Its ownership test |
|---|---|
| HomeGrown Territory Grant | Never owned a home before anywhere in Australia; every owner must pass [2] |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | No property in Australia in the last 10 years, including land, commercial and investment property, alone or with a former partner [5] |
| First Home Super Saver | Never owned property in Australia, including an investment, vacant land or commercial property [7] |
If you've owned a home overseas, note how each test is worded. The Territory's page words its grant test as never having owned a home anywhere in Australia, and the 5% Deposit Scheme and the super saver look at property in Australia [2][5][7]. Neither the Territory nor the schemes' pages we read deal with an overseas home in so many words, so ask before you rely on it.
What if you've owned a home before?
Then the HomeGrown Territory Grant isn't for you, but the Territory has a separate grant. The FreshStart New Home Grant pays $30,000 to buy or build a new home, and it's for people who already own a home [1].
The two Territory grants can't be combined on one purchase [2]. And the federal 5% Deposit Scheme looks back 10 years, so someone who sold a home more than 10 years ago may pass its test even though they fail the Territory's [5].
How long do you have to live in the home?
Each scheme sets its own rule, and the strictest one you use is the one that counts.
| Scheme | Move in | Then |
|---|---|---|
| HomeGrown Territory Grant | From possession, or when the build is finished [2] | Live there at least 12 months [2] |
| House and land package exemption | At least one buyer, within 12 months of completion [3] | Live there at least 6 months in a row [3] |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Within 6 months of settlement, or of the occupancy certificate on a build [5] | Keep living there; it can't be rented out while guaranteed [5] |
| First Home Super Saver | — | Live there at least 6 of the first 12 months [7] |
What this means for you: with the HomeGrown Territory Grant you're committing to at least 12 months in the home. If you also use the 5% Deposit Scheme, move in within 6 months of settlement and don't plan to rent the home out while the guarantee is in place [5].
Buying with a partner, a friend or family in the NT
For the HomeGrown Territory Grant, every owner of the home must meet the conditions, so a co-buyer who has owned a home before can rule the purchase out [2]. At least one buyer must be over 18, and at least one must be a citizen or permanent resident [2].
The 5% Deposit Scheme takes exactly two people on a joint application, and they don't have to be a couple: partners, friends or family members. Both must pass every test, and three or more buyers can't use it [5]. The First Home Super Saver works person by person, so a couple can each use their own savings for the same home [7].
A parent can help in another way, by putting up part of their home's equity as security. See guarantor home loans.
Do you need to be a citizen to get first home buyer help in the NT?
It depends on the scheme. The HomeGrown Territory Grant needs one applicant to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident [2]. The 5% Deposit Scheme asks for citizenship or permanent residency, and Help to Buy asks every applicant to be an Australian citizen [5][6].
| Scheme | Who can use it |
|---|---|
| HomeGrown Territory Grant | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident [2] |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Citizen or permanent resident [5] |
| Help to Buy | All applicants Australian citizens [6] |
| First Home Super Saver | Its eligibility list has no citizenship test [7] |
If you're on a visa, the Territory's grant may still be open if you buy with a citizen or permanent resident [2]. See home loans for visa holders.
How much can a first home buyer borrow in the NT?
What you can borrow comes from your income, your debts and your living costs, and each lender works it out its own way. The HomeGrown Territory Grant doesn't change what a lender works out you can repay; it changes how much cash you have, and with early release, when you have it.
That's why the order matters: work out what lenders will lend you first, then fit the grant and the schemes to the price. See how much can I borrow.
Where Northern Territory first home buyers lose money
These are the mistakes we see most in the NT:
Assuming an established home gets a grant: the Territory's grant for established homes has closed.
Signing too late: the HomeGrown Territory Grant has a last day to sign, and a later last day to apply.
Owner-building with the 5% Deposit Scheme: the grant allows it, the scheme doesn't.
Buying over the scheme's cap: $750,000 in Darwin, $600,000 in the rest of the Territory.
A co-buyer who has owned before: every owner must pass the grant's test.
Duty before settlement: stamp duty can fall due within 60 days of signing.
Too much saved: having 20% or more after costs and finding the 5% Deposit Scheme closed.
Many of these can be avoided if it's checked before you sign.
What does a broker cost you?
How a broker is paid, and the rule Money Brain holds against it, is set out in full on its own page: what a mortgage broker costs.
Your first move
You've read the rules. Now there's one question left: on the home you want, at the price you'll pay, which of the Territory's grant, the house and land exemption and the federal schemes do you actually get, and will your lender release the grant in time for your deposit?
That depends on new or established, where you're buying, what you've owned and what you've saved, and it's what Money Brain works out before anything goes to a lender.
Four facts, and I'll do the checking
Tell me where you're buying, roughly the price, whether it's new, off the plan or a build, and what you've saved. I'll come back with what the HomeGrown Territory Grant, the stamp duty position and the 5% Deposit Scheme would give you, which lenders fit, and whether the grant can go towards your deposit.
You'll hear back within the hour in business hours, and by 9am the next business day after hours.
Questions Northern Territory first home buyers ask
$50,000. The Northern Territory's HomeGrown Territory Grant gives first home buyers $50,000 to build or buy a new home, with no cap on the price. It replaced the Territory's $10,000 First Home Owner Grant.
Sources
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
LMI premium: one insurer's published rate card, first home buyer rates. Checked 21 October 2026.
- 9
Money Brain's arithmetic on notes 2, 5 and 8: the 5% deposits, the 95% loans, the LMI figures and the package totals. Worked 22 October 2026.
Updated 2 October 2026