Budget 2027, delivered on 6 October 2026, raised the maximum Help to Buy refund from €30,000 to €35,000. For a first-time buyer of a new build that is a bigger slice of the deposit back, but whether it helps you depends on three limits the headline does not change. Here is what was announced, what has not yet been confirmed, and how the maths works at real prices.
What did Budget 2027 change for Help to Buy?
The maximum Help to Buy relief rises by €5,000, from €30,000 to €35,000 per qualifying property. Reports of the Budget describe it as applying to new-build homes and self-builds, the same group the scheme already covers.
Not yet confirmed: the start date
When we checked on 12 October 2026, Revenue had not published updated Help to Buy guidance, and reports differed on the effective date. Further detail is expected through the Finance Bill and Revenue's own pages. Check Revenue's Help to Buy page before you rely on the higher ceiling for a contract you are about to sign.
What did not change?
Nothing in the announcement alters the rules that decide whether you get the maximum. Under Revenue's published conditions (verified 14 September 2026), the refund is still the lesser of three amounts:
- the ceiling (€30,000 today, €35,000 once it applies);
- 10% of the purchase price, or of the approved valuation for a self-build; and
- the Income Tax and DIRT you actually paid in the 4 tax years before you apply.
The home must still be a new build or self-build worth €500,000 or less, bought with a mortgage of at least 70% of its value, and lived in as your main home for 5 years. Second-hand homes remain outside the scheme.
Who actually gets the extra €5,000?
Because of the 10% rule, the higher ceiling only binds above €350,000. Below that price your cap is 10% of the price, and the Budget changes nothing for you.
| New-build price | Cap today | Cap at announced ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| €300,000 | €30,000 | €30,000 |
| €350,000 | €30,000 | €35,000 |
| €400,000 | €30,000 | €35,000 |
| €500,000 | €30,000 | €35,000 |
Revenue conditions (verified 14 Sep 2026); €35,000 per the Budget 2027 announcement, pending Revenue guidance
These are maximums. Your own refund is also limited to the tax you paid in the look-back years, which is personal and which Revenue's application tells you. A buyer with a short tax history can qualify for less than any figure above.
What should a first-time buyer do now?
- Run Revenue's Help to Buy application to see your own maximum before you fall in love with a price.
- Ask the developer or contractor whether they are approved for Help to Buy, and get the answer in writing.
- Treat the extra €5,000 as unconfirmed until Revenue publishes it; do not stretch a budget around it.
- Size the loan separately: the Central Bank mortgage rules set the income multiple and minimum deposit, and the Help to Buy and First Home Scheme guide shows how the two schemes combine.
- Add the costs the scheme does not cover — see the full cost of buying.
The refund does not check the site
A new build qualifies for Help to Buy whether or not it sits in an OPW flood zone or a High Radon Area. A free PropertyPack snapshot of the Eircode takes about a minute and shows what is around the home before you sign. See what an Eircode check covers.
About this article
Written by the PropertyPack.ie team and published 12 October 2026. Figures render directly from the official datasets behind our reports, so they update when the underlying record does. General information for Irish home buyers, not legal, financial or tax advice.
