First-Time Buyer Schemes
Help to Buy and the
First Home Scheme, explained.
Help to Buy refunds up to €30,000 of tax you have already paid towards a new-build deposit. The First Home Scheme covers up to 30% of the price in return for an equity share. Here is who qualifies, what each is worth, and how the two fit together.
The schemes decide what you can afford; a free PropertyPack snapshot in about a minute shows what you are buying.
Help to Buy
How much is Help to Buy worth?
Help to Buy (HTB) is a refund of Income Tax and DIRT you paid over the previous 4 tax years, capped at the lesser of €30,000 or 10% of the purchase price. It applies only to a new build or self-build worth €500,000 or less, bought by first-time buyers with a mortgage of at least 70% of the value, and it runs for contracts signed up to 31 December 2029 (Revenue, verified 14 September 2026).
| New-build price | Maximum HTB refund | Which limit applies |
|---|---|---|
| €250,000 | €25,000 | 10% of the price |
| €350,000 | €30,000 | The €30,000 ceiling |
| €500,000 | €30,000 | The €30,000 ceiling |
| €520,000 | €0 | Over the €500,000 cap: not eligible |
These are the maximums. Your own refund is also limited to the tax you actually paid in the 4 years before applying, so a buyer with a short tax history can qualify for less. The €30,000 is per property: joint buyers share one claim, and every joint buyer must be a first-time buyer.
New builds and self-builds only
The home must never have been used, or been suitable for use, as a residence. Second-hand homes are out; a non-residential building converted for living can qualify. Investment purchases do not.
Revenue
Live there for 5 years
You must occupy the home as your main residence for 5 years. Move out early, or fail to complete the purchase or build, and Revenue can claw the refund back.
Revenue
Apply, then claim
Stage one is an online application through Revenue that tells you your maximum. Stage two, after you sign the contract, is the claim with your loan offer and signed contract, verified by the contractor (or your solicitor for a self-build) before payment.
Revenue
First Home Scheme
How does the First Home Scheme work?
The First Home Scheme (FHS) bridges the gap between your deposit plus mortgage and the price of a new build, self-build or, for certain renters, the home they rent. It funds up to 30% of the price (20% if you also use Help to Buy) and takes an equity share of the same percentage in return. You need a 10% deposit, mortgage approval from a participating lender for the maximum you can borrow (up to 4 times income), and the home must be under the price ceiling for its area. There are no income limits (First Home Scheme, verified 14 September 2026).
An equity share, not a loan
The scheme owns a percentage of your home, valued at market price when you buy it back. If the home's value rises, so does the sum to redeem; if it falls, so does the sum. You can redeem in one payment or in parts, whenever you choose.
First Home Scheme
Free for five years, then a service charge
No charge in years 1 to 5. From year 6 an annual service charge applies to the original equity amount, at fixed rates that step up over the life of the facility (table below).
First Home Scheme
Participating lenders
Your mortgage must come from one of the scheme's lenders: AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, Haven, PTSB. Buyers using a Central Bank lending exception with that lender are not eligible.
First Home Scheme
The service-charge schedule
Charged each year on the original purchase price multiplied by the equity-share percentage, before any partial redemptions.
| Years of the facility | Annual rate | On a €350,000 home with a 20% share |
|---|---|---|
| Years 1 to 5 | 0% | €0 |
| Years 6 to 15 | 1.75% | €1,225 a year |
| Years 16 to 29 | 2.15% | €1,505 a year |
| Year 30 onwards | 2.85% | €1,995 a year |
Price ceilings by local-authority area
A home above the ceiling for its type and area is not eligible. The scheme reviews these regularly; verified 14 September 2026.
| Local-authority area | House | Apartment | Self-build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cork City, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin, Wicklow | €500,000 | €500,000 | €500,000 |
| Galway City, Kildare, Meath | €475,000 | €475,000 | €475,000 |
| Cork County, Galway County, Limerick | €450,000 | €450,000 | €450,000 |
| Kerry, Louth, Mayo | €425,000 | €425,000 | €425,000 |
| Waterford | €400,000 | €450,000 | €400,000 |
| Clare, Donegal, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Westmeath, Wexford | €400,000 | €400,000 | €400,000 |
| Carlow, Cavan, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary | €375,000 | €375,000 | €375,000 |
Source: First Home Scheme property price ceilings, as published on firsthomescheme.ie. Verified 14 September 2026.
Both Schemes Together
What do the two schemes look like on one purchase?
Take a €350,000 new build, a price inside every FHS ceiling. The deposit is 10%, €35,000. Help to Buy can return up to €30,000 of it, leaving €5,000 of the deposit from your own savings. The First Home Scheme can then fund up to 20%, €70,000, so the mortgage is €245,000: 70% of the price, which is exactly Help to Buy's minimum. That is why the FHS share is capped at 20% alongside HTB.
| Line | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | €350,000 | New build, inside every FHS ceiling |
| Deposit (10%) | €35,000 | Up to €30,000 of it from Help to Buy, if you paid that much tax |
| First Home Scheme equity (20%) | €70,000 | The reduced cap because HTB is used |
| Mortgage (70%) | €245,000 | Needs about €61,250 of income at the 4-times limit |
| Stamp duty (1%) | €3,500 | Not covered by either scheme; slightly less on the VAT-exclusive price |
| FHS service charge from year 6 | €1,225 a year | 1.75% of the €70,000 share; nothing in years 1 to 5 |
The schemes size the purchase; they say nothing about the site. A new estate qualifies for Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme whether or not it sits on land in an OPW flood zone, in a High Radon Area, or beside a granted planning application. Those are the checks that decide what the home is worth to you in ten years, and they are a data check away.
Keep Going
The rest of the buying costs.
The schemes cover the deposit gap. See what stamp duty adds at closing, what a snag list or survey costs, how the annual Local Property Tax fits in, then work through the full buying-a-house checklist.
Check the site, not just the scheme. A free snapshot in about a minute.
Official data sourced from Irish government agencies
Frequently Asked Questions
Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme: FAQs.
How much is the Help to Buy scheme worth in Ireland?
Help to Buy refunds the lesser of three amounts: €30,000, 10% of the purchase price (or approved valuation for a self-build), or the Income Tax and DIRT you actually paid in the 4 tax years before you apply. The €30,000 is a per-property cap, so joint buyers share it rather than each claiming it. On a €250,000 new build the 10% rule gives €25,000; from €300,000 up the €30,000 ceiling applies.
Can I use Help to Buy on a second-hand house?
No. Help to Buy applies only to a newly built home bought from a qualifying contractor, or a self-build, with a purchase value or approved valuation of €500,000 or less. A property that has ever been used as a home does not qualify; a non-residential building converted to a home can. You must also take a mortgage of at least 70% of the value and live in it as your main home for 5 years.
Can I use Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme together?
Yes, and many buyers do. When you combine them the First Home Scheme's maximum equity share drops from 30% to 20% of the price. With a 10% deposit that leaves a 70% mortgage, which is exactly Help to Buy's minimum loan-to-value of 70%, so the two rules are designed to fit.
What are the First Home Scheme price ceilings?
The scheme sets a maximum property price per local-authority area, from €375,000 in counties such as Carlow, Cavan and Tipperary to €500,000 in Dublin City, the three other Dublin authorities, Cork City and Wicklow. Most areas have one ceiling for houses, apartments and self-builds; Waterford is the exception, with a higher apartment ceiling. The scheme reviews the ceilings regularly, so check the current table before you go sale agreed (figures verified 14 September 2026).
Do I pay interest on the First Home Scheme?
No interest, but it is not free money either. The scheme takes an equity share in your home, which is a percentage of its market value, so if the home rises in value the amount you repay rises with it. There is no charge for the first five years; from year 6 an annual service charge of 1.75% of the original equity amount applies, rising to 2.15% from year 16 and 2.85% from year 30. You can buy the share back in full or in parts whenever you choose.
Do first-time buyers still pay stamp duty with these schemes?
Yes. Neither scheme removes stamp duty, which for a home under €1,000,000 is a flat 1% of the price (charged on the VAT-exclusive price for a new build). On a €350,000 home that is about €3,500, paid through your solicitor at closing on top of the deposit, legal fees and any survey.
Scheme rules verified 14 September 2026. Sources: Revenue; First Home Scheme; Citizens Information. This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice; confirm your own eligibility with Revenue, the First Home Scheme and your lender.
