First home buyers in the ADF: how DHOAS, HPAS, the grants and a 5% deposit fit together

What you may be able to use

Several kinds of help can go on one purchase, and each has its own rules.

• DHOAS. A monthly subsidy paid into a DHOAS home loan. In 2026-27 it is worked out on up to $455,622, $683,433 or $911,244 of the loan, depending on your tier (see our DHOAS page).
• HPAS. The Home Purchase Assistance Scheme, a one-off Defence payment of $16,949 before tax when you buy a home to live in at your posting location.
• First home owner grant. Paid by your state or territory for a new home (the ACT no longer pays one). In Queensland it is $30,000 for a new home worth less than $750,000.
• Stamp duty concession. Less or no transfer duty. In Queensland an eligible first home buyer pays no duty on a new home.
• Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. Buy with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance (price caps apply).
• First Home Super Saver Scheme. Save part of your deposit inside your super.

See our first home buyers page for more on the grants, and the stamp duty calculator for any state.

Sources: dhoas.gov.au, Defence, the Queensland Revenue Office (grant, duty) and firsthomebuyers.gov.au (5% scheme, Super Saver), checked 06-10-2026.

Can you use them together?

Usually yes. We have found no published rule that makes you choose between them.

Queensland says being eligible for a national scheme does not affect your first home owner grant. Every DHOAS home loan provider is also a 5% Deposit Scheme participating lender (checked 06-10-2026), but whether a particular DHOAS loan can carry the guarantee is the lender's call. Being eligible is not the same as being approved: a lender still looks at your income, your debts and the property.

What can be your deposit, and what cannot

Do not count the DHOAS lump sum or HPAS as your deposit.

• The DHOAS lump sum (up to 48 months of credit at the Tier 1 rate, at most $27,984 as of September 2026) is paid into your loan with your first monthly subsidy, after settlement.
• HPAS is taxed when it is paid, and cut to your share if you buy with someone outside your resident family, so you receive less than $16,949.
• Super Saver money needs an ATO determination before ownership of the home transfers to you.
• One trap: buying a home before your DHOAS certificate is issued can make you ineligible for the lump sum.

Source: dhoas.gov.au, subsidy lump sum payment.

The order that works

Check your DHOAS position first and sign the contract last.

1. Confirm your DHOAS tier and service credit with DVA. You need at least a month of credit (a year for Reservists) before a certificate.
2. Get your borrowing position assessed, including how lenders read your allowances.
3. Apply for your DHOAS certificate, and the lump sum if you qualify, when you are ready to buy. It lasts 12 months and cannot be extended.
4. Sign the contract and settle, then move in and start the subsidy with DVA's Subsidy Authorisation Request Form.

If a posting lands

Each of these comes with a rule about living in the home, so check before you sign.

• DHOAS: you or your family live in the home for 12 months from the first payment. A posting after you move in can be managed if you tell DVA before you move.
• HPAS: you or your family move in within a month of settlement (building has a different deadline), or it may have to be paid back.
• 5% Deposit Scheme: keep living in the home as an owner-occupier, or the guarantee can end and the lender may charge lenders mortgage insurance.
• State grants: Victoria exempts permanent ADF members enrolled to vote there from its residence rule, New South Wales says ADF members may be exempt if every buyer is on its electoral roll, and South Australia lets permanent members apply for an exemption if every buyer is enrolled there. Queensland has no Defence exemption but can make exceptions: move in within a year, then live there for six months straight.
• Queensland duty concession: move in within a year of settlement (this cannot be extended). Renting it out before you move in, or renting out all of it in your first year, can cost you the concession.

Sources: dhoas.gov.au, Defence, firsthomebuyers.gov.au and the VIC, NSW, SA and QLD (grant, duty) revenue offices, checked 06-10-2026.

What a lender looks at

The schemes decide what help you get. The lender decides whether you get the loan.

Lenders treat allowances differently, some in full and some in part, and like to see Reserve pay over time. We are accredited with an approved DHOAS provider and compare it with our panel of 75 lenders.