Defence & veteran home loans
DHOAS and ADF home loans from a Defence mortgage broker who has served
Started by an Australian Defence Force veteran who knows DHOAS and the posting cycle from the inside.
Free tool
Estimate your DHOAS subsidy
See your monthly subsidy, alone or with an eligible partner.
What is DHOAS?
The Government helps pay your home loan interest every month.
The Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS) is run by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) for serving and former ADF members. DHOAS pays a monthly subsidy that is a share of the interest on the subsidised part of your loan. The scheme sets the formula; use the calculator to see your number.
DHOAS tiers and loan limits
Your tier sets how much of your loan gets the subsidy. It rises with your years of service.
| Tier | Permanent | Reserve | Loan limit 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 2 years | 4 years | $455,622 |
| Tier 2 | 4 years | 8 years | $683,433 |
| Tier 3 | 8 years | 12 years | $911,244 |
Borrow above your limit and the extra gets no subsidy. Your subsidy keeps the limits from the month your first payment covers, unless it stops and restarts.
Effective service is paid service; for Reservists, a financial year with 20 or more paid days. Source: dhoas.gov.au, loan limits and tiers. Checked 06-10-2026.
Am I eligible for DHOAS?
You can use DHOAS once you finish a qualifying period and build some service credit (how long you can be paid).
Permanent members need 2 years in a row, then at least a month of credit (DVA suggests two); leave without pay of under 12 months pauses the clock. Reservists need 4 financial years in a row with at least 20 paid days in each, then one more effective year; over six months of Continuous Full-Time Service counts as an extra year towards the four. Warlike service does not shorten the qualifying period, but adds 2 to 5 years of credit as soon as you finish the qualifying period.
Quick questions, one at a time. Nothing you enter is stored or sent, unless you choose Apply now at the end.
Medically discharged? DHOAS treats you better, not worse
Discharged on or after 01-07-2008 for a condition DVA has accepted? You get more than after an ordinary discharge.
- No qualifying period. DVA may assess you as a "DHOAS Incapacitated Member", eligible even with under 2 years of service.
- Your tier does not drop. Under 4 years of effective service is Tier 1, 4 to under 8 is Tier 2, 8 or more is Tier 3. An ordinary discharge drops you to Tier 1 unless you served 20 years.
- More subsidy time. At least 8 years, or your effective service if longer, up to 20, plus warlike service, less any earlier DHOAS, DHOS or DSH help. The scheme's example: 10 years 6 months of service gets 10 years 6 months at Tier 3.
- Same certificate rules. One certificate application after you leave, valid 12 months with no extension, and 12 months living in the home once payments start. Used your last certificate and need to sell because of your condition? Call DHOAS on 1300 434 627.
- What DVA asks for. Service records showing your medical transition, plus your DM042 (CSC Certificate of Capacity). No DM042? Your MECRB determination. For a retrospective invalidity decision, your MSBS Rule 30 decision letter.
- Still serving? You are assessed as an Incapacitated Member only once you medically separate, even if you already get DVA incapacity payments.
- Discharged before 01-07-2008? You may still have a limited route. Ask DVA.
Source: dhoas.gov.au.
Left the ADF? You may still be entitled
Finished your qualifying period before you left? You can still use the credit you built up.
- One certificate. After you leave you can apply only once, whatever the outcome.
- 12 months, no extension. Your certificate lasts 12 months, so time it with your purchase.
- Tier 1 unless you served 20 years. Even if you held a higher tier while serving. With 20 years or more you get Tier 3.
Joined before 15-05-1985?
Defence Service Homes (DSH) is an older scheme for people who first joined the ADF before 15-05-1985, or later if they were allotted for service in Namibia. See dhoas.gov.au.
Using DHOAS with first home buyer schemes
You may be able to use other help as well as DHOAS.
Defence's Home Purchase Assistance Scheme (HPAS) and Home Purchase and Sale Expense Allowance (HPSEA) can help with buying costs (see ADF Pay and Conditions). First home buyers may also use the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme and state grants or stamp duty concessions. Each has its own rules; our first home buyers page has the current figures, and our guide for first home buyers in the ADF sets out the order.
Postings, occupancy and renting it out
Live in the home for 12 months. A posting does not have to cost you the subsidy.
You, or your family if you are away, must live there for 12 months from your first payment. Got your posting order after you moved in? The subsidy can continue if you send DVA a Change of Circumstances form and the posting order before you move. Wait until after the move and payments can stop; you may have to repay some. After 12 months you can rent it out and keep the subsidy while the loan stays current; ask a registered tax agent about tax first.
Source: dhoas.gov.au.
How we help
We do the DHOAS legwork with you, from tier and timing to lodging the loan.
- We check your tier, service credit and certificate timing.
- We are accredited with an approved DHOAS provider and compare our panel of 75 lenders.
- We match Defence, DVA and CSC income to lenders that assess it well (see home loans on a DVA pension).
- Building? DHOAS works on construction loans; you choose when the subsidy starts (see our construction loans page).
Our service is free: the lender pays the broker when your loan settles. We work by phone and video, wherever you are posted.
Common questions
DHOAS questions we hear every week
How much will DHOAS pay me each month?
It depends on your tier, your loan and the scheme's own median interest rate, which is reviewed every month, so the amount can change. For a new loan in one member's name, the most in September 2026 was $583 a month on Tier 1, $874 on Tier 2 and $1,166 on Tier 3. Two eligible partners on one loan can get more. Your loan limit is not a cap on what you can borrow: you can borrow more, but only the part up to your limit gets the subsidy. Try our DHOAS calculator. Source: dhoas.gov.au.
When should I apply for my subsidy certificate?
Our tip: ask DHOAS (1300 434 627) about your eligibility first, then apply for the certificate once your loan is conditionally approved, so its 12 months do not run out. You need the certificate to take out a DHOAS loan, and it cannot be extended. After you leave the ADF you can apply only once, whatever the outcome. Want the lump sum? Talk to us before you sign a contract, because the certificate must be issued before you buy. Certificate rules: dhoas.gov.au.
What can a DHOAS loan be used for?
Only your own home: buying a home or land, building, renovating, or refinancing a loan for one of those. Not investment properties, cars, boats or holidays, so you cannot roll a car loan into it, and there are no lines of credit. The loan must be principal and interest, or interest only while you build. If a redraw loan hits nil or goes into credit, the subsidy stops, even if you redraw straight away. Source: dhoas.gov.au.
Can I refinance my current home loan to DHOAS?
Yes, if you are eligible and it is your home. A DHOAS provider can refinance what you still owe, plus more only if you need it for building or renovating. You pay any transfer fees, and you must live there for 12 months from your first subsidy payment, however long you have lived there already. Bought it while serving? Then there is no lump sum, but the monthly subsidy still applies. Already on DHOAS? Moving the loan to another provider or increasing it needs a new certificate. If you have left the ADF and already used your one post-discharge application, doing either ends your subsidy, so talk to DHOAS first. Sources: dhoas.gov.au, conditions and lump sum.
Do I need a 20% deposit?
DHOAS itself has no deposit rule. Your loan provider decides, using its normal lending rules, and borrowing more than 80% of the property's value can mean paying lenders mortgage insurance. The DHOAS lump sum cannot be your deposit, because it is paid after settlement. Buying your first home? Every DHOAS provider is also a 5% Deposit Scheme lender (checked 08-10-2026), and whether your DHOAS loan can use it is the lender's call, so we check. Sources: dhoas.gov.au, Moneysmart and firsthomebuyers.gov.au.
Does the subsidy help me borrow more?
Often, yes. The lenders we have asked count the DHOAS subsidy as income when they work out what you can borrow. The lenders we have checked need to see your certificate before they count it, so we plan the timing with you. Each lender has its own rules, especially when two partners claim on one loan, so we check before you apply.
I am buying an investment first. Can I switch it to DHOAS when I move in?
Yes, if you are eligible and the ownership rules fit: you own at least half of it (alone or with your partner), you are on the title, and none of it is held in a trust. When you move in, a DHOAS provider can refinance what you still owe, and the subsidy starts once you live there and hold a valid certificate. You then need to live there for 12 months. One catch: buying a property while you serve, even one you never live in, rules out the lump sum. You keep the monthly subsidy. Sources: dhoas.gov.au, conditions and lump sum.
When does the subsidy start after settlement?
Not on settlement day. DVA pays the subsidy into your loan on the first business day of each month, for the month before. To start it, your lender tells DVA your loan balance, and you send DVA (not your lender) a Subsidy Authorisation Request form. You must also be living in the home with a valid certificate. In DVA's own example, if the loan is drawn down and you meet every condition before August's cut-off (the 10th last business day of the month), the first payment arrives in early October and covers August and September. An approved lump sum comes with the first payment. Keep up your repayments in the meantime. Sources: dhoas.gov.au, timing of payments and starting the subsidy.
Can my partner and I both use DHOAS on one loan?
Yes, if you are both eligible. Your two loan limits are added together and you are each paid half the subsidy, even if your tiers differ. Try the two-partner mode in our DHOAS calculator. Source: dhoas.gov.au.
Which lenders offer DHOAS home loans?
Only a small panel of providers appointed by Defence. The subsidy is the same with each. We are accredited with an approved DHOAS provider and compare our wider panel of 75 lenders too.
Veteran owned and operated
Talk to a broker who speaks Defence
The first chat is free. Queensland-based, lending Australia-wide.