Which buyer-scheme question do you have?
Start with comparison and eligibility, then move to application, specialist buyer routes or managing FHS after purchase.
20 buyer-scheme guides
Choose the stage that matches where you are now, from comparing supports to managing an FHS equity facility later.
Compare the schemes
Understand what Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme do before choosing a route.
Eligibility and limits
Check buyer status, property ceilings, lender conditions and Fresh Start rules.
Application and purchase
Follow the application, solicitor and valuation steps needed to complete the purchase.
Special buyer routes
Use the route-specific guide for tenant purchases, self-builds and combined supports.
Managing FHS later
Understand the equity facility, future charges and changes after the home is bought.
What both schemes are not
Before going deeper, kill four common assumptions. Neither scheme is:
- A cash grant. Help to Buy gives you back income tax you already paid in Ireland. The First Home Scheme takes an equity stake in your home in exchange for closing a price gap. Nobody hands you a free deposit.
- Available for second-hand homes. Help to Buy never applies to existing housing stock. Standard FHS does not either — the separate Tenant Home Purchase route is a different path for tenants buying from their landlord, and it is not what most second-hand buyers are looking for.
- Automatic. Both schemes require separate applications, eligibility checks and lender approvals. Neither is granted just because you are a first-time buyer.
- Stamp duty relief. Neither scheme reduces the stamp duty you owe on a residential purchase. Plan stamp duty as a separate closing cost. Estimate it with the Stamp Duty Calculator.
The buyer-support stack
Most Irish first-time buyers end up assembling some combination of these four components:
| Layer | What it does | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | The biggest single layer — usually 80–90% of the price | Always |
| Cash deposit | Your savings, gifts, or proceeds from another asset | Always |
| Help to Buy | Revenue refund of income tax + DIRT already paid; goes to contractor for new-builds | Only for new-builds and self-builds |
| First Home Scheme | Shared equity from the state + participating banks; closes the price gap | When mortgage + deposit + HTB still falls short of the price |
You don't need all four. Many buyers use only mortgage + deposit. Some add HTB to get a bigger deposit. A smaller number need FHS to bridge a remaining gap. Each layer narrows the next layer's role.
The calculator order most Irish first-time buyers should use
- Mortgage Affordability Calculator — start here. Until you know your borrowing limit, every other number is a guess.
- Help to Buy Calculator — if you're buying or building a new home, see what refund Revenue could approve based on your tax record.
- FHS Price Ceiling Lookup — before relying on FHS, confirm the local authority ceiling for the property type and route.
- First Home Scheme Calculator — if a gap remains between (mortgage + deposit + HTB) and the property price, estimate the FHS support you might qualify for.
- Stamp Duty Calculator — add stamp duty to your closing cash figure. HTB and FHS do not reduce it.
- Mortgage Repayment Calculator — once you've settled on a mortgage size, stress-test the monthly repayment against your real budget.
If you reverse this order — for example, picking the home first, then trying to retro-fit the funding — you can end up sale-agreed on a property you cannot actually fund.
Common patterns by buyer type
| Buyer type | Typical scheme mix |
|---|---|
| Solo first-time buyer, PAYE worker, buying a new-build apartment under €400,000 | HTB + maybe FHS if mortgage falls short |
| Couple buying a new-build family home €450–600,000 | HTB (per-applicant tax record), possibly FHS, both need to qualify as FTB |
| Self-builder on family-gifted site | HTB on the build, FHS only if needed |
| Recently-returned emigrant | HTB likely limited by low Irish tax paid in the lookback period |
| Recently-divorced applicant buying alone | Fresh Start route for FHS — but HTB definition is stricter and may not apply |
| Self-employed first-time buyer | All schemes available, but lender criteria (income proof, accounts history) usually the binding constraint |
If your situation isn't on this list, the eligibility tests in each spoke guide should answer it. If it still doesn't, the calculator at each step will at least show you whether the maths works before you talk to a solicitor or lender.
Related calculators
Open a calculator when you are ready to estimate your own numbers.
Official information and support
Check eligibility, property ceilings and application steps with the scheme owner or Revenue before relying on an estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Are Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme the same thing?
No. Help to Buy is a Revenue tax refund based on the Irish income tax and DIRT you have already paid in the previous four tax years. It applies only to newbuilds and selfbuilds. The First Home Scheme is a sharedequity scheme where the state, together with three participating banks, takes an equity stake in your home in exchange for closing a price gap. They are separate schemes with separate eligibility tests, and you can use both, one, or neither.
Can I actually use both schemes at the same time?
Yes, in many newbuild and selfbuild cases you can stack them. When combined, the maximum FHS support reduces from 30% of the property price to 20%. The application processes remain separate, and each scheme has its own eligibility check.
Which calculator should I use first?
Start with mortgage affordability. Until you know what a bank will lend you, every other number is a guess. Then add Help to Buy if you are buying or building a new home. Then check the First Home Scheme if a funding gap remains. Then add stamp duty. Trying to estimate scheme support before knowing your mortgage capacity is the most common ordering mistake.
Can I use these schemes on a second-hand home?
Help to Buy never applies to secondhand homes. Standard FHS generally does not either. The separate FHS Tenant Home Purchase route covers some tenants buying from their landlord, but it is a different application path and does not cover ordinary secondhand purchases on the open market.
Am I still a first-time buyer if my partner has owned a home before?
For Help to Buy, no. Revenue's definition disqualifies the entire application if either purchaser has previously owned a residential property anywhere in the world. For the First Home Scheme, the Fresh Start route may still apply in specific separation or insolvency cases — read the Fresh Start guide for the exact situations.
Will these schemes lower my stamp duty?
No. Stamp duty is a separate Revenue charge and is calculated on the property price regardless of how the price was funded. Plan stamp duty as part of your closing cash position, not as something HTB or FHS will reduce.