On this page
- Overview
- What the Help to Buy scheme actually does
- Who can claim Help to Buy
- Who cannot claim Help to Buy
- The three limits that decide your refund
- Worked example 1 — Aoife: full cap
- Worked example 2 — Cathal: limited by tax paid
- Worked example 3 — Niamh: limited by the 10% rule
- The Revenue application journey
- Common Help to Buy mistakes
- How to use the calculator without overestimating
- Next steps
Overview
For qualifying contracts signed or first self-build mortgage drawdowns from 7 October 2026 to 31 December 2029, the maximum HTB refund is the lowest of €35,000, 10% of the purchase price or approved valuation, and eligible Income Tax plus DIRT paid in the four years before application. The €30,000 cap applies from 23 July 2020 through 6 October 2026. Worked examples below using a €30,000 HTB refund retain that assumed or historical refund; do not automatically substitute €35,000 because the tax-paid and 10% limits may still reduce entitlement. Other eligibility conditions remain unchanged. Revenue: HTB limits and dates.
What the Help to Buy scheme actually does
If you are a first-time buyer building or buying a new home in Ireland, the Help to Buy scheme can refund up to a specified amount of the Income Tax and DIRT you have already paid in Ireland over the previous four tax years. Revenue pays this refund either to the contractor (towards your deposit on a new home) or directly to you (for a self-build).
That is the whole idea. Help to Buy is not a grant. It is not based on future earnings. It is not a refund of USC or PRSI. It is a way to use the income tax you have already paid as part of the deposit for a qualifying new home.
That distinction matters because most people overestimate what Help to Buy gives them. The headline cap is one of three limits applied to your refund — and usually the smallest of the three is what you actually receive.
Who can claim Help to Buy
You can usually claim if all of the following apply:
- You are a first-time purchaser under Revenue’s definition. You must not have previously purchased or built a house or apartment, alone or jointly, in Ireland or abroad. If you inherited or were gifted a property, it may not affect eligibility depending on the circumstances.
- You are buying or self-building a new home you will live in as your main residence, not let or use as an investment.
- The home is purchased from a qualifying contractor (for a new-build) or self-built on land you own.
- The purchase price or approved valuation is within Revenue’s qualifying limit — currently €500,000.
- Your mortgage is at least 70% loan-to-value. In practice, you are not allowed to pay mostly in cash and still claim HTB.
- You are tax compliant — all returns filed and any liabilities cleared at the point of approval.
If you are buying jointly, each applicant must independently meet the first-time-purchaser test. If one applicant previously purchased or built a house or apartment, the joint claim will not meet Revenue’s requirement. A gifted or inherited property interest should not be treated as an automatic disqualification; the circumstances should be checked with Revenue.
Who cannot claim Help to Buy
| Situation | Why HTB does not apply |
|---|---|
| Buying a second-hand home | HTB applies only to qualifying new-builds and self-builds |
| Either applicant previously purchased or built a house or apartment | All purchasers must independently be first-time purchasers; a gifted or inherited property may be treated differently depending on the circumstances |
| Mortgage below 70% LTV | Cash-heavy purchases are excluded |
| Property price above the qualifying limit | Currently €500,000 |
| Outstanding tax returns or liabilities | Revenue blocks the claim until you are compliant |
| Investors and landlords | HTB is owner-occupier only |
| Buying through a non-qualifying contractor | The contractor must be on Revenue’s approved list |
The three limits that decide your refund
The headline cap is the maximum. Your actual refund is the smallest of three numbers:
| Limit | What it means | Where it bites |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme cap | The hard ceiling under HTB rules. €30,000 through 6 October 2026; €35,000 from 7 October 2026. | Affects everyone — the absolute maximum. |
| 10% of property value | The refund cannot exceed 10% of the purchase price or approved valuation. | Bites first on lower-value homes. A €250,000 home limits the refund to €25,000. |
| Income tax + DIRT actually paid | The refund cannot exceed the income tax and DIRT you’ve actually paid in Ireland in the lookback period. | Bites first on younger buyers, recently-returned emigrants, or anyone with low Irish tax paid. |
USC and PRSI are not counted. Plenty of first-time buyers expect their full payroll deductions to qualify and are surprised when only income tax does.
Worked example 1 — Aoife: full cap
Aoife is 32, single, buying her first new-build apartment in Cork City for €395,000. Over the last four tax years she has paid combined Income Tax and DIRT of €42,000.
| Limit | Aoife’s number |
|---|---|
| Scheme cap | €30,000 |
| 10% of €395,000 | €39,500 |
| Tax actually paid | €42,000 |
Aoife’s refund is the smallest of the three: €30,000, capped by the scheme limit. The other two limits are higher, so they don’t bite.
Worked example 2 — Cathal: limited by tax paid
Cathal is 26, just returned from two years working in Berlin. He is buying a new-build in Galway for €340,000. Across the previous four tax years he has only €14,200 in Irish Income Tax and DIRT, because two of those years he was abroad and paying tax in Germany.
| Limit | Cathal’s number |
|---|---|
| Scheme cap | €30,000 |
| 10% of €340,000 | €34,000 |
| Tax actually paid | €14,200 ← smallest |
Cathal’s refund is €14,200. The scheme cap and the 10% rule are both higher, but he simply hasn’t paid enough Irish tax in the relevant years. This is the single most common cause of disappointment with HTB — and it is why an honest calculator must ask for your tax paid, not just the property price.
Worked example 3 — Niamh: limited by the 10% rule
Niamh is buying a new-build in Letterkenny for €260,000. She has paid €38,000 in Income Tax over the last four years.
| Limit | Niamh’s number |
|---|---|
| Scheme cap | €30,000 |
| 10% of €260,000 | €26,000 ← smallest |
| Tax actually paid | €38,000 |
Niamh’s refund is €26,000. The 10% rule bites first because her property value is lower. Many buyers forget the 10% rule even exists.
The Revenue application journey
There are four stages. Skipping any of them, or doing them out of order, is the most common cause of last-minute problems.
- Pre-application — register for Revenue myAccount (PAYE) or ROS (self-assessed). File any outstanding tax returns. Clear any liabilities. HTB approval is blocked while you are non-compliant.
- Application stage — submit your HTB application online. Revenue calculates a maximum potential refund based on your tax record. You receive an application number and an access code.
- Approval stage — your contractor (for a new-build) or your solicitor (for a self-build) uses your application number and access code to verify the claim. Revenue confirms the figure.
- Claim stage — once contracts are signed (or, for a self-build, once the first stage of the build is reached), the claim is submitted. The refund pays to the contractor’s bank account (or, for a self-build, directly to you).
For a new-build, you do not receive the cash yourself. It goes to the contractor and reduces what you need to find for the deposit. This catches many buyers out, especially those who assumed HTB would land in their account.
Common Help to Buy mistakes
| Mistake | Why it costs money | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Treating USC and PRSI as eligible tax | They are not — only Income Tax and DIRT count | Pull your last four years’ Statements of Liability and total only the income tax + DIRT lines |
| Assuming a second-hand home qualifies | HTB never applies to existing housing | If buying second-hand, look at the First Home Scheme — but note FHS has its own restrictions too |
| Co-buying with a partner who previously purchased or built a home | The joint claim cannot meet Revenue’s requirement that every buyer be a first-time purchaser | Confirm each buyer’s purchase and building history before any contractor application; check gifted or inherited interests with Revenue |
| Expecting the refund as cash | For a new-build it goes to the contractor | Plan your deposit funding assuming HTB reduces the gap, not that it pays you |
| Going sale agreed before HTB approval | You may sign contracts you cannot fund | Get HTB approval before signing contracts |
| Missing the 70% LTV rule | A cash-heavy purchase blocks HTB | Plan deposits so the mortgage stays at or above 70% LTV |
| Confusing approved valuation with build cost (self-builders) | HTB uses approved valuation, not build cost | For self-builders, the lender’s valuation is the figure that matters |
How to use the calculator without overestimating
When you open the Help to Buy Calculator, enter:
- The actual purchase price of the new home — not the asking price you hope to negotiate down.
- Your combined Income Tax + DIRT paid in the last four tax years — pull this from Revenue myAccount → Statements of Liability. Do not use gross salary, USC, or PRSI.
- If self-building, the approved valuation from your lender, not the build cost.
The calculator gives you a fast estimate. Revenue’s actual figure at application stage is what matters legally. If the two differ by more than a few hundred euro, check that your tax-paid input is correct.
Next steps
- If HTB alone won’t close your funding gap, read First Home Scheme Explained.
- If you might use both schemes, read Using HTB and FHS Together.
- If self-building, read Self-Build with HTB and FHS.
- Confirm your borrowing capacity: Mortgage Affordability Calculator.
- Estimate the upfront tax bill: Stamp Duty Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much money will Help to Buy actually give me?
The smallest of three numbers: the applicable scheme cap (€30,000 through 6 October 2026; €35,000 from 7 October 2026), 10% of the purchase price or approved valuation, or the Income Tax and DIRT you have paid in Ireland over the previous four tax years. Most buyers who overestimate their HTB refund are caught by the taxpaid limit or the 10% rule rather than the headline cap.
Does Help to Buy work on a second-hand house?
No. HTB only applies to qualifying newbuild homes purchased from a registered contractor, or to selfbuilds. Buying any existing property on the open market makes HTB unavailable.
Do my USC and PRSI deductions count for the refund?
No. Only Income Tax and DIRT count. USC and PRSI are explicitly excluded by Revenue from the HTB calculation, even though they show up in the same payroll deduction block on your payslip.
Will the refund land in my bank account?
For a newbuild purchase, no — the refund is paid to the qualifying contractor as part of the deposit. For a selfbuild, Revenue pays the approved refund to the nominated Irish bank account after the claim has been verified.
What is the 10% rule and when does it bite?
Your refund cannot exceed 10% of the purchase price or approved valuation of the home. For a €250,000 home, the maximum refund is €25,000, regardless of how much tax you have paid or how high the headline cap is. The 10% rule typically bites first on lowervalue homes outside the larger cities.
My partner previously purchased a flat in London — can we still claim?
No. Every purchaser in a joint HTB application must meet Revenue's firsttime-purchaser test. A previous purchase or build in Ireland or abroad means that purchaser does not qualify. An inherited or gifted property is not an automatic disqualification and should be checked according to the circumstances.
Do I need HTB approval before I sign contracts?
Yes — at minimum. Signing a contract before HTB approval risks committing to a price you cannot fund if the refund comes back lower than expected. The safe order is: mortgage approval → HTB application → HTB approval → sale agreed → contracts.
My tax returns are a bit behind — what happens?
Revenue blocks Help to Buy until you are tax compliant. File any outstanding returns and clear any liabilities before applying. This is one of the most common causes of HTB delay at the application stage.
Sources & references
Related calculators
Use these tools for the numbers behind this guide.