The Help to Buy Scheme has increased from 5% to 10%

2020-07-28

Many homeowners in Ireland have used the Help to Buy (HTB) Scheme to get themselves on the property ladder.

Until now, the HTB Scheme has helped buyers purchase their first home by providing a tax rebate of up to 5% of the new home they’re buying.

That figure has just been increased.

In July 2020, the government announced changes to the HTB Scheme as part of the July Stimulus package.

From now until December 2020, the HTB Scheme will allow first time buyers a tax rebate of 10% up to €30,000.

Conditions of the Help to Buy Scheme

The HTB Scheme has certain requirements. You must fulfil these if you want to qualify for the support. These conditions are:

You must be a first time buyer
The property you want to buy or build must be a new property (built between 19 July 2016 and 31 December 2021)
Live in the property you buy or build for at least five years after purchase
You must be tax compliant

You must also ensure that the home you buy has been built by a contractor approved by Revenue. A list of approved property developers and contractors is available on the Revenue website. Developers and contractors have to be tax compliant to be on this list.

How much money can you claim?

On the HTB Scheme, you can claim the lesser of:

€30,000 (the new figure detailed in the July Stimulus package), or
10% of the purchase price of a new home (for a house that you build yourself, the 10% will be calculated on the completion value of the property), or
The combined total of income tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid over the four years prior to purchasing or building a house.

There is a cap on the amount you can claim and on the value of the property you can buy or build.

Maximum payment: €30,000
Maximum property value: €500,000

We share more details on the HTB Scheme in our blog on “How to get help with your deposit for a mortgage”.

We can help you claim the HTB Scheme

We have helped many of our clients buy their first home by availing of the HTB Scheme.

Our team members will guide you through the requirements of the scheme and partner with you every step of the way. Zero stress!

Contact us today for a confidential chat. We’d be delighted to find out more about your property purchase dreams and how we can help you realise them.