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Buying a Home5 min read

Help to Buy Scheme: How to Claim Up to €30,000

The Help to Buy scheme gives first-time buyers of new-build homes a tax rebate of up to €30,000. Here's exactly how to qualify and apply.

Key takeaway

The Help to Buy scheme gives first-time buyers of new-build homes a tax rebate of up to €30,000. Here's exactly how to qualify and apply.

What is Help to Buy?

The Help to Buy (HTB) incentive is a refund of income tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid over the previous four tax years. It's designed to help first-time buyers of new-build homes fund their deposit. The refund is paid directly to the property developer on your behalf.

Maximum refund

You can claim the lesser of:

  • €30,000
  • 10% of the purchase price of the property
  • The total income tax and DIRT you paid in the four years before the year of claim

If you've only been in Ireland for 1–2 years, your refund may be limited by the amount of Irish income tax you've actually paid.

Eligibility criteria

  • You must be a first-time buyer — never previously purchased or built a home anywhere in the world
  • The property must be a new build (self-builds also qualify; second-hand properties do not)
  • Purchase price must be €500,000 or less
  • The property must be your principal private residence (not an investment property)
  • You must take out a mortgage of at least 70% of the purchase price (LTV ≥ 70%)
  • You must be tax compliant — all returns filed, taxes paid

How to apply

  1. Ensure you're registered for myAccount on Revenue.ie (verified MyGovID required)
  2. Apply for HTB through myAccount — Revenue will calculate the maximum refund based on your tax history
  3. Receive an HTB application number and access code
  4. Provide these to your developer/builder — they claim the funds directly from Revenue on your behalf
  5. The HTB amount is applied to your deposit; you pay the remainder

First Home Scheme

Alongside HTB, the First Home Scheme is an equity-sharing scheme where the government and participating banks take a stake in your home (up to 30% of the purchase price) in exchange for reducing the amount you need to borrow. It's designed for buyers who meet mortgage affordability criteria but can't quite bridge the gap to the purchase price in high-demand areas. You buy back the government's share over time. Check firsthomescheme.ie for eligibility and participating lenders.

Help to BuyHTBfirst-time buyernew build

General guidance only. Always verify with official sources — gov.ie, citizensinformation.ie, hse.ie.

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