Family Home Guarantee Calculator
Check the 2% deposit and eligibility rules for single parents and legal guardians buying a home.
Property
If the cap needs checking, enter both the suburb and postcode.
For a separate build, enter the total land and building contract prices.
Deposit and loan
Enter savings left after putting aside purchase costs.
Add duty, conveyancing and other fees separately.
Include the build period if it is part of the loan term.
Applicant
Choose married if separated and still legally married.
DSP is the Disability Support Pension. See the definition below.
Move in within six months of loan settlement. Stay while covered.
Existing guarantee
Use the date Housing Australia approved the guarantee.
Results
Scheme screen
Provisional match
Location price cap
$850,000
Indicative minimum deposit
$13,700
Entered purchase deposit
$14,500
Above the minimum
$800
Proposed loan
$670,500
Other purchase costs
$3,800
Published rules
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Applicant age | Matches. At least 18 when signing the loan agreement. |
| Citizenship or residency | Matches. Australian citizen or permanent resident when signing. |
| Family status | Matches. Single parent or legal guardian with no spouse or de facto partner. |
| Dependent child | Matches. At least one child meets the scheme definition. |
| Borrowers and owners | Matches. One borrower who will be the sole registered owner. |
| Other property interests | Matches. Check freehold, long-term land leases and company title. |
| Owner-occupation | Matches. Move in within six months of loan settlement and stay while covered. |
| Loan repayments | Matches. Regular principal and interest. Ask the lender to confirm any interest-only period during construction. |
| Loan term | Matches. Up to 30 years. A separate construction period may apply to new builds. |
| Property type | Matches. The lender checks the contract and property type. |
| Purchase price cap | Matches. Compare the contract price with the location cap. |
| Deposit range | Matches. From 2% to under 20%, using the purchase price here. |
Screen Your Entered Circumstances
The Family Home Guarantee is the Single Parent Stream of the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. A single parent or legal guardian with a dependent child can apply alone with a deposit as low as 2%.
The current stream has no applicant income cap or waitlist. An applicant must be at least 18 and an Australian citizen or permanent resident when signing the loan agreement. Previous ownership by itself is allowed. Ask your lender to check the title and timing if you plan to sell a current property or buy out a co-owner.
For the dependent child question, use the scheme definition in the official guidance for single parents. It includes qualifying children under social security law and a child who lives with you and receives the Disability Support Pension.
For a completed or off-the-plan home, move in within six months of loan settlement. For a new build, move in within six months of the occupancy certificate. Stay while the guarantee applies.
The loan needs regular principal and interest repayments over up to 30 years. An eligible new build allows up to three extra years for construction. Interest-only payments can apply during construction, with regular principal and interest repayments once it ends.
If you have an older guarantee, the Investment Mandate sets out when the current rules apply.
Match the Property to Its Price Cap
The property price cap depends on the address. Both the contract price and the lender’s valuation must be at or below it. The calculator checks the contract price. For vacant land with a separate building contract, enter the land and build prices together.
Some postcodes cover more than one cap area, and a suburb name can appear in several postcodes. Enter the suburb and postcode together if the result asks for a manual check. For a location that still needs checking, look up the exact suburb and postcode in the official property price cap search.
Completed homes can include houses, townhouses and apartments. A lender checks the contracts and build deadlines for a house and land package, a separate build or an off-the-plan home. It also decides whether it will accept the property as security.
Illustrate the Deposit and Loan
Multiply the purchase price by 2% and round up to the next whole dollar for an indicative minimum. The scheme uses the value assessed by the lender. The participating lender checks that the proposed loan is more than 80% and no more than 98% of that value.
In the hypothetical Perth example, a $685,000 home is below the $850,000 cap. The indicative minimum is $13,700. A $14,500 deposit is $800 above it and leaves a proposed loan of $670,500.
Change the deposit to $10,000 and the shortfall is $3,700. The proposed loan becomes $675,000. The $3,800 entered for other purchase costs stays separate in both cases.
The guarantee covers part of the lender’s risk. You pay the deposit from your available savings and remain responsible for the full loan and its repayments.
Interpret a Screen Before Applying
Provisional match. The entries match the rules this calculator can assess. Have proof of citizenship or residency and evidence of the dependent child ready for a participating lender. The lender assesses serviceability and submits the application if it can proceed.
Rule not met. Read the affected row and compare the entry with the relevant document. For a deposit shortfall, check the savings available after duty and fees. For a price above the cap, check the contract price against the official location cap.
Manual check needed. Complete the unanswered fields or confirm the missing details with the lender. Take the title or contract if ownership or property type needs checking. Keep identity documents for the lender. The calculator takes scenario inputs only.
A participating lender manages any guarantee reservation. Use the borrowing power calculator for an initial repayment-capacity estimate before discussing serviceability with the lender.
