How the Help to Buy Scheme Works in Ireland and Who Qualifies

The Help to Buy Scheme is a Revenue tax refund for first-time buyers of new homes in Ireland. It refunds income tax and DIRT you have paid over the previous four years, up to €35,000, and the money goes towards your deposit.

For most first-time buyers of a new build, it is the single biggest help available. On a €400,000 home it can cover most of the 10% deposit on its own.

This guide covers how the refund is calculated, who qualifies, and how to claim it.

How the Help to Buy Scheme Works

Help to Buy gives first-time buyers a refund of tax already paid, to use towards buying or building a first home.

The refund is the lowest of three figures:

• €35,000. The cap rose from €30,000 in Budget 2027 and applies where contracts are signed, or the first self-build stage is drawn down, from 7 October 2026.
• 10% of the purchase price, or 10% of the approved valuation for a self-build.
• The income tax and DIRT you paid in the four tax years before you apply. USC and PRSI do not count.

The property must be a new build or a self-build that has never been lived in, with a price or valuation of €500,000 or less.

How the money is paid depends on the type of purchase:

• On a new build, Revenue pays the refund to the developer as part of your deposit.
• On a self-build, it is paid into your mortgage loan account once the first stage has been drawn down.

You must live in the home as your main residence for at least five years. Move out or sell earlier and Revenue claws back part of the refund, on a sliding scale from 100% in the first year to 20% in the fifth. (See drawdown for how the payment timing works.)

Help to Buy can be combined with the First Home Scheme, although the FHS share then drops from 30% to 20%.

Eligibility Criteria for the Help to Buy Scheme

To qualify for the Help to Buy Scheme you need to meet all of the following.

You

• First-time buyer: you have never bought or built a home, in Ireland or anywhere else, alone or with someone else. On a joint application, both of you must be first-time buyers.
• Tax compliant: your returns are filed and your tax is paid for the four years before you apply. PAYE workers usually just need to file a return for each of those years through myAccount.
• Owner-occupier: the home will be your main residence, not a holiday home or a rental.

The property

• New build or self-build only: never lived in before. Second-hand homes do not qualify.
• €500,000 or less: the purchase price, or the approved valuation for a self-build.
• Qualifying contractor: if you are buying, the developer must be registered with Revenue as a Help to Buy qualifying contractor. Check before you pay a booking deposit.

The mortgage

• At least 70% borrowed: your mortgage must be at least 70% of the price or valuation. Buyers with a very large deposit can fall outside the scheme on this rule alone.

How Help to Buy fits with the rest of your deposit, and with other supports, is something your mortgage broker should work through with you early. At Lenny Financial we have arranged hundreds of mortgages with Help to Buy since it was introduced.

Steps to Apply for the Help to Buy Scheme

The claim runs through Revenue's online services and has two stages.

1. Application. Log in to myAccount (or ROS if you are self-assessed), file any outstanding returns, and apply for Help to Buy. Revenue tells you the maximum refund you qualify for. Do this before you go sale agreed, so you know the figure.
2. Claim. Once you have signed contracts (or drawn down the first stage of a self-build), submit the claim with the contract details, the purchase price and your mortgage details. The developer, or your solicitor on a self-build, verifies it and Revenue releases the payment.

The scheme currently runs to the end of 2029.

If you are planning to buy a new home and want to know what Help to Buy would be worth to you, talk to us. We will work out the figure, check your eligibility and build it into your mortgage application from the start.