Apply for the First Home Grant
There are two main ways you can apply for a First Home Grant – either for pre-approval (before you have found a property to buy) or full approval (after you have made an offer on a home and it has been accepted).
We strongly recommend you apply for pre-approval. It takes the guess work out and helps speed up the process.
Once you have read through the information below and have everything you need, you can apply online(external link).
Pre-approval
To apply for pre-approval, you need to complete the First Home Grant application, including documents that show your income and KiwiSaver contributions.
Pre-approvals are valid for 6 months – if you have not bought a home in that time you will need to reapply.
If you have a pre-approval, once you have found a property to buy, you need to provide us with the Sales and purchase agreement and Evidence of deposit documents two weeks prior to the settlement date.
Apply after an offer is accepted
If you have made a successful offer on a property and don't have a pre-approval, you need to apply for a First Home Grant at least 4 weeks before the day of settlement. Please contact us on 0508 935 266 if there are less than 4 weeks before settlement, as a grant will not be paid out after this has occurred.
What you need to apply
Check you are eligible - If you haven't already, make sure you meet the requirements for a First Home Grant.
Check the property criteria - Before applying for a full approval, make sure the property meets the required criteria for a First Home Grant.
You will need electronic copies (for example, PDFs) of all these documents to attach to your online application.
Photo identification - A photocopy of your passport, birth certificate or driver's licence in the name you are applying with.
Proof of income and KiwiSaver contribution statement
You need to provide a summary of earnings for the last 12 months from Inland Revenue for everyone who is applying for the grant.
How to get it:
- Go to ird.govt.nz(external link)
- Login using your IRD Online Services user name and password
- Go to KiwiSaver Member
- Under KiwiSaver provider name, click on 'More'
- Go to My details
- Select Proof of income and KiwiSaver and download
- Right mouse click and select Print and save as a PDF file
This will create a PDF document that can be emailed.
If any voluntary contributions have been made, applicants will need to contact their KiwiSaver scheme provider for a detailed contribution statement.
- Go to ird.govt.nz(external link)
- Login using your IRD Online Services user name and password
- Go to Income Tax
- Click on More
- Go to My income
- Select Print Income details
- Change the 'From' date to today's date but change the year to one year earlier (i.e. 01-Nov-2021 becomes 01-Nov-2020)
- Change the 'To' date to today's date
- Select Print income details
- Right mouse click and select Print and save as a PDF file
This will create a PDF document which can be emailed.
Watch the videos below for instructions on how to produce your last 12 month income statement:
- English(external link)
- Māori(external link)
- Samoan(external link)
- Tongan(external link)
- Chinese(external link)
To get the income and KiwiSaver details, follow the steps below:
- Go to ird.govt.nz(external link)
- Login using your IRD Online Services user name and password
- Go to KiwiSaver Member
- Under KiwiSaver provider name, click on More
- Go to My details
- Select Proof of income and KiwiSaver and download
- Right mouse click and select Print and save as a PDF file
This will create a PDF document that can be emailed.
Self-employed applicants need to provide copies of:
- your most recent personal IR 3 Notice of Assessment showing your individual taxable income
- Notice of Assessments, Return Acknowledgements and/or Submission Confirmation from IRD for each tax year you have been self employed, showing individual taxable income.
- Alternatively, we can also accept independently prepared accounts (from an accountant or authorised tax agent). These accounts must show the individuals total taxable income for the year.
- voluntary contributions that have been made, applicants will need to contact their KiwiSaver scheme provider for a detailed contribution statement.
If you are applying for full-approval you will also need to supply:
- Sale and purchase agreement - Signed and dated copy of the sale and purchase agreement at least 2 weeks before settlement date.
- Evidence of deposit - Evidence that you have a deposit of at least 5% of the purchase price.
Once you have pre-approved and have found a house - You will need to provide the Sales and purchase agreement and Evidence of deposit.
Building a new home
If you are building a new home, you'll also need to supply:
- a building contract and/or a quote from a quantity surveyor
- a copy of your right to occupy Māori land, if applicable.
Questions?
If you have questions before you apply, you can:
- phone us on 0508 935 266
- email us at enquiries@kaingaora.govt.nz.
Apply online
Apply online now(external link)
Make sure you have scanned copies of all the documents you need so you can upload them with your application. The online application must be completed within 59 minutes – after this it will time out and you will have to start again.
Page updated: 4 December 2023