First Home Super Saver Scheme

Saving for your first home is no easy task – not only do you have the home loan deposit to save up for but there’s also the cost of lenders mortgage insurance, stamp duty (unless you’re eligible for exemption in your state) and upfront mortgage fees.

So, it’s easy to see why the Australian Government has attempted to fix the housing affordability issue by introducing the First Home Super Saver Scheme.

IMPORTANT NEWS: From July 1, 2022 the cap as increased from $30,000 to $50,000.

As a first home buyer, it may please you to know, that since July 1, 2017, you can:

Opt in to the scheme with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Then you’ll have the ability to…

Sacrifice up to $15k of your salary each year, which for instance your employer will then transfer into your super account on top of the 9.5% compulsory super contributions each time you get paid. Instead of being taxed at the marginal tax rate that usually applies to your salary, all funds saved through the scheme will only be taxed at 15%.

Withdraw your savings once they’ve hit the $30k cap (which will get taxed 30% below the marginal tax rate that applies to your income bracket).

Sounds pretty good, right? Let’s see if it’s really all it’s cracked up to be, by running through the positives and negatives below…

Pros

Couples are eligible to participate, meaning they can make extra super contributions individually, then withdraw the funds later and roll them into the one home loan deposit.

No new or separate account is required provided your super account is up and running as required by law for all Aussie workers (apart from sole traders or small business owners).

You’ll save more than you would putting cash in a savings account. According to Treasurer Scott Morrison in his 2017 Federal Budget speech, most first home buyers who use the scheme will accelerate their savings by at least 30%. Just consider the following example – when we crunched the numbers an Aussie on an $80k salary who makes an additional super contribution of $15k each year, would have a total of $25,603 after 2 years – making them $5,297 better off than if they had put that money in the best savings account at the time of writing at 3.05%.

Cons

Depending on the type of property you’re looking to purchase and the area you live in, $30k probably won’t provide you with a large enough deposit to buy a home which means you’ll most likely need to boost it with additional savings. For instance, once you’ve saved up $30k via the scheme, as part of the conditions you’ll be forced to withdraw the funds from your super account. So you may decide to deposit the money into a high interest savings account or term deposit with a competitive interest rate attached. Then you can continue saving to make up the rest of your mortgage deposit.

Taxpayers will cough up $250 million for the scheme over four years (with the ATO receiving $9.5 million on top of that figure to implement the scheme).

As you can see, the benefits of this new scheme seem to outweigh the cons, so it could end up being a major win for all the first home buyers out there struggling to get into the property market. To find out more about the First Home Super Saver Scheme visit the ATO’s dedicated landing page CLICK HERE and before you go read our top tips for getting your first home loan approved below.

Tips for first home buyers
While taking the first step and saving for your home deposit (and other property buying costs) may be exciting, when you get there you still must convince the banks that you’re worthy of a home loan. So make sure you…

1. Can show genuine savings. When you apply for a home loan the lender will want to see that you have ‘genuine savings’ by looking at least 3 month’s worth of your most recent bank statements. The benefit of a good savings history is it shows the bank that you’re more than capable of repaying the home loan.

2. Don’t job hop. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s a good idea to stay with your current employer, so you can show the lender you have a stable income and are not a risky borrower.

3. Check your credit score. It’s easy to receive a copy of your credit score these days, as there are many online credit reporting providers

And link to which allow you to access a copy of your credit report once a year for free. When you download your report, make sure you look out for any errors, and get them removed from your file before applying for a home loan.

First time buyer guides

First Home Buyer Guide for NEW HOMES – CLICK HERE

First Home Buyer – General Information CLICK HERE 

First Home Super Saver Scheme – New Legislation Information CLICK HERE

First Home Super Saver Scheme – Media Release from the Treasurer CLICK HERE