Product Route
Property / Build Cost
Applicant Details
Income & Mortgage
Deposit
Scheme Eligibility
Advanced / Route-Specific
About This First Home Scheme Calculator
This First Home Scheme Calculator Ireland estimates your eligibility for the FHS shared equity scheme, calculates the likely funding gap, and shows the estimated FHS support amount and equity share percentage. It covers New Build, Self-Build, and Tenant Home Purchase routes, checks local authority price ceilings, and factors in Help to Buy interactions. It combines eligibility screening, funding gap estimation, and FHS amount calculation to give you a practical estimate before applying.
This calculator combines eligibility screening, funding gap estimation, and FHS amount calculation for New Build, Self-Build, and Tenant Home Purchase routes in Ireland. It uses the official scheme rules and local authority price ceilings to give you a practical estimate before applying.
What the scheme provides. The First Home Scheme is a shared equity support for eligible first-time buyers and qualifying fresh-start applicants. It can fund up to 30% of the property or build cost (or 20% where Help to Buy is also used). The minimum FHS support is the higher of 2.5% of property cost or €10,000.
How the calculator works. Enter your purchase route, property details, income, deposit sources, and eligibility information. The calculator estimates the funding gap between your property cost and the total of your mortgage plus deposit. It then checks whether that gap falls within the scheme limits and whether all eligibility gates are met.
What this tool now adds. In addition to initial eligibility and funding-gap checks, the result area also includes a buy-out-later estimator showing how redemption amounts can change if property values change over time, including the official self-build site-value treatment and indicative service charge build-up.
What this tool does not include. This is an estimate only. It does not confirm FHS approval, lender decisions, or final legal eligibility. Official redemptions require a valid valuation and may also be affected by material alterations, valuation timing rules, and any prior redemptions already made on your account.
FHS Service Charges (Indicative)
Service charges on the FHS equity share begin from Year 6 and increase over time. For planning, they are best thought of as annual charges tied to your original FHS amount and your current equity share percentage.
| Period | Annual Rate |
|---|---|
| Years 0 – 5 | 0% (no service charge) |
| Years 6 – 15 | 1.75% |
| Years 16 – 29 | 2.15% |
| Year 30+ | 2.85% |
Help to Buy vs First Home Scheme
Help to Buy (HTB) is a tax refund of up to €30,000 based on Income Tax and DIRT paid over the previous 4 years. It applies only to new builds and self-builds, and requires a 70% mortgage-to-value ratio. HTB reduces the cash deposit you need.
First Home Scheme (FHS) is a shared equity scheme where the State and participating lenders take an equity share in your property. It can fund up to 30% of the purchase price (or 20% if HTB is also used). FHS bridges the gap between your mortgage, deposit, and the property cost.
Can they be used together? Yes, for New Build and Self-Build routes. However, using HTB reduces the maximum FHS percentage from 30% to 20%. For Tenant Home Purchase, HTB is not available.
Property Price Ceilings by Local Authority
The First Home Scheme sets maximum property price ceilings by local authority area. Your property cost or build cost must not exceed the ceiling for your area and property type.
€500,000: Cork City, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin, Wicklow.
€475,000: Galway City, Kildare, Meath.
€450,000: Cork County, Galway County. Limerick and Waterford apartments also qualify at €450,000.
€425,000: Limerick (house/self-build), Louth.
€400,000: Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Mayo, Waterford (house/self-build), Westmeath, Wexford.
€375,000: Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary.