How much is Help to Buy actually worth?

The lowest of three amounts: €30,000, ten per cent of the purchase value, or the income tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax you actually paid over the previous four years. The third is the one that binds most often and the one nobody checks first.

Can I use Help to Buy on a second hand house?

No. The property has to be new or a self build. A second hand house does not qualify however much work it needs.

Can a large deposit disqualify me from Help to Buy?

Yes, which surprises people. The mortgage has to be at least seventy per cent of the purchase value, so a buyer putting down a very large deposit can fall under that line and lose the relief entirely.

Can Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme be used together?

Yes. They do different things: Help to Buy refunds tax you already paid, while the First Home Scheme takes an equity stake in the property in exchange for closing part of the gap. Whether the second is worth it depends mostly on how long you expect to stay.

When does Help to Buy end?

Applications are open until 31 December 2029 at the current rates. It has been extended repeatedly, each time close to the deadline, so a plan that relies on another extension carries a real risk.

Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme, and where each stops

Help to Buy is the lowest of three amounts, and the third one catches most people. What each limit is and which one binds first.

Help to Buy is described as thirty thousand euro and is almost never thirty thousand euro. It is a refund of income tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax you have already paid over the previous four years, and it is capped at the lowest of three amounts.

The three limits

The absolute cap: €30,000
A share of the purchase value: 10%
What you actually paid in tax: Four years of income tax and DIRT

The third is the one that binds for most first time buyers, and it is the one nobody checks before they start looking. Two people early in their careers may have paid nowhere near €30,000 in income tax between them.

The two conditions on the property

It has to be new. A second hand house does not qualify, however much work it needs.
The purchase value has to be €500,000 or less. There is no tapering above that, it simply does not qualify.

How long it runs

Applications are open until 31 December 2029 at the current rates. The scheme has been extended repeatedly and each extension has been announced close to the deadline, so a plan that depends on it being extended again is a plan with a risk in it.

The First Home Scheme is a different thing

Help to Buy gives you your own tax back. The First Home Scheme takes an equity stake in your house in exchange for closing part of the gap between your mortgage and the price. The State owns a percentage of the property until you buy it back, and a service charge begins after a number of years. The two can be used together, and whether the second is worth it is a genuinely open question that depends on how long you expect to stay.

Both are worth checking against the actual prices in the place you are looking. A €500,000 ceiling rules out a good deal of new build in some Dublin postcodes and rules out almost nothing in most of the country.

Sources

Help to Buy, the most that can be claimed, Revenue
Help to Buy, the share of the purchase value it is capped at, Revenue
Help to Buy, the most a qualifying property can cost, Revenue
Help to Buy, the smallest mortgage that still qualifies, Revenue
Help to Buy, the last day for applications, Revenue

Questions people ask

How much is Help to Buy actually worth?: The lowest of three amounts: €30,000, ten per cent of the purchase value, or the income tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax you actually paid over the previous four years. The third is the one that binds most often and the one nobody checks first.
Can I use Help to Buy on a second hand house?: No. The property has to be new or a self build. A second hand house does not qualify however much work it needs.
Can a large deposit disqualify me from Help to Buy?: Yes, which surprises people. The mortgage has to be at least seventy per cent of the purchase value, so a buyer putting down a very large deposit can fall under that line and lose the relief entirely.
Can Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme be used together?: Yes. They do different things: Help to Buy refunds tax you already paid, while the First Home Scheme takes an equity stake in the property in exchange for closing part of the gap. Whether the second is worth it depends mostly on how long you expect to stay.
When does Help to Buy end?: Applications are open until 31 December 2029 at the current rates. It has been extended repeatedly, each time close to the deadline, so a plan that relies on another extension carries a real risk.

Figures checked 8 August 2026.