MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE WITH CONFIDENCE
Help to Buy Ireland: Planning Your Deposit
Understand why the headline maximum may differ from your own potential refund.
Ghar.ie editorial guide · Sources checked 27 September 2026
Treat the result as a funding estimate
Help to Buy is not an automatic payment attached to every first home. The calculator asks about the purchaser, property, mortgage and compliance conditions before showing a potential amount. Keep evidence for the answers you enter. If an answer is unclear, check Revenue’s guidance rather than selecting yes just to obtain a result.
Your available tax can determine the outcome
The enhanced refund is limited by the scheme cap, the property-value percentage and eligible tax. In the worked example, €12,000 of eligible tax is the limiting input even though the property price supports a larger percentage-based figure. Use your Revenue records for the relevant prior years. Do not estimate refundable tax by multiplying a current salary by a tax rate.
Check shared equity separately
The mortgage ratio test cannot be replaced by simply adding every funding source together. This version handles standard mortgages and explains the First Home Scheme exclusion. It refers Local Authority Affordable Purchase cases for an individual check because their contribution may affect the test. That referral does not mean the applicant is ineligible.
Plan the cash timing
A potential refund is different from approved funding available on the date you need it. Confirm the application, verification and payment process before committing savings elsewhere. Use the house buying costs calculator for the whole transaction, then reconcile approved support against that budget. Keep stamp duty, legal costs and an emergency reserve visible rather than assuming support covers every upfront expense.