Help to Buy calculator
Help to Buy is a refund of Income Tax and DIRT for first-time buyers of a new home, or people who build their own.
Enter the price, your mortgage and the tax you paid in the last four years to see your refund.
How it's calculated
- The home has to cost €500,000 or less, and the mortgage has to be at least 70% of the price.
- Your refund is the smallest of three amounts: €35,000, 10% of the purchase price, and the Income Tax and DIRT you paid in the four years before you apply.
- USC and PRSI do not count towards the tax you paid.
An example
On a new home costing €400,000 with €50,000 of tax paid, 10% of the price is €40,000, so the refund is the maximum of €35,000.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I claim if I signed before 7 October 2026?
Contracts signed from 23 July 2020 to 6 October 2026 had a cap of €30,000. From 7 October 2026 to 31 December 2029 the cap is €35,000.
Who gets the money?
If you buy, the refund is paid to your Revenue-approved contractor. If you self-build, it goes into a bank account you hold with your mortgage provider.
Can more than one person claim on the same home?
Yes, but the cap applies per property, however many buyers there are. All of the buyers have to be first-time buyers.
Can Revenue take the refund back?
Revenue has rules for clawing back a refund. One condition of the scheme is that you live in the home as your main home for five years after you buy or build it.
Key terms
- DIRT
- Deposit Interest Retention Tax, the tax taken from interest on savings.
- First-time buyer
- Someone who has never bought or built a house or apartment, alone or with others, in Ireland or abroad.
Up-to-date official data
Data checked against the official source on .
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