Costs beyond the deposit
The purchase price and deposit are only part of what a buyer needs in cash. Expect to budget for stamp duty, legal fees and disbursements, a valuation or survey, and the first year of home insurance and mortgage protection. The calculator brings these into one total so the cash you need on the day is not a surprise. Rates and thresholds change, so use the calculator for the current figures instead of relying on numbers quoted in older articles.
How Help to Buy works
Help to Buy is a Revenue scheme for first-time buyers. It refunds Irish Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) that you have paid, to help with the deposit on a new house or apartment, or a self-build, which you will live in as your home. The refund is drawn from the four tax years before the year you apply, not from the date of your claim, and it excludes any refund you have already claimed. In practice, the amount you can receive depends on how much tax you actually paid in those years, so a first-time buyer who has paid little Income Tax will not receive the full headline maximum.
Source: Revenue, Help to Buy (HTB) Scheme, revenue.ie.
Frequently asked
Is Help to Buy available on second-hand homes?
No — Help to Buy only applies to new builds and self-builds. A second-hand home, however affordable, is not eligible no matter your first-time-buyer status.
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