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First Home Finance (FLISP) 2026: who qualifies and how much

First Home Finance, the government subsidy most South Africans still call FLISP, is a once-off grant that helps first-time buyers in the middle-income gap own a home. Here is who qualifies, how the amount is worked out, and how to claim it.

Updated 15 June 2026 · THL Property Group

First Home Finance is a once-off government subsidy, run by the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), for South Africans who earn too much for a fully subsidised RDP house but too little to get a home loan on their own. It launched as FLISP, the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme, and was renamed First Home Finance in 2022. Banks, estate agents and buyers still use both names for the same thing.

It is one of the most under-claimed grants in the country. Plenty of buyers who qualify never apply, because they assume a government housing subsidy must be only for the very poor. The band reaches R22,000 a month in household income, which is a working salary. If this is your first home and you earn under that, check it before you commit.

What it is

• Once-off. You get it one time, for one property, and never again.
• Paid towards buying or building your first home, not as monthly help with the bond.
• Run by the NHFC for the Department of Human Settlements.
• Tied to income: the less you earn inside the qualifying band, the larger the grant.

Who qualifies

You need to tick every one of these:

• A South African citizen with a valid ID, or a permanent resident with a permit.
• 18 or older and able to enter a contract.
• A gross monthly household income inside the qualifying band, below.
• A genuine first-time buyer who has never owned a home and never taken a government housing subsidy before.
• Proof of how you will pay for the home: an approval in principle for a bond, your own funds, a grant letter, or permission to occupy. A bond is the usual route, not the only one.

Income is assessed on the household, so a married couple or two co-applicants add their gross monthly incomes together for the band test.

How much you could get

The subsidy slides with income. The less your household earns inside the band, the more you get. It runs from R169,265 at the bottom down to R38,911 at the top, dropping by about R7.24 of subsidy for every extra rand of monthly income.

Earn below R3,501 a month and you fall under the band, where a fully subsidised RDP or BNG home may apply instead. Earn over R22,000 and the subsidy no longer applies on income.

There is no published cap on the price of the home. Qualifying is about your income, not the property's price. The figures above are the NHFC scale as at June 2026, the table in force since 1 April 2023, and the NHFC can change them, so confirm the current amount before you rely on it.

How the grant is used

The money is paid into the deal, not to you in cash. Depending on your case it can:

• Shrink the home loan you need, which lowers the monthly repayment.
• Cover the deposit and the upfront transfer and bond registration costs.
• Help fund building a home on a stand you already own.

Because it cuts the loan, or the cash you have to find up front, the benefit shows up as a smaller monthly repayment, or as a deal that finally gets approved.

How to apply

• Check your eligibility first on the NHFC portal at fhf.nhfc.co.za. Register and run the eligibility check for an indicative amount.
• Line up your finance: an approval in principle for a bond, proof of your own funds, a grant letter, or permission to occupy.
• Apply through your bank or bond originator, which often lodges it with your home-loan application, or directly on the NHFC portal, with your ID, proof of income and finance confirmation.
• Applications run in annual windows tied to the government financial year. Check fhf.nhfc.co.za for the current window.

Work out your own numbers

Put your gross household income into the First Home Finance calculator to see the band your income points to. Then check what a bank is likely to lend you on the same income with Bank Affordability, which runs the National Credit Act test in full. For a walkthrough of the calculator itself, see how to use the First Home Finance calculator.

Money Cat is an information tool, not financial or legal advice, and is not connected to the NHFC. First Home Finance rules and amounts are set by the NHFC and the Department of Human Settlements and can change. Confirm the current band, subsidy and process with the NHFC or your bank before you rely on them.