First Home Super Saver Calculator

Compare saving a home deposit through the First Home Super Saver Scheme with a savings account and shares.

Uses 2026–27 resident tax rates and the ATO deemed earnings rate for October to December 2026. Each person has their own FHSS limits.

How this tool works

Reviewed 11 October 2026. 2026–27 resident tax rates; FHSS deemed earnings rate of 7.51% for October to December 2026; capital gains rules for sales from 1 July 2027.

Calculation outline

Spread the yearly amount evenly over twelve monthly contributions. For a before-tax contribution, the savings and shares paths save the take-home pay it costs: income tax, LITO and Medicare levy on the full salary, less the same on the reduced salary. For an after-tax contribution, all three paths save the same amount.
FHSS: count contributions oldest first, up to $15,000 in each year of the plan and $50,000 in total. Release 85% of counted before-tax contributions or 100% of after-tax contributions. Add deemed earnings on each counted contribution at the entered rate, compounding daily from the first day of the contribution month to the end of the plan. This follows the ATO calculation, not your fund’s actual returns.
Tax the released before-tax contributions and all deemed earnings as income in the year of release, on top of the same salary. Subtract a non-refundable offset of 30% of that amount from income tax; the Medicare levy still applies. Contributions over the FHSS limits stay in super and are shown separately.
Savings account: add the same cash each month and grow it at the entered interest rate after tax at the marginal rate on salary.
Shares: invest the same cash each month. Up to 3 percentage points of the return are paid as unfranked distributions, taxed at the marginal rate and reinvested; the rest is price growth. At the end, sell everything. Index the cost of each parcel held for at least 12 months by the entered inflation rate, net any losses, and tax the gain on top of salary. The market-fall figure repeats the sale after an immediate fall in price.
The chart repeats the whole calculation as if you bought at the end of each year. The couple option doubles every amount and assumes a partner on the same salary and plan.

Worked example

At a $90,000 salary, salary sacrificing $15,000 a year for three years costs $30,600 of take-home pay. FHSS releases $38,250 of contributions plus about $5,630 of deemed earnings, less about $880 of tax after the offset: a deposit of about $43,000. The same cash in a 4.5% savings account grows to about $32,070, and in shares returning 7% to about $33,310 after tax, or about $26,870 after a 20% fall.

Limits

You must be 18 or older, must not have owned property in Australia (unless the ATO accepts financial hardship), and must request an FHSS determination before ownership transfers to you. You then have 12 months from release to sign a contract to buy or build, or recontribute the amount to super; otherwise a further 20% FHSS tax applies. The home must be residential property in Australia that you will live in, with your name on the title. The calculator assumes these conditions are met.
Employer super guarantee, contributions made before 1 July 2017 and other ineligible contributions do not count. The estimate ignores Division 293 tax, the low income super tax offset, HELP repayments, excess contribution tax and unused cap carry-forward. It warns, but does not adjust, when employer super plus salary sacrifice exceeds the $32,500 concessional cap.
Salary and 2026–27 tax rates stay fixed. The deemed earnings rate changes each quarter, and the ATO determination is the authoritative figure. The ATO withholds tax when it releases the money; the final tax is settled in your return and may differ.
Share returns are an assumption and can be negative, especially over a few years. Parcels bought before 1 July 2027 may receive transitional treatment that is not modelled. Franking credits, fees and brokerage are excluded. Savings interest and share distributions are taxed at the marginal rate on salary, without the extra income moving you into a higher bracket.

Sources

General information and estimates only, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Replace example inputs with your own quotes and budget.