What can a SA police officer get as a first home buyer?
Three schemes do most of the work. None is reserved for police, but all of them work for police.
South Australia has no first home scheme just for SAPOL. You get the same help as any other first home buyer in the state, plus federal schemes that let you buy with a small deposit. The police-specific advantage sits with lenders: how they read your Response Allowance, shift loadings and overtime, and a handful of police loan features they advertise.
Stamp duty relief for eligible first home buyers
- Who runs it
- RevenueSA
- What you get
- No stamp duty
- Key limit
- New homes, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land only; no value cap
First Home Owner Grant
- Who runs it
- RevenueSA
- What you get
- Up to $15,000
- Key limit
- New homes only; no value cap for contracts from 6 June 2024
5% Deposit Scheme
- Who runs it
- Housing Australia
- What you get
- Buy with a 5% deposit, no LMI
- Key limit
- Price cap $900,000 in Adelaide and regional centres, $500,000 elsewhere
Help to Buy
- Who runs it
- Housing Australia
- What you get
- Government shared equity, 2% deposit
- Key limit
- Taxable income under $103,000 single or $165,000 joint
| Scheme | Who runs it | What you get | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty relief for eligible first home buyers | RevenueSA | No stamp duty | New homes, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land only; no value cap |
| First Home Owner Grant | RevenueSA | Up to $15,000 | New homes only; no value cap for contracts from 6 June 2024 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Housing Australia | Buy with a 5% deposit, no LMI | Price cap $900,000 in Adelaide and regional centres, $500,000 elsewhere |
| Help to Buy | Housing Australia | Government shared equity, 2% deposit | Taxable income under $103,000 single or $165,000 joint |
Read on RevenueSA and firsthomebuyers.gov.au on 9 October 2026.
The big thing to understand in SA is the split between new and established homes. Both state benefits only apply to new homes, off-the-plan apartments and land you build on. Buy an established house in Elizabeth or Mount Gambier and you get neither the grant nor duty relief, and the stamp duty bill lands on you in cash.
If you're still deciding on the job, our guide to becoming a SA police officer covers the process. If you're serving, your rate is on the SA Police salary page.
Stamp duty in SA: full relief on new homes, none on established
RevenueSA's relief is generous where it applies and absent where it doesn't.
For contracts signed on or after 6 June 2024, eligible first home buyers get full stamp duty relief on a new home, an off-the-plan apartment, or vacant land to build a home on, regardless of the property's value. RevenueSA defines a new home as one not previously occupied or sold as a residence, and includes substantially renovated homes.
Two rules tightened for contracts from 13 February 2025. You lose eligibility if you or your spouse or domestic partner have ever held a relevant interest in residential property in Australia. And the relief no longer reduces the 7% foreign ownership surcharge, so a buyer who isn't a citizen or permanent resident pays that surcharge on their share.
$400,000
- Duty on an established home
- $16,330
- Duty on a new home (eligible FHB)
- $0 if eligible
- What the new-home relief saves
- $16,330
$500,000
- Duty on an established home
- $21,330
- Duty on a new home (eligible FHB)
- $0 if eligible
- What the new-home relief saves
- $21,330
$600,000
- Duty on an established home
- $26,830
- Duty on a new home (eligible FHB)
- $0 if eligible
- What the new-home relief saves
- $26,830
$700,000
- Duty on an established home
- $32,330
- Duty on a new home (eligible FHB)
- $0 if eligible
- What the new-home relief saves
- $32,330
| Home value | Duty on an established home | Duty on a new home (eligible FHB) | What the new-home relief saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $16,330 | $0 if eligible | $16,330 |
| $500,000 | $21,330 | $0 if eligible | $21,330 |
| $600,000 | $26,830 | $0 if eligible | $26,830 |
| $700,000 | $32,330 | $0 if eligible | $32,330 |
Calculated by us from RevenueSA's conveyance rate table ('per $100 or part of $100'). Use RevenueSA's calculator for your exact figure.
Established homes get no SA first home relief
On a $600,000 established home you'd pay about $26,830 in stamp duty, on top of your deposit, legal fees and inspections. That cash usually can't be borrowed. If you're comparing a new townhouse with an older house at the same price, the duty difference alone can decide it.
You must live in the home as your principal place of residence for at least six continuous months, starting within 12 months of settlement for a new home. For vacant land, the six months starts within 12 months of being able to lawfully live in the finished home, or 36 months from settlement, whichever is first. If a transfer stops you meeting this, RevenueSA wants to hear in writing within 14 days.
The SA First Home Owner Grant: up to $15,000 on a new home
Same new-home rule as the duty relief, applied for separately.
The grant is up to $15,000 for buying or building a new home in South Australia that you'll live in. RevenueSA says no property value cap applies where the contract was entered into on or after 6 June 2024. Earlier contracts had caps of $650,000 or $575,000.
Grant amount
$15,000
new homes, off the plan, building
Value cap
None
contracts from 6 June 2024
Residence rule
6 months
starting within 12 months
At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or a New Zealand citizen on a Special Category Visa), every applicant must be at least 18, and RevenueSA looks at any residential property you or your partner own or have owned. The grant and duty relief have similar rules but separate applications, and missing one doesn't stop you claiming the other.
Many lenders can pay the grant towards settlement, which helps if your savings are tight. For a house-and-land contract, payment timing follows the build, so ask your lender when the money actually arrives.
The 5% Deposit Scheme and Help to Buy in South Australia
Federal schemes, run by Housing Australia through participating lenders.
The 5% Deposit Scheme lets you buy with a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), because the government guarantees part of the loan. There's no income cap. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or over, a first home buyer (or not have owned property in Australia in the past 10 years), and buying a home to live in under the price cap.
SA cap: Adelaide and regional centres
$900,000
5% Deposit Scheme
SA cap: rest of the state
$500,000
5% Deposit Scheme
Help to Buy, single income limit
$103,000
$165,000 joint
Use the government's postcode tool to see which cap applies to the suburb or town you're looking at. Unlike the state benefits, the 5% Deposit Scheme works on established homes, so it's the main help if you're buying an older house.
Help to Buy is shared equity: the government owns up to 30% of an existing home or 40% of a new one, with a 2% deposit. It's tested on taxable income. A probationary constable's base of $83,398 is under the $103,000 single limit. With the full 23% Response Allowance it's about $102,580, only just under the limit, and any overtime could push you over. Check last year's notice of assessment, not your salary.
How lenders read SAPOL pay
Split your payslip into base pay, roster allowances and overtime before you talk to anyone.
SAPOL publishes base salaries, and says shift allowances are paid on top. That means a lender starts from a modest base and has to decide how much of the rest to count. It's the opposite of NSW, where the loading is built into salary.
Base salary
- What it is
- Cadet $71,872, Probationary Constable $83,398, Constable to $102,491
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Counted in full
Response Allowance (23%)
- What it is
- All-inclusive allowance on the Response Extended Hours Roster, paid instead of shift and weekend penalties
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Often counted with payslips; regular, but stops if you leave the roster
Flexible Shiftwork Allowance (18.5%)
- What it is
- Paid in CIB, STAR Group, Major Crime and other listed areas
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Similar to the Response Allowance
Shift loadings (20% night, 25% late night)
- What it is
- Per-shift loadings for officers not on an all-inclusive allowance
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Usually averaged over recent payslips
Country station allowance (35%)
- What it is
- One and two-person country stations, includes on-call and recall
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Counted case by case while you're posted there
Overtime
- What it is
- Paid at the award rate when unavoidable or operational
- How lenders commonly treat it
- Varies most: some count 100%, others a share or a history
| Part of SA police pay | What it is | How lenders commonly treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Cadet $71,872, Probationary Constable $83,398, Constable to $102,491 | Counted in full |
| Response Allowance (23%) | All-inclusive allowance on the Response Extended Hours Roster, paid instead of shift and weekend penalties | Often counted with payslips; regular, but stops if you leave the roster |
| Flexible Shiftwork Allowance (18.5%) | Paid in CIB, STAR Group, Major Crime and other listed areas | Similar to the Response Allowance |
| Shift loadings (20% night, 25% late night) | Per-shift loadings for officers not on an all-inclusive allowance | Usually averaged over recent payslips |
| Country station allowance (35%) | One and two-person country stations, includes on-call and recall | Counted case by case while you're posted there |
| Overtime | Paid at the award rate when unavoidable or operational | Varies most: some count 100%, others a share or a history |
Pay facts from the SA Police Enterprise Agreement 2021 and SAPOL's salary page. Lender treatment is general practice, not any lender's policy.
The Response Allowance is the swing factor for most new officers. SAPOL job ads describe "up to 23% shift penalties and allowances", which is this allowance. Because it's paid every fortnight rather than shift by shift, a lender can see it clearly on two or three payslips. Ask any lender, in writing, whether it counts all of it.
In SA your base pay is modest and the roster allowance is big. How a lender treats that one line on your payslip can move your borrowing by six figures.
What a SA police officer could borrow
Our calculator's method: after-tax pay less living costs, tested at 9% over 30 years.
These use 2026-27 tax rates, an illustrative 6% loan rate plus APRA's 3 percentage point buffer, $3,200 a month of living costs for a single applicant and a $5,000 credit card limit. They show how the rules move the number. They aren't a lender's offer.
Probationary constable, base only
$264,000
$83,398
Plus 80% of the Response Allowance
$372,000
a cautious lender
Plus all of the Response Allowance
$399,000
with payslip evidence
With a partner on $70,000
$694,000
base pay only, joint
A senior constable at the top increment earns $117,542. On base pay alone the same method gives about $505,000, or about $688,000 if a 23% Response Allowance counts in full. On a country station with the 35% allowance, a probationary constable's figure rises to about $470,000 while the allowance is paid.
The buffer matters too. Tested at 6% with no buffer, the probationary constable's base-only figure would be about $355,000. At 9% it's $264,000. Real repayments on $399,000 at 6% would be about $2,392 a month.
Estimates, not credit advice
Lenders use their own expense benchmarks and income rules, and their figures can be higher or lower. HELP debt, Triple S salary sacrifice and other loans all reduce what you can borrow.
Run the numbers on your own SA pay
Pick SA Police and your pay point, add your Response Allowance, shift loadings and overtime, and see your borrowing range with none, some and all of your variable pay counted.
Cadet pay, probation and your Triple S contributions
Three SA-specific things that shape your first year of buying power.
Cadet pay and probation
Domestic recruits are paid as cadets at $71,872 during Academy training, about $2,244 a fortnight after tax. Most lenders won't lend on a cadet's income: they want you sworn and on constable pay first. Our data says probation for domestic recruits runs about two years in total, with permanent appointment as Constable after roughly 18 months of operational service. SAPOL's own probation page is the place to confirm your dates.
What lenders' police offers say about probation (read 9 October 2026)
- ✓ BankVic: home loan eligibility says you must be outside any probationary period of employment
- ✓ People First Bank: its page doesn't say; a broker reports the package excludes probationers
- ✓ Police Credit Union and Police Bank: no police-specific probation rule found on the pages we read
- ✓ Many other lenders assess a sworn probationary constable as a permanent employee: ask before you apply
Triple S and the first home super saver scheme
New SA police officers must join Super SA's Triple S. Our data, from public summaries not yet confirmed, says police contribute at least 4.5% of salary after tax or 5.3% before tax. Either way it lowers your take-home pay, and lenders work from what you actually receive.
The ATO's first home super saver scheme lets you release up to $15,000 a year and $50,000 in total of voluntary contributions. It excludes employer SG and contributions that are mandatory under state law or fund rules, so compulsory Triple S contributions are unlikely to count. Extra voluntary contributions above the minimum might. Ask Super SA before relying on it.
A pay rise may also be coming. The Police Association of SA announced proposed terms for a new agreement on 16 September 2026, with 4% from January 2027. It isn't ratified, and lenders assess your current pay, not a proposed rise.
Police home loan features advertised in SA
What lenders publish on their own pages, read on 9 October 2026. A description, not a recommendation.
Police Credit Union
- Police feature advertised
- Anyone can bank with it. The Platinum package is for police officers from any Australian force, SAPOL and NT Police ancillary staff, cadets, PSSOs and others. Its Platinum package gives no package fees on home loans, no annual or monthly loan fees and a 0.10% discount off selected home loan rates. First home buyer loans to 95% LVR.
- Conditions to check
- No LMI waiver found on its pages. Platinum benefits are fee and service benefits, not an LMI waiver. Some benefits don't apply to special offers.
BankVic
- Police feature advertised
- A police-only special variable rate and offset variable rate (owner-occupier), "100% overtime considered", and a $4,000 cashback offer for police buying or refinancing.
- Conditions to check
- Rate footnotes on the same page describe "up to 80% with no LMI or up to 90% with LMI", so ask which applies to you. Home loan eligibility says you must be outside any probationary period of employment. It has a broker channel; ask whether the waiver and cashback are available through it.
People First Bank
- Police feature advertised
- Essential Services Package for home and investment loans. No LMI up to 90% LVR, for loans up to $1.2 million. The interest rate is its above-80% LVR rate.
- Conditions to check
- Income requirements apply but aren't published on its page. A broker reports $80,000 single or $150,000 joint (with $75,000 from the officer), and that probation and casual work are excluded: confirm with the bank.
Police Bank
- Police feature advertised
- Police Value Home Loan: minimum 5% deposit, LVR up to 95%, offset and redraw. Its 2024 annual report describes a shared-equity Essential Worker Home Loan Scheme with HOPE Housing.
- Conditions to check
- No police LMI waiver found. Its product document says LMI applies above 80% LVR. Its website blocked our automated check, so we read its published product document (dated 2021) and 2024 annual report. Confirm current terms with the bank.
P&N Bank
- Police feature advertised
- LMI waiver to 90% LVR for eligible emergency services workers.
- Conditions to check
- Not usable for SA purchases: limited to listed WA locations, and broker-referred loans don't qualify for the waiver.
| Lender | Police feature advertised | Conditions to check |
|---|---|---|
| Police Credit Union | Anyone can bank with it. The Platinum package is for police officers from any Australian force, SAPOL and NT Police ancillary staff, cadets, PSSOs and others. Its Platinum package gives no package fees on home loans, no annual or monthly loan fees and a 0.10% discount off selected home loan rates. First home buyer loans to 95% LVR. | No LMI waiver found on its pages. Platinum benefits are fee and service benefits, not an LMI waiver. Some benefits don't apply to special offers. |
| BankVic | A police-only special variable rate and offset variable rate (owner-occupier), "100% overtime considered", and a $4,000 cashback offer for police buying or refinancing. | Rate footnotes on the same page describe "up to 80% with no LMI or up to 90% with LMI", so ask which applies to you. Home loan eligibility says you must be outside any probationary period of employment. It has a broker channel; ask whether the waiver and cashback are available through it. |
| People First Bank | Essential Services Package for home and investment loans. No LMI up to 90% LVR, for loans up to $1.2 million. The interest rate is its above-80% LVR rate. | Income requirements apply but aren't published on its page. A broker reports $80,000 single or $150,000 joint (with $75,000 from the officer), and that probation and casual work are excluded: confirm with the bank. |
| Police Bank | Police Value Home Loan: minimum 5% deposit, LVR up to 95%, offset and redraw. Its 2024 annual report describes a shared-equity Essential Worker Home Loan Scheme with HOPE Housing. | No police LMI waiver found. Its product document says LMI applies above 80% LVR. Its website blocked our automated check, so we read its published product document (dated 2021) and 2024 annual report. Confirm current terms with the bank. |
| P&N Bank | LMI waiver to 90% LVR for eligible emergency services workers. | Not usable for SA purchases: limited to listed WA locations, and broker-referred loans don't qualify for the waiver. |
Offers change and can be withdrawn. Confirm terms with the lender or a licensed broker before relying on any of this.
Police Credit Union has deep SA roots: it opened in 1970 to serve SA police, and today anyone can bank with it. Its Platinum package is a fee and rate benefit, not an LMI waiver. All five lenders above appear on the 5% Deposit Scheme's participating lender list.
An LMI waiver usually needs a 10% deposit, while the 5% Deposit Scheme needs 5% but caps the price. If you've saved 10% and are buying under $900,000 in Adelaide, compare both routes. Our guide to LMI waivers for police sets out each condition, and police banks and credit unions covers membership.
Buying while posted to country SA
SAPOL's country housing changes the maths, and the residence rules change what you can claim.
SAPOL's Hard to Fill scheme has three levels. Level 1 locations, such as Ceduna, Marla, Roxby Downs, Coober Pedy, Peterborough and Leigh Creek, come with rent-free housing or a 70% rent subsidy and a lifestyle payment. Level 2 locations (APY Lands, Yalata and Oodnadatta) add a 45% loading in lieu of penalties and overtime, rent-free housing and a guaranteed posting afterwards.
Level 1 lifestyle payment
$3,334
1 January 2024 rate in the EA
Level 2 lifestyle payment
$7,902
1 January 2024 rate in the EA
One/two-person station allowance
35%
of base, includes on-call and recall
Low or no rent is the fastest way to build a deposit. But SA's grant and duty relief both need you to live in the home for six months, starting within 12 months. If you buy in Adelaide while posted to Coober Pedy, you may not meet that, and the 5% Deposit Scheme is also for a home you live in. Lenders may treat a remote loading as temporary income.
Saving while posted to the country
- ✓Rent-free or subsidised housing frees up most of your pay
- ✓Lifestyle payments can go straight to a deposit
- ✓A guaranteed posting afterwards gives you a target suburb
Buying while posted to the country
- ✕Residence rules can rule out a city purchase
- ✕Lenders may not count a remote loading long term
- ✕The $500,000 regional cap limits the 5% Deposit Scheme outside the centres
The Hard to Fill amounts are the 1 January 2024 rates in the 2021 agreement; any later increases aren't confirmed. The proposed new agreement promises better regional incentives, with no figures published yet. Our remote and rural incentives guide compares SA with other forces.
Interstate, UK and overseas transition officers
SAPOL has recruited more than 200 experienced officers. Their first home position is different.
Transition recruits are paid as Probationary Constable ($83,398) throughout training, and can claim up to $10,000 in relocation costs. Country and interstate recruits get a $4,531 cost-of-living allowance on starting. That's useful deposit money, but check whether your lender counts it as savings or as a gift-like windfall.
Check these before you count on SA first home help
- ✓ Citizenship or permanent residency: at least one buyer must hold it for the grant and duty relief
- ✓ Australian property history: for duty relief, any previous interest in residential property in Australia rules you out (contracts from 13 February 2025)
- ✓ Overseas property: the grant criteria consider other residential property, so ask RevenueSA how a former UK home is treated
- ✓ Visa status: a buyer who isn't a citizen or permanent resident pays the 7% foreign ownership surcharge on their share
- ✓ Lender rules: many lenders treat temporary visa holders differently, regardless of your police job
If you've transferred from another Australian force and owned a home there, you're not a first home buyer for SA duty relief, though the 5% Deposit Scheme allows people who haven't owned property in Australia for 10 years. Our guide to transferring interstate covers pay and probation.
Putting it together: two SA examples
How the schemes stack at the prices our borrowing examples reach.
Loan our method reaches
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $399,000
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $694,000
Price with a 5% deposit
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $420,000
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $730,000
5% deposit
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $21,000
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $36,500
Stamp duty if it's a new home
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $0
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $0
Stamp duty if it's established
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $17,330
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $33,980
First Home Owner Grant
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $15,000 if new
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $15,000 if new
LMI under the 5% Deposit Scheme
- Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted)
- $0 (under the Adelaide cap)
- Probationary constable plus partner
- $0 (under the Adelaide cap)
| Single probationary constable (Response Allowance counted) | Probationary constable plus partner | |
|---|---|---|
| Loan our method reaches | $399,000 | $694,000 |
| Price with a 5% deposit | $420,000 | $730,000 |
| 5% deposit | $21,000 | $36,500 |
| Stamp duty if it's a new home | $0 | $0 |
| Stamp duty if it's established | $17,330 | $33,980 |
| First Home Owner Grant | $15,000 if new | $15,000 if new |
| LMI under the 5% Deposit Scheme | $0 (under the Adelaide cap) | $0 (under the Adelaide cap) |
Calculated by us. Duty uses RevenueSA's conveyance rate table. Eligibility depends on your circumstances.
The gap between new and established is stark. At about $420,000, choosing a new home saves $17,330 in duty and adds a $15,000 grant: about $32,330 of difference before you compare the homes themselves. At that price an established home's duty is bigger than the 5% deposit.
- 1
Graduate and get two or three payslips
Month 1 to 3Lenders want to see constable pay and how your Response Allowance appears.
- 2
Save the 5% deposit
Year 1 to 2Take-home pay with the full Response Allowance is about $3,047 a fortnight. Saving 20% of it reaches $21,000 in about 16 months.
- 3
Decide new or established
Before you searchNew gets the grant and full duty relief. Established needs cash for duty unless the price is low.
- 4
Get pre-approval
Before you bidAsk how much of your allowance counts, and whether probation matters to that lender.
Getting help with an SA police home loan
A broker can compare how lenders read your pay. Some police offers are direct only.
Questions to ask any lender or broker
- ✓ Will you count all of my Response Allowance or Flexible Shiftwork Allowance, and from how many payslips?
- ✓ Do you lend to probationary constables, and on what terms?
- ✓ How do you treat compulsory Triple S contributions and salary sacrifice?
- ✓ Are you a 5% Deposit Scheme participating lender with places for my postcode?
- ✓ Is your police offer available through brokers, or only direct?
How our form works, and how we're paid
We don't hold an Australian Credit Licence and don't give credit advice or recommend any loan or lender. The form asks to be put in touch with a licensed mortgage broker. Until we appoint a broker partner, we'll email you the name of the broker we'd introduce you to, and nothing is shared until you confirm. We may receive a referral fee. Read our referral disclosures. P&N Bank's LMI waiver isn't available on broker-introduced loans.
Free email alerts
South Australia first home buyer scheme changes, for police
RevenueSA's grant and stamp duty rules, the 5% Deposit Scheme caps and police lender offers change with budgets and campaigns. We re-check them, and the proposed SAPOL enterprise agreement, and email you when something moves.
- ✓Changes to SA first home grants and duty relief
- ✓New, changed or withdrawn police home loan offers
Frequently asked questions
Is there a first home buyer grant for SA police?
There's no grant just for police. SAPOL officers use the same schemes as every South Australian first home buyer: the First Home Owner Grant of up to $15,000 on a new home, full stamp duty relief on new homes and vacant land, and the federal 5% Deposit Scheme. The police-specific part is how lenders treat your allowances, plus a few advertised police loan features.
Do first home buyers pay stamp duty in South Australia?
Only on new homes, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land you build on. For contracts from 6 June 2024 that relief is full, with no value cap. An established home gets no first home buyer relief in SA, so you pay the normal rate: about $26,830 on a $600,000 home, on our calculation from RevenueSA's rate table.
Is there a price cap on the SA First Home Owner Grant?
Not any more. RevenueSA says no property value cap applies where the contract was signed on or after 6 June 2024. The grant is still only for new homes, including off-the-plan apartments, house-and-land contracts and homes you build on land you own. Each applicant must live in the home for at least six continuous months, starting within 12 months.
How much can a SA probationary constable borrow?
On our illustrative method (6% rate tested at 9%, $3,200 a month of living costs, a $5,000 card limit), a probationary constable on $83,398 could borrow about $264,000 alone on base pay, or about $399,000 if a lender counts the full 23% Response Allowance. A top-increment senior constable could borrow about $505,000 on base pay. Real lender figures differ.
Do lenders count the SAPOL Response Allowance?
Many do, with evidence. The 23% Response Allowance is paid every fortnight to officers on the Response Extended Hours Roster, which makes it more predictable than per-shift loadings. Some lenders still shade it or want several months of payslips. It stops if you leave the roster, so ask how a lender treats it before you rely on it.
Can I buy a home while on probation with SAPOL?
Often, yes. Many lenders assess a sworn probationary constable like any permanent employee. But some police offers exclude probation: BankVic's home loan eligibility says you must be outside any probationary period. SA probation for domestic recruits runs about two years in total, so ask each lender before applying.
Can interstate or UK transition officers use SA first home buyer schemes?
Only if they meet the rules. At least one buyer must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident for SA stamp duty relief and the grant. For contracts from 13 February 2025, duty relief is lost if you or your partner have held an interest in residential property in Australia. Overseas homes are treated differently by each scheme, so check RevenueSA's criteria.
Does Police Pay Australia recommend a lender for SA police?
No. We don't hold an Australian Credit Licence and don't recommend any loan or lender. This guide describes government schemes and publicly advertised lender features, with sources and dates. If you use our form, we introduce you to a licensed mortgage broker and confirm who that is before sharing your details.
Evidence
Sources and how we checked them
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, read on 9 October 2026. Pay rates and rules change when new agreements are made, so check the source for the date you're reading this. Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, the page says so instead of guessing. Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy.
- RevenueSA: Stamp duty relief for eligible first home buyers — new homes, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land; ownership rule from 13 February 2025
- RevenueSA: Stamp duty relief available — full relief regardless of value for contracts from 6 June 2024
- RevenueSA: First home buyer (grants, duty and levies) — First Home Owner Grant up to $15,000 for new homes; no value cap for contracts from 6 June 2024
- RevenueSA: Rate of stamp duty — conveyance rate table used for our duty figures
- firsthomebuyers.gov.au: Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme for first home buyers — eligibility, no income caps, no LMI; run by Housing Australia
- firsthomebuyers.gov.au: 5% Deposit Scheme property price caps — SA $900,000/$500,000; Tasmania $700,000/$550,000; NT $750,000/$600,000; ACT $1,000,000
- firsthomebuyers.gov.au: participating lenders — includes BankVic, People First Bank, Police Bank, Police Credit Union and QBANK
- firsthomebuyers.gov.au: Help to Buy Scheme — shared equity, 2% deposit, income limits $103,000 single and $165,000 joint
- ATO: First home super saver scheme, about your contributions (published 8 July 2026) — $15,000 a year, $50,000 in total; employer SG, award-mandated and fund-mandated contributions excluded
- APRA: macroprudential settings maintained (28 May 2026) — 3 percentage point serviceability buffer
- ATO: tax rates for Australian residents — 2026-27 rates used for after-tax income
- South Australia Police Enterprise Agreement 2021, via our SA pay data — Response Allowance, Flexible Shiftwork Allowance, country station and Hard to Fill provisions
- SAPOL: Career progression and salaries — 2026 pay range by rank
- SAPOL: International applicants FAQ — Probationary Constable $83,398 from 1 January 2026
- SAPOL: Interstate transition — relocation up to $10,000
- Super SA: Triple S — compulsory police membership
- Police Credit Union: Platinum package — police from any Australian force; no package or loan fees; 0.10% discount off selected home loan rates
- Police Credit Union: first home buyer loans — up to 95% LVR; 5% Deposit Scheme participating lender
- Police Credit Union: about us — opened 1970 for SA police; open to everyone
- BankVic: home loans — LMI waivers up to 90% LVR, eligibility incl. probation rule, $3,000 cashback
- BankVic: home loan offers for police — police-only rate, 100% overtime considered, $4,000 police cashback
- People First Bank: Essential Services Package — sworn police, no LMI to 90% LVR, up to $1.2 million
- Police Bank: Police Value Home Loan target market determination (owner occupied P&I) — eligibility and LVR up to 95% with LMI; TMD effective 5 October 2021
- P&N Bank: Essential Services Offer terms and conditions — direct-only waiver, WA locations, probation, P&I owner-occupier, $250,000 minimum
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General information, not advice. This guide explains published rules and rates. It doesn't consider your personal circumstances and isn't financial, legal, tax or credit advice. Confirm anything you rely on with your force, your police association, the ATO or a licensed professional.