FLISP Calculator – Check Subsidy Table and Amount Repayment

Use the calculator above to estimate your First Home Finance (FLISP) subsidy from your gross monthly household income, then use the full subsidy table and payout breakdown further down to confirm your exact figure and understand how that money actually reaches you.

Gross monthly household income R [ e.g. 12 000 ] per month

Your income is not sent anywhere. The calculation runs in your browser against the official NHFC subsidy quantum table, and nothing is stored, sold, or shared.

[Calculate subsidy]

Work out your monthly bond repayment. If you have a FLISP subsidy estimate, add it in and see the bond shrink.

Purchase price R [ e.g. 900 000 ] Deposit (optional) R 0 FLISP subsidy (optional) R 0 Interest rate 10,50 % Loan term 20 years

[Calculate repayment]

How to Use the Calculator, Step by Step

1. Confirm your gross monthly household income from your latest payslip, combining both incomes if you are applying jointly.
2. Run the eligibility check first, not last. Visit fhf.nhfc.co.za and use “Check Eligibility,” which requires no registration, to confirm you have not previously benefited from a government housing subsidy before you invest time in an income estimate.
3. Enter your income into the calculator to get an estimated subsidy figure for your band.
4. Cross-check the estimate against the full subsidy table below, or your bank, since the scale is reviewed periodically by the Department of Human Settlements and the NHFC, and a calculator’s built-in figures can lag behind the current official table.
5. Register for pre-approval if the estimate looks worthwhile. On the official portal, this means registering, logging in with a one-time PIN, and capturing the required information under “Apply for Pre-approval,” after which you typically return the next day to view the outcome.
6. Compare the result to your property budget, working out how much it would reduce your required loan, serve as your deposit, or bridge a shortfall between your loan approval and the purchase price.

What the Calculator Is Actually Working Out

The programme exists for what the NHFC calls the housing “gap market”: households that earn too much to qualify for a free RDP house, but too little to comfortably afford a home loan on their own. The sliding scale is built around that gap. Support is largest where the affordability gap is widest, at the bottom of the qualifying income range, and smallest where the gap is narrowest, at the top.

A FLISP calculator takes your gross monthly household income and checks it against the official NHFC subsidy quantum table, which runs on a sliding scale. Two anchor points are confirmed by Standard Bank’s own First Home Finance page, the most reliable public reference currently available for the exact figures:

• At R3,501 per month, the bottom of the qualifying income range, the subsidy is approximately R169,265
• At R22,000 per month, the top of the qualifying income range, the subsidy is approximately R38,911

Between these two points, the subsidy decreases as income rises. Averaged across the full range, that works out to roughly R7.05 less subsidy for every additional rand of monthly household income. In reality the official table moves in discrete income bands, commonly cited as roughly R200 wide, so the actual drop happens in steps of somewhere around R1,400 to R1,500 each time your household income crosses into the next band, not smoothly rand by rand.

That stepped structure is the detail most calculators gloss over. A household earning R12,000 and one earning R12,060 could sit in the same band and get identical subsidies, while a household earning R12,000 and one earning R12,250 could fall into different bands and receive noticeably different amounts. If your income is close to a round number, this is worth checking directly against the full table below rather than trusting a single output figure.

The Full Qualifying Criteria a Calculator Doesn’t Show You

Most calculators only ask for income. The NHFC’s actual qualifying criteria, as published on its own First Home Finance page, require all of the following:

There is a further requirement that trips up more applicants than any other, and that most online calculators do not mention at all: single applicants without financial dependants do not currently qualify. Across NHFC linked provincial housing department pages and the official First Home Finance site, the consistent requirement is that you must be married, cohabiting with a partner, or single with a financial dependant, such as a child, or another family member you support. A single applicant with no dependants, however strong their income and credit record, falls outside the current qualifying criteria regardless of what a calculator’s income only output suggests.

If you are unsure where you stand on this, use the free “Check Eligibility” tool on fhf.nhfc.co.za, which requires no registration, before you go further with a pre-approval application. For a fuller breakdown of the requirements and the documents you’ll eventually need, see our guide on how to qualify for a housing subsidy.

What Information You Need Before You Calculate

The core input is your gross monthly household income, meaning income before tax, UIF, pension contributions, or medical aid deductions, plus any housing allowance you receive.

If you are applying with a spouse or life partner, add both incomes together, since the subsidy is assessed on combined household income, not individual income. For example, if you earn R9,000 and your partner earns R5,000, your household income is R14,000, and that combined figure is what gets matched against the subsidy table below. Applying jointly with a family member instead of a spouse is also permitted, provided both applicants independently meet the first time buyer, dependant, and income criteria, and the property is registered in both names.

You will also want to know, before you rely on the number:

• Whether you or your co-applicant have owned residential property before
• Whether either of you has received a government housing subsidy before, from any sphere of government
• Whether you have an Approved in Principle home loan, or are close to getting one, from a bank, non-bank NCR registered lender, or other accepted financing route
• The price of the property you are considering, or the estimated building cost if you are constructing

Entering take home pay instead of gross income is the single most common reason a FLISP calculator returns an inaccurate estimate, since it understates your true qualifying income and can overstate the subsidy you would actually receive.

FLISP Calculator vs Other Property Calculators

Each of these answers a different question, and you typically need all three before you make an offer on a property.

Three Worked Examples at Different Income Levels

All three assume the current prime lending rate of 10.50 percent, following a 25 basis point hike by the South African Reserve Bank in May 2026. The SARB held the rate at 10.50 percent at its July 2026 meeting, though the vote was split and a further hike has not been ruled out. It’s worth running your bond numbers at the current rate, then again a percentage point higher, so a future hike doesn’t catch your budget by surprise. All examples below use a 20 year loan term with no separate deposit.

Household earning R6,000 per month, buying at R350,000. Using the published sliding scale formula, the estimated subsidy at this income level is in the region of R150,000. A R350,000 bond at 10.50 percent over 20 years costs approximately R3,494 a month. Reducing the principal by roughly R150,000 to about R200,000 brings the instalment down to approximately R1,997 a month, a saving of around R1,497 a month and roughly R187,000 in interest over the full term.

Household earning R12,000 per month, buying at R600,000. Estimated subsidy in the region of R108,000 to R110,000. A R600,000 bond at 10.50 percent over 20 years costs approximately R5,990 a month. After the subsidy reduces the principal to roughly R491,000, the instalment drops to approximately R4,908 a month, a saving of around R1,082 a month and roughly R151,000 in interest over 20 years.

Household earning R18,000 per month, buying at R650,000. Estimated subsidy in the region of R59,000 to R61,000. A R650,000 bond at 10.50 percent over 20 years costs approximately R6,489 a month. After the subsidy reduces the principal to roughly R590,000, the instalment drops to approximately R5,886 a month, a saving of around R603 a month and roughly R75,000 in interest over 20 years.

The pattern across all three: the subsidy’s real value is always larger than its face amount, because it removes interest on that portion of the loan for every remaining year of the term, not just the year you receive it.

Does the Subsidy Require a Bank Bond?

Not necessarily, and this catches out a lot of applicants who assume it does. The NHFC’s own qualifying criteria specify an Approved in Principle home loan from “an NCR registered bank, non-bank lender, or other policy approved partner such as a community based organisation.” In practice, this opens the subsidy up to be combined with:

• A mortgage loan from any South African bank
• An unsecured housing loan from any lender registered with the National Credit Regulator
• A pension or provident fund backed housing loan
• A loan from a stokvel, co-operative, or other community based savings scheme
• An employer assisted housing scheme, including the Government Employees Housing Scheme
• Your own savings or resources, with no loan at all
• An instalment sale agreement or rent to own agreement
• A Permission to Occupy arrangement for rural applicants building on tribal land

You will still generally need some form of Approved in Principle financing from one of these routes at application stage. The flexibility is in who provides it, not in whether financing approval is needed at all. If a bank has already declined you, that does not end your options, it changes which route you pursue next. In practice, most applicants still go through a bank because it’s the most established route, but it’s worth checking whether a pension backed loan, stokvel loan, or another accepted finance option applies before assuming the subsidy is off the table.

There is also a no financial contribution route. If the subsidy you qualify for is equal to or greater than the purchase price of the property, you do not need any finance at all, from a bank or otherwise.

Because most routes still involve a lender assessment, your credit record can affect which of these options is realistically open to you, even though the subsidy itself is calculated on income alone rather than credit score. See our guide on whether FLISP checks your credit score for more detail.

Retroactive applications, covered further down this guide, also vary in the detail by province. As one example, the Western Cape allows a mortgage route application where the property has already been transferred into your name no longer than six months ago. Other provinces set their own timeframes and conditions, so confirm the current position locally rather than assuming the same rule applies everywhere.

What the Calculator Cannot Tell You

• It cannot approve your subsidy. Only the NHFC and Department of Human Settlements can do that, after verifying your documents.
• It cannot verify your dependant status or marital situation, which is a hard qualifying requirement most calculators don’t ask about at all.
• It cannot check your Deeds Register history to confirm you have genuinely never owned property.
• It cannot confirm an application window is open. Since 1 April 2026, First Home Finance no longer accepts new applications year round, and new applications are now only accepted during designated windows, covered in more detail below.
• It cannot guarantee your bank will approve the accompanying loan. The subsidy and the loan are assessed as two separate processes.

Official FLISP Subsidy Table

The table below is what the calculator runs against behind the scenes. Use your gross monthly household income, meaning income before tax, UIF, pension contributions, or medical aid deductions, not your take home pay. If you are applying with a spouse or partner, add both incomes together first and use that combined figure to find your band.

Find the row where your income falls between the two column values, and the subsidy amount next to it is your estimated figure. For example, a household earning R8,400 a month falls in the R8,301.00 to R8,500.99 band, which carries an estimated subsidy of R134,494.93.

Two bands in this table are wider than the standard R200 step (R17,601 to R18,000.99, and R14,901 to R15,000.99). If your income falls in either of these ranges, confirm your exact figure directly with the NHFC or your bank before relying on the listed amount, since these two rows sit outside the otherwise consistent pattern the rest of the table follows.

Every step down the table drops the subsidy by a fixed amount, roughly R1,448.74, regardless of where you are on the scale. That consistency is what makes the table usable for planning: you’re not looking at a rough estimate, you’re looking at a defined, once off amount tied precisely to your income band. The highest available subsidy is R169,264.60, for households earning between R3,501 and R3,700.99 a month. The lowest is R38,911.40, for households earning between R21,801 and R22,000.99 a month. Earn a rand more than R22,000.99, and you fall outside the qualifying range entirely.

Household earning R8,400 a month. This falls in the R8,301.00 to R8,500.99 band, giving an estimated subsidy of R134,494.93.

Household earning R20,100 a month. This falls in the R20,001.00 to R20,200.99 band, giving an estimated subsidy of R51,916.98.

Notice the difference a lower income makes here. A household earning roughly R11,700 less per month qualifies for roughly R82,578 more in subsidy, a direct illustration of how steep the sliding scale is at the lower end of the range compared to the upper end.

Why Being Close to a Band Boundary Matters

Because the table moves in fixed R200 steps, two households R190 apart in income can land in completely different bands. A household earning R8,500 falls in the R8,301.00 to R8,500.99 band (R134,494.93). A household earning R8,501 falls into the very next band, R8,501.00 to R8,700.99 (R133,046.20), a difference of R1,448.73 for a R1 difference in reported income.

This matters most if your household income includes variable elements like overtime, commission, or a housing allowance that could push you a small amount over a boundary in either direction. If your income sits within a few hundred rand of a band edge, it’s worth checking exactly which side you fall on before you count on a specific figure.

Table Amount vs Final Approval

This table gives you a planning estimate, not a confirmed amount. Before your figure is locked in, the NHFC still needs to verify:

• That your gross household income matches your supporting documents
• That you have never owned residential property before, checked against the Deeds Register
• That you have never received a government housing subsidy before
• That you have an Approved in Principle home loan or equivalent financing approval in place

The table also gets reviewed periodically by the Department of Human Settlements and the NHFC, so treat any specific figure here as current at time of writing, and confirm it against the live table or your bank before you finalise a budget around it.

If You See Different Numbers Elsewhere

The table above reflects the NHFC and Department of Human Settlements First Home Finance Subsidy Quantum Table, with an implementation date of 1 April 2023, which remains the current scale at the time of writing. If you come across different figures on other sites, that’s usually because the subsidy quantum table has been revised over the years and older versions are still floating around online. The NHFC’s own FAQ page has, for example, separately quoted an older range of R27,960 to R121,626, and some lender guides still show intermediate ranges such as R30,001 to R130,505. These appear to be previously published versions rather than the current figures. It’s a useful reminder that these amounts do get revised, so always check the current official subsidy quantum table on the NHFC or First Home Finance portal, or ask your bank or bond originator to confirm your amount, before relying on any single number.

How Much Does FLISP Actually Pay Out?

Current public figures put the First Home Finance subsidy range at R38,911.40 to R169,264.60, matched against the table above. This is a once off subsidy, not a monthly payment and not a loan. Applicants in lower qualifying income bands receive a higher subsidy, while those closer to the upper income limit receive a lower amount.

Applications Now Run on Windows, Not Year Round

Due to very high demand, the NHFC closed new applications for the 2025/26 financial year on 20 March 2026. Since 1 April 2026, First Home Finance no longer accepts new applications year round. From the 2026/27 financial year onward, new applications are only accepted during designated open application windows, announced in advance on the official First Home Finance website and NHFC social media channels. At the time of writing, the exact 2026/27 window dates had not yet been published. If you already submitted an application before the cutoff, it remains valid and continues to be processed and approved as normal.

This means the once off subsidy amounts themselves haven’t changed, but you can no longer assume you can apply at any point during the year. Check fhf.nhfc.co.za for the current window before you start preparing documents.

Already Bought a House? You May Still Qualify Retroactively

If you’ve already purchased a property and only found out about this subsidy afterward, don’t assume you’ve missed your chance. If the property was transferred into your name from 1 April 2012, 1 April 2014, or 28 July 2018 onward (these dates correspond to past policy revisions) and you met the FLISP qualifying criteria at the time of purchase, you may be able to apply retroactively.

Retroactive acceptance and timeframes vary by province, so confirm the current position with your provincial Department of Human Settlements or the NHFC before assuming either way. This is worth checking even if you think you missed the window, since it directly affects whether it’s worth applying at all.

Is FLISP Paid to You in Cash?

FLISP is not usually paid into your personal account for personal spending. The subsidy is linked to the property transaction and must be used for approved housing purposes, and is typically paid directly to your bank, financial institution, or conveyancing attorney rather than to you. It may be used to:

• Reduce the home loan amount
• Help cover the shortfall between the approved loan and purchase price
• Support a deposit
• Pay approved house buying costs, including, in many cases, conveyancing attorney fees, transfer duty, and bond registration costs
• Help with building a qualifying home

The exact payment route depends on your application, lender, conveyancer, and property transaction.

A common point of confusion: FLISP does not exempt you from transfer duty. Transfer duty is a separate tax paid to SARS on the purchase price, and it’s still owed in full by first time buyers under current rules, there is no first time buyer exemption. What the subsidy can do, in some cases, is help cover that cost as part of your approved house buying costs, rather than remove the cost itself. Confirm the transfer duty amount with your conveyancing attorney before making an offer, so it isn’t a surprise on the final bill. For the 2026/27 tax year, SARS charges no transfer duty on properties bought at or below R1,210,000, and since most FLISP eligible purchases fall comfortably under that price, transfer duty is often a non issue anyway. Attorney and Deeds Office fees still apply regardless.

On transfer costs and bond registration specifically, be careful, because the guidance is not entirely consistent. The NHFC’s own Conditions of Subsidy state that the subsidy may not be used to finance transfer costs or bond registration, yet some provincial guidance, including the Western Cape’s, lists those costs as covered under the no financial contribution route described above. Treat this as route dependent and province dependent, and get it confirmed in writing by your conveyancer or the NHFC before you budget around it either way.

If you are building rather than buying an existing home, the subsidy does not cover geotechnical assessment fees, architectural fees, structural engineer fees, or plan approval fees. It does cover the NHBRC enrolment certificate. Budget for the excluded items separately if you’re going the building route.

Two further conditions are worth knowing. The subsidy is once off and non repayable, which we cover in more detail in do you pay back FLISP. And if the property is not transferred to you within three months of the Provincial Department making the subsidy available, the Department can withdraw it at its discretion, so keep the transfer process moving once your subsidy has been approved.

Does FLISP Cover the Full Property Price?

No, FLISP does not usually cover the full property price. It is designed to support qualifying first time buyers, not pay for the entire home. If your approved home loan is lower than the purchase price, the subsidy may help reduce the gap, but if the shortfall is bigger than the subsidy, you may still need extra savings or another approved funding source. FLISP can improve affordability, but it does not replace a full home loan.

There is no official maximum property price applied broadly, unlike the programme’s early years, when properties were capped at R300,000. That cap was removed some years ago. That said, the National Department of Human Settlements retains the ability to announce a maximum qualifying property price for a given financial year, so it’s worth confirming there is no active cap at the time you apply. In practice, the subsidy has its biggest impact on properties priced roughly between R350,000 and R650,000, where the subsidy plus a realistic bond for this income range together get closest to covering the purchase price.

How Long Does It Take for FLISP to Pay Out?

FLISP payout time depends on the application status, approval process, bank requirements, and property transfer stage.

Application processing time. Once the NHFC has a complete application with all required documents, excluding your separate home loan processing time, the subsidy assessment itself typically takes around 7 working days. The official portal advises allowing up to 21 working days overall to account for verification against the Housing Subsidy System and the Deeds Register.

Actual payout time. Approval and payment are not the same event. If the subsidy is reducing your home loan amount, the payout is typically made once the property has been registered in your name and the bond account has been opened at the Deeds Office. If the subsidy is covering part of your deposit, it is usually paid within about 5 business days of the deed of transfer being lodged at the Deeds Office. In practice, the full process from approval to actual payout can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on how quickly the property transfer and bond registration move.

Delays can happen if documents are missing, the bank has not confirmed finance, the property transfer is not complete, or the conveyancer is still waiting for final instructions. If the official processing time has passed, follow up with the First Home Finance portal, your lender, bond originator, or conveyancing attorney.

What Documents Do You Need to Apply?

Before applying, gather certified copies of the following (requirements can vary slightly by province, so confirm the exact list with your provincial Department of Human Settlements or the NHFC):

• Bar coded RSA identity document (or bar coded permanent residence permit, where applicable) for every adult in the household
• Birth certificates for dependants who don’t yet have a bar coded ID
• Marriage certificate, civil union certificate, or cohabitation affidavit (where applicable)
• Divorce settlement agreement (where applicable)
• Proof of monthly income (such as recent payslips)
• Home loan approval in principle, or grant letter from an accredited lender or other accepted finance route
• Agreement of sale for the property (or building contract and approved building plan, if building)

Missing or uncertified documents are one of the most common causes of delay, so it’s worth confirming the current list before submitting.

Where to Apply or Check Your Amount

• Official application portal: fhf.nhfc.co.za
• General enquiries: firsthomefinanceenquiries@nhfc.co.za
• NHFC enquiries line: 010 825 2199

What Affects the Final Payout?

• Gross household income
• Whether you meet the qualifying criteria
• Whether you have owned property before
• Whether you received a government housing subsidy before
• Home loan approval, approval in principle, or another accepted finance route
• Property price and shortfall amount
• Correct supporting documents
• Official application approval
• Transfer or bond registration stage

The subsidy table gives an estimate, but the final amount must be confirmed through the official process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Entering take home pay instead of gross income
• Assuming you qualify as a single applicant without checking the financial dependant requirement first
• Leaving a partner’s or co-applicant’s income out of the household total
• Treating the calculator’s or table’s output as a guaranteed, locked in amount
• Relying on an outdated version of the table if the subsidy amounts have since been adjusted
• Not double checking your figure if your income sits right at, or just past, a band boundary
• Assuming applications are open right now without checking fhf.nhfc.co.za
• Assuming you’ve missed out if you already bought a house, without checking whether you qualify retroactively
• Treating the subsidy as cash for personal use rather than funds tied to approved housing purposes
• Choosing a property before checking whether your loan, subsidy, and budget can cover the total cost
• Paying anyone a fee to access or speed up the subsidy. No bank, bond originator, estate agent, or any other party may legitimately charge a fee to unlock or expedite your subsidy, and origination partners that violate this can be permanently barred from the programme. Report any such request to the NHFC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the calculator’s or table’s estimate final? No. It is a planning estimate. Your actual subsidy is confirmed only after the NHFC verifies your income, dependant status, property ownership history, and financing approval.

What is the subsidy currently worth? Roughly R38,911.40 at the top of the qualifying income range (R22,000 a month), up to roughly R169,264.60 at the bottom (R3,501 a month), on a sliding scale between the two.

Can I qualify as a single applicant with no dependants? Probably not, though it can vary by province. National criteria require you to be married, cohabiting, or single with a financial dependant, and most provincial offices apply this consistently. A single applicant without any dependant generally does not qualify regardless of income or credit history, but confirm with your specific province before you commit, since some offices have been reported to apply older or slightly different rules.

I already own a rental property elsewhere. Can I still use FLISP? No. The Deeds Register check looks for any prior residential property ownership anywhere in the country, not just in the area where you’re applying to buy, so an existing rental property elsewhere disqualifies you in the same way a previous home would.

Do I need a bank bond specifically? No. You need an Approved in Principle home loan from an NCR registered bank, non-bank lender, or another policy approved partner, which can include pension backed loans, stokvels, co-operatives, employer housing schemes, and rent to own agreements.

Can applications be submitted right now? Only during designated application windows since 1 April 2026. Check fhf.nhfc.co.za for the current status. Applications submitted before this change continue to be processed normally.

Will my subsidy change if my income rises after I apply? No. It is assessed once, at the date of application, and is not repaid or adjusted afterward.

Is there a maximum property price? There is no official cap in general use, though the Department of Human Settlements can announce a maximum for a given financial year, and in practice the subsidy has the most impact on properties priced roughly between R350,000 and R650,000.

Do I pay back FLISP after receiving the subsidy? No. Unlike a home loan, FLISP is a once off government subsidy, not a loan, so there is no repayment obligation attached to it.

Does FLISP mean I don’t have to pay transfer duty? No. Transfer duty is a separate SARS tax on the purchase price with no first time buyer exemption. FLISP funds may in some cases go toward paying that cost, but the subsidy does not reduce or waive the tax itself.

Why does my payout seem to be taking longer than 7 working days? The 7 working day figure usually refers to how long the subsidy application itself takes to process once complete. The actual payment depends on separate steps, such as bond registration or the deed of transfer being lodged at the Deeds Office, which can take considerably longer.

I already own the home I bought. Can I still apply? Possibly. If the property was transferred into your name from 1 April 2012, 1 April 2014, or 28 July 2018 onward and you met the qualifying criteria at the time, retroactive applications may be accepted. Check with your provincial Department of Human Settlements to confirm.

Start with the calculator at the top of this page for a quick estimate, then check your exact income band against the full subsidy table, and use the details above to confirm how much FLISP actually pays out and how that payout reaches you. Use accurate gross household income, confirm your dependant and property ownership status against the actual qualifying criteria before you get attached to a number, and check fhf.nhfc.co.za for the current application window status before you plan a timeline around your estimate. If your income sits close to a band boundary, or falls in one of the two wider bands flagged in the table, confirm your exact amount directly with the NHFC or your bank before you build a budget around it.

Once you’re ready to move forward, run your income through the calculator, note the figure, and get your finance sorted so you’re prepared for when the next application window opens. Our guide to the FLISP application process covers the forms, documents, and submission routes step by step.