South Africa housing subsidy checker 2026: RDP/BNG, First Home Finance and social housing

If you have been reading about RDP houses and the First Home Finance subsidy (the programme that used to be called FLISP), this page is the practical part of that reading. The guides explain what each programme is and how to apply; this page answers the question that comes after: with my household’s income, which one is mine, and how much would First Home Finance actually pay?

The checker below uses the criteria the Minister of Human Settlements gave Parliament in 2025, the 91-step subsidy table the NHFC publishes, and the social housing income band. It shows the income rule next to your own number, the exact subsidy for your income step and the housing department for your province.

The R3,500 line: one rand that changes the programme

South Africa’s housing subsidies are split by one number: gross monthly household income of R3,500. At or below it, a qualifying household is in the fully subsidised band, the Breaking New Ground (BNG) house that most people still call an RDP house. From R3,501 the same household is in the First Home Finance band, which does not give a house but a once-off grant towards buying or building one. There is no overlap and no middle ground, which is why the checker asks for the income first.

The income that counts is the household’s, not yours alone. It is the total of everyone’s earnings before tax and deductions: salaries, wages, piece work, pensions and regular income from renting out a room. If you are married or live with a partner, both incomes are added. A couple earning R1,900 and R1,700 has R3,600, which puts them in the First Home Finance band even though neither earns more than R3,500 on their own. When provinces explain why applications are declined, “combined income too high” is one of the main reasons.

How the First Home Finance amount is worked out

Many guides say the subsidy is “calculated proportionally” between a top and a bottom figure. It is not a formula. The NHFC publishes a table of 91 income steps, most of them R200 wide, and every household in the same step gets the same amount. Step 1, R3,501 to R3,700.99, gets R169,264.60. Each step after that is about R1,449 lower, down to step 91, R21,801 to R22,000.99, which gets R38,911.40. Three steps in the official table are not R200 wide (R14,901 to R15,000.99, R17,601 to R18,000.99 and R18,601 to R19,000.99), and the checker uses the table exactly as published.

Some examples from the table: a household earning R6,000 a month is in step 13 and gets R151,879.76; at R12,000 it is step 43 and R108,417.68; at R20,000 it is step 81 and R53,365.71. Figures that circulate online differ slightly from these (R38,878 or R169,625, for instance); the amounts above are the ones in the NHFC table, which has been in force since 1 April 2023.

The grant is paid once in a lifetime and does not have to be paid back. It can be used to buy an existing or new home, to buy a serviced stand linked to a registered builder, to build on your own stand or on land held under a Permission to Occupy, or to pay buying costs such as transfer and conveyancing fees. It no longer has to be tied to a bank bond: the NHFC accepts pension-backed loans, unsecured housing loans, rent-to-own and instalment sale agreements, community savings schemes and your own savings.

First Home Finance in 2026: the funding pause

The subsidy is paid from a yearly budget, and in 2026 that budget ran out early. In April the NHFC stopped accepting new applications because all the available funds had been allocated. At the end of July it said new funding had come through and that the online portal would reopen once a backlog of about 2,500 applications had been cleared. If the portal does not let you start an application, this is the most likely reason, and it is not a sign that you do not qualify.

The R22,000 ceiling is also under pressure. Banks, developers and estate agents have asked the Department of Human Settlements to raise it, because many first-time buyers who earn a little more still cannot afford a bond. As of the date on this page, no new limit had been approved, so the checker uses R22,000.

Renting instead of owning: social housing and CRU

Not every household wants or can wait for ownership. Social housing is government-subsidised rental: flats in well located areas, close to transport and work, managed by accredited social housing institutions. The income band is R1,850 to R22,000 a month, so it overlaps both the BNG band and the First Home Finance band. You apply to the institution that runs the building, and each one adds its own rules, such as proof of income and a waiting list. In July 2026 the department said it was reviewing the social housing income threshold.

For households below R1,850, the rental option is Community Residential Units (CRU), which are municipal rental units for households earning up to R3,500 that cannot afford other rentals. Ask at your municipal housing office.

Why applications are turned down

The Western Cape government listed the most common reasons housing subsidy applications are declined, and they are worth checking before you apply. Applicants say they are unemployed but the UIF database shows them employed. The household’s combined income is above the limit of the programme. Applicants apply as single but Home Affairs still shows them as married because the divorce was never finalised. The deeds search finds that the applicant once owned property. And the application is incomplete.

Every one of these is checked against a national database, so an honest application with the right documents is the fastest one. If you were declined for a reason you think is wrong (for example a property registered in your name by mistake), ask the housing office for the record and a review.

Single, older, disabled or a military veteran

The subsidy scheme is for people who are married, live with a partner or have financial dependants. A single adult with no dependants generally does not qualify for a BNG house. Municipal guidance lists exceptions for single older persons and single military veterans, and provinces give priority to the aged (over 60), persons with disabilities and military veterans when allocating houses. First Home Finance does not have the dependants rule in the NHFC’s criteria.

Military veterans also have a separate housing benefit through the Department of Military Veterans. Provincial human settlements departments build the houses and the DMV adds a top-up. To qualify you must be on the DMV database and neither you nor your spouse may own a house or have received a state housing benefit.

Scams: what is never charged

Nothing in this process has a fee. The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has said publicly that it does not charge anything to process a housing application, provide land or allocate an RDP house. For First Home Finance, the National Housing Code says no lender or any other party may charge an administration fee for the application. Anyone who asks for money to put you on the list, move you up, or guarantee you a house is running a scam. Keep your ID number and banking details to yourself and report the approach to the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701.

Common questions

Does the subsidy depend on my province? The income bands and the First Home Finance table are national. What depends on the province and the municipality is the waiting list, which projects are being built and how long the wait is.

Can I apply for First Home Finance and a BNG house at the same time? No. Your income puts you in one band or the other, and the subsidy can only be received once.

I inherited a share of a house. Am I still a first-time owner? The deeds search will show the property. Explain the situation at the housing office or to the NHFC before you apply, and ask for it to be reviewed.

Does the checker send my answers anywhere? No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you type is transmitted or stored.

This page is independent guidance. It is not affiliated with the Department of Human Settlements, the NHFC, the Department of Military Veterans, any provincial department or any municipality. Figures come from the sources listed in the result, on the date shown, and can change. The decision on any application is made by the responsible authority.