Forces Help to Buy: worked examples
Real numbers for the questions people ask first: how much will I get, what will it cost each month, and how much stamp duty will I pay?
Uses the scheme rules (50% of salary, maximum £25,000, interest-free, normally repaid over up to 10 years) and HMRC stamp duty rates for England and Northern Ireland from 1 April 2025, checked on 17 October 2026. Mortgage figures are illustrations only. New to the scheme? Start with how Forces Help to Buy works.
1. How big is your advance?
| Annual salary | Advance | Per month over 10 years |
|---|---|---|
| £24,000 | £12,000 | £100 |
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £125 |
| £38,000 | £19,000 | £158.33 |
| £50,000 or more | £25,000 | £208.33 |
The advance is half your annual salary, including specialist pay, up to the £25,000 cap. It is interest-free, so you pay back exactly what you borrow. The monthly figures assume it is spread over the full 10 years.
2. A first home on a £30,000 salary
A first-time buyer earning £30,000 buys a £220,000 home and uses the full £15,000 advance as the deposit.
| FHTB advance (deposit) | £15,000 |
| Mortgage needed | £205,000 |
| Loan to value | 93.2% |
| Stamp duty (first-time buyer) | £0 |
| Mortgage at 4.5% over 25 years | £1,139.46 a month |
| FHTB repayment over 10 years | £125 a month |
No stamp duty is due because first-time buyers pay nothing on the first £300,000. Legal, survey and moving costs still need to be paid in cash.
3. A £340,000 first home at the £25,000 cap
On £50,000 or more the advance reaches the £25,000 cap. Above £300,000, a first-time buyer pays 5% stamp duty on the part of the price between £300,000 and £500,000.
| FHTB advance (deposit) | £25,000 |
| Mortgage needed | £315,000 |
| Loan to value | 92.6% |
| Stamp duty (first-time buyer): 5% of £40,000 | £2,000 |
| Mortgage at 4.5% over 25 years | £1,750.87 a month |
| FHTB repayment over 10 years | £208.33 a month |
Over £500,000, first-time buyer relief no longer applies and the standard rates are used instead.
Run your own numbers
Put in your salary and up to 10 homes. The calculator works out your FHTB advance, mortgage, stamp duty and the cash you need on the day for each one, and shows how overpaying shortens your mortgage.
Open the FHTB calculator