First-time buyers in France: help with a purchase in 2026

Are you a first-time buyer? It depends on the scheme

The legal definition covers individuals “who have not owned their main residence or have not acquired the real property rights to their main residence under a bail réel solidaire (solidarity lease) during the two years preceding the issue of the loan offer” (CCH, art. L31-10-3, I) (our translation). The condition is lifted in the event of disability, certain disability-related allowances, or if a disaster has made the main residence permanently uninhabitable.

Having sold your main residence three years ago is therefore enough for the PTZ, but not for the Action Logement loan.

The interest-free loan

The PTZ carries no interest, no application fees and no valuation fees, and always finances alongside at least one other loan: a PAS, a prêt conventionné (regulated loan), a standard bank loan, a home-savings loan or a supplementary loan (service-public.gouv.fr). For an offer issued from 1 April 2025 to 31 December 2027:

• New home in a block of flats: 50%, 40%, 40% or 20% of the eligible cost depending on the income band; for a home outside a block of flats, 30%, 20%, 20% or 10%.
• Older property: only in zone B2 or C, with works amounting to at least 25% of the total cost of the operation.
• Income: the higher of the occupants’ revenu fiscal de référence (reference taxable income) for year N-2 or the total cost divided by 9, under a ceiling ranging from €28,500 (one person, zone C) to €161,700 (8 people or more, zone A or A bis).
• Term: 25 years at most, with a deferral of at least 2 years where one applies.

Income received abroad is included in the calculation and must be documented (service-public.gouv.fr). The ceilings and bands are set out in our guide PTZ 2026 (interest-free loan 2026); the calculateur PTZ (PTZ calculator) gives the amount.

The social home-ownership loan

The PAS finances the main residence of lower-income households: a new purchase, an older property with or without works, or a new build (service-public.gouv.fr). Its advantages:

• a capped rate: for an offer issued in September or October 2026, from 6.10% (variable rate, or fixed over 12 years at most) to 6.55% (fixed over more than 20 years); from November 2026, from 6.45% to 6.90% (service-public.gouv.fr);
• application fees limited to €500 and a guarantee exempt from taxe de publicité foncière (land registration tax) (ANIL);
• reduced notary’s fees on the loan deed.

It can cover 100% of the operation, but not the notary’s fees, the mortgage costs or the application fees (service-public.gouv.fr): you need an apport personnel (deposit) to pay them. The income ceilings are those of the PTZ (ANIL). See our guide PAS et prêt conventionné (social home-ownership and regulated loans).

The Action Logement loan

It is aimed at employees of a non-agricultural private-sector company with 10 or more employees, subject to income ceilings (actionlogement.fr):

• €30,000 at most;
• fixed rate of 1% excluding compulsory insurance;
• term of your choice, 25 years at most;
• for a new purchase, a new build or an older home sold by an HLM body (social housing organisation).

The complete application must arrive at least 30 working days before signing at the notary’s. Agricultural employees have a separate loan, up to €25,000. Details in our guide prêt Action Logement (Action Logement loan).

Transfer duties: the lowest rate kept

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028, départements may raise their rate above 4.50%, up to 5%. This increase does not apply where the property is a first home in the sense of article L31-10-3 and is intended as the main residence (art. 116, II). impots.gouv.fr sums it up: for a first purchase for use as a main residence, the maximum rate remains 4.50%. In practice, the first-time buyer keeps the rate voted by the département (art. 1594 D): 4.50% on 98 of the 100 lines of the schedule, 3.80% in the Indre and the Hautes-Pyrénées.

This is not an exemption but the retention of the rate voted by the département (art. 1594 D). The DGFiP (public finance directorate) schedule of 1 June 2026 shows the differences: a first-time buyer pays 3.80% in the Indre and the Hautes-Pyrénées instead of 4.50%. Savoie is at 4.50% under article 1594 D; it applies a reduced rate of 4.00% under article 1594 F septies, provided the buyer undertakes to use the home as their main residence for at least five years. On an older home of €200,000, going from 5% to 4.50% saves €1,000 on the département share, before assessment charges. The frais de notaire (notary fees) page gives the calculation by département, and our guide on the hausse des droits de mutation (transfer duty increase) details the rates.

Which professional to consult

The courtier en crédit (mortgage broker) puts together the PTZ, the PAS and the Action Logement loan with the banks that distribute them: not all of them have signed an agreement with the State, and none is obliged to grant the PTZ (service-public.gouv.fr). The notaire (notary) applies the transfer duty rate reserved for first-time buyers: tell them about your situation from the preliminary contract stage. The agent immobilier (estate agent) can steer you towards new properties or those located in zones B2 and C, the only ones eligible for the PTZ for older homes.