The minimum deposit needed to buy a house in Ireland is 10% of the purchase price for a first-time buyer or someone moving home, under the Central Bank’s mortgage measures. The CSO puts the median Kildare home at €450,000, so the minimum deposit on it is €45,000. That’s the figure lenders ask about, but you don’t normally pay it in one go. The first part usually leaves your account once the seller accepts your offer, before you sign a contract.
Most guides on how much deposit is needed to buy a house stop at the 10%. For Kildare and Meath buyers, stamp duty and legal fees sit on top, and when each payment arrives decides whether your savings are enough.
How much is the deposit on a €250,000 to €600,000 house?
The deposit is 10% of the price, from €25,000 on a €250,000 house to €60,000 on a €600,000 house.
| Purchase price | 10% minimum deposit |
| €250,000 | €25,000 |
| €300,000 | €30,000 |
| €350,000 | €35,000 |
| €400,000 | €40,000 |
| €450,000 | €45,000 |
| €500,000 | €50,000 |
| €550,000 | €55,000 |
| €600,000 | €60,000 |
The €450,000 row is the Kildare median for the 12 months to July 2026, the second highest outside Dublin after Wicklow, according to the CSO.
A 10% deposit meets the Central Bank minimum, though Citizens Information lists a deposit that is too small among the reasons a lender refuses a mortgage application. Interest rates change the monthly repayment on the loan. The minimum stays where it is.
What does buying a house cost beyond the deposit?
Beyond the deposit, a purchase brings stamp duty, legal fees and lender charges. Citizens Information sets the residential rate at 1% on a home up to €1 million, which makes €4,500 on a €450,000 purchase. It adds that, in general, only the property’s value affects the amount, so first-time buyers pay the same rate as everyone else, and that a solicitor calculates the stamp duty owed on a specific purchase. On a new build, the charge applies to the price before VAT.
On legal fees, conveyancing has no fixed rate: some solicitors charge a flat fee and others take a percentage of the price, VAT adds to the quote, and Citizens Information notes that buyers can shop around. Lenders may also add arrangement and valuation fees, and they require mortgage protection cover. Each of these has its own breakdown in the guide to the costs of buying a house beyond the deposit.
One further payment comes with its own refund rules.
What is a booking deposit and can you get it back?
A booking deposit is the first payment a buyer makes to the estate agent, and it stays refundable until both sides sign and exchange contracts. gov.ie and Citizens Information both give that refund position, with the payment falling due once the seller accepts an offer and the home goes sale agreed. The amount varies by agent, from a set sum such as €5,000 to a small percentage of the offer, according to Citizens Information.
Regulation 16(3) of the Minimum Standards Regulations 2020 covers booking deposits that fall due for refund to a buyer. It requires the agent to refund within 10 working days of the day the refund falls due, save in exceptional circumstances, as the PSRA sets out.
How does a booking deposit count towards the 10%?
It counts as the first part of the 10%. gov.ie’s Useful Terms page says a buyer normally pays the deposit on a house in two parts, a booking deposit and a contract deposit, which together make up 10% of the contract price. On a €450,000 house, a buyer who paid €5,000 at sale agreed would normally pay the remaining €40,000 when they sign contracts.
Do you lose your booking deposit if the sale falls through?
Not before both sides sign contracts. Until then, gov.ie says the booking deposit is fully refundable. If a buyer signs contracts and mortgage approval then fails, gov.ie notes the deposit is at risk and other penalties may apply. A solicitor can explain how those terms apply to a specific purchase.
All of this assumes the 10% exists.
Can you buy a house in Ireland without a deposit?
In practice, no. The Central Bank’s loan-to-value limit caps a mortgage on a main home at 90% of the property’s value, so a 10% deposit is the standard requirement. According to Citizens Information, lenders have limited flexibility to lend above that limit for a share of their lending each year.
Can Help to Buy cover a house deposit?
Partly, and only for a new home. On a €450,000 new build, the maximum €30,000 refund covers two thirds of the €45,000 first-time buyer deposit.
Help to Buy refunds income tax and DIRT already paid. It covers first-time buyers of a newly built or self-built home worth €500,000 or less.
It pays the lesser of €30,000, 10% of the price or the tax paid over the previous four years, and it applies to contracts signed up to 31 December 2029, according to Revenue and Citizens Information.
Revenue’s provisional statistics at 31 August 2026 show 7,765 approved claims to date in Kildare and 7,083 in Meath, together more than Dublin’s 13,451.
Can the First Home Scheme replace a deposit?
The First Home Scheme cannot replace the deposit. It adds equity on top of the deposit and mortgage, and applicants still need a house deposit of at least 10%, which Help to Buy can contribute to. The government and participating banks fund up to 30% of a new home’s cost for a stake in the property, or 20% when the buyer also uses Help to Buy. Citizens Information’s price ceilings apply by area, at €475,000 in Kildare, Meath and Galway City, €500,000 in Dublin, Cork City and Wicklow, €450,000 in Limerick, and €400,000 for houses in Waterford. The guide to what the First Home Scheme is covers the equity share and the repayment terms.
Does a family gift for a deposit attract tax?
Tax applies only above a lifetime threshold. A lump sum from a parent counts as a gift under Capital Acquisitions Tax, and the Revenue CAT Manual sets the Group A threshold for gifts from a parent to a child at €400,000. The first €3,000 of gifts from any one person in a calendar year is exempt and does not count towards that threshold, according to Revenue’s small gift exemption page. For Help to Buy, the First Home Scheme and gifts alike, Revenue, a tax adviser, the First Home Scheme’s eligibility calculator or a mortgage adviser can confirm how each applies to an individual buyer.
How long does it take to save a deposit?
Saving for a deposit of €45,000 from scratch at €750 per month would take five years. Citizens Information lists bank statements that show an applicant cannot save among the reasons a lender refuses a mortgage, and a regular direct debit into a separate savings account produces the pattern those statements would show. For a renter, that €750 sits on top of the monthly rent. The monthly figure tests a budget faster than the price tag does.
How much deposit do movers and second-home buyers need?
The minimum is 10% for movers and 30% for a property that is not the buyer’s main residence. The Central Bank applies the same minimum to first-time buyers and to second and subsequent buyers, and the equity in the home the buyer is selling can contribute towards it.
Citizens Information sets out a 70% loan-to-value limit for any property that is not a primary residence, including buy-to-let, so the minimum mortgage deposit is 30%. On a €450,000 purchase, the second-home deposit comes to €135,000. On that wording, a holiday home falls in the same category as an investment property.
Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme sit with first-time buyers and certain other applicants buying a home to live in, so neither helps with a second property or an investment purchase. A solicitor and a mortgage adviser can confirm which category a specific purchase falls into.
How much mortgage can you borrow in Ireland?
The Central Bank’s loan-to-income limit caps borrowing at 4 times gross income for first-time buyers and 3.5 times for second and subsequent buyers. Its own example is a first-time buyer couple earning €100,000 together, who can borrow up to €400,000, while a second or subsequent buyer on the same income can borrow up to €350,000. With a 10% deposit, a €400,000 loan supports a purchase price of around €444,000.
These limits set a maximum. Each lender applies its own lending criteria and tests affordability case by case, so a mortgage calculator or a conversation with a mortgage adviser gives the figure for a particular salary and set of commitments.
Looking to buy a house in Kildare or Meath?
The current properties for sale in Kildare and Meath show what €450,000 buys. Approval in principle gives you a price range to work with, though it does not commit the lender to a mortgage. The letter of offer comes later, once the lender has valued the property.
This guide is general information from an estate agency. DNG Farrelly Southern is not a legal, tax or financial adviser, and a solicitor, tax adviser or mortgage adviser can confirm how the rules apply to a specific purchase.
Emma Farrelly and Rebecca Southern lead the DNG Farrelly Southern team in Maynooth. The agency works with the DNG network. To see what your deposit and mortgage add up to, call (01) 651 7000 or email info@dngmaynooth.ie.
