On this page
- FHA loan limits for 2026 by number of units
- How HUD sets FHA loan limits
- 2026 FHA county loan limits in sample areas
- What FHA loan limits mean for your purchase price
- FHA loan limits vs conforming loan limits
- How FHA loan limits change each year
- Other FHA limits buyers ask about
- FHA loan limits FAQ
- Check your county’s FHA limit before you set a price range
In 2026, FHA loan limits let FHA insure a one-unit home loan of up to $541,287 in most of the country and up to $1,249,125 in the most expensive areas. Your exact limit depends on your county and the number of units in the home. Because it is the most FHA will insure, the loan you qualify for can still be smaller once a lender reviews your income, debts and credit.
This guide covers the 2026 limits for one to four units, sample county limits and how to look up your county. It also shows what the limit means for your price, how the limits change, and when an FHA loan can go above its limit.
FHA loan limits for 2026 by number of units
HUD set the 2026 limits in Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, dated December 11, 2025. They apply when the loan’s FHA case number is assigned on or after January 1, 2026. The case number is the file number a lender gets from FHA when it opens your loan, so its date decides which year’s limits apply.
| 2026 limit | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor (low-cost areas) | $541,287 | $693,050 | $837,700 | $1,041,125 |
| Ceiling (high-cost areas) | $1,249,125 | $1,599,375 | $1,933,200 | $2,402,625 |
| Special exception ceiling: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands | $1,873,625 | $2,399,050 | $2,899,800 | $3,603,925 |
Most of the country sits at the floor: in HUD’s 2026 county file, 2,794 of 3,235 county rows are at the floor, while 377 fall between the floor and the ceiling and 62 are at the ceiling. The ceiling counties are in high-cost metros such as Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Because construction costs more in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, HUD allows a higher ceiling there. However, only two counties use it in 2026 to go above the standard ceiling: Maui and Kalawao counties in Hawaii, at $1,299,500 for one unit.
How HUD sets FHA loan limits
An FHA loan limit is the largest forward mortgage FHA will insure in an area. (A forward mortgage is a standard home loan, unlike a reverse mortgage.) HUD sets the limits by county and metro area for each calendar year, based on local median home prices, under the National Housing Act (HUD Handbook 4000.1, section II.A.2.a).
Each limit falls at or between two national bounds tied to the conforming loan limit, the largest loan Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy in most areas:
- The floor is 65% of the national conforming limit. For 2026, that is 65% of $832,750, or $541,287 for one unit.
- The ceiling is 150% of the national conforming limit, so it comes to $1,249,125 for one unit in 2026.
Between those bounds, the one-unit limit is 115% of the area’s median home price, according to HUD’s lookup tool. The multi-unit limits are then fixed multiples of the one-unit figure. In addition, every county in a metro area gets the limit of the highest-priced county in that metro (ML 2025-23). For example, San Francisco County shares Alameda County’s 2026 limit because both sit in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro.
The limit caps the base loan amount
The limit applies to your base loan amount, which is the loan before FHA’s upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) is added. In 2026, UFMIP is 1.75% of the base loan amount, but most borrowers finance it instead of paying cash. Since the cap applies before that step, the financed premium can take the total loan above the county limit (4000.1 II.A.2.a.iii). The FHA MIP chart also shows the annual premium.
2026 FHA county loan limits in sample areas
Since your county’s limit can sit anywhere from the floor to the ceiling, the table below shows 2026 FHA county loan limits for a mix of areas, from HUD’s 2026 county file.
| County (metro) | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, Alameda (Bay Area) and Santa Clara (San Jose) counties, CA; Kings County (Brooklyn), NY | $1,249,125 | $1,599,375 | $1,933,200 | $2,402,625 |
| San Diego County, CA (San Diego) | $1,104,000 | $1,413,350 | $1,708,400 | $2,123,100 |
| King County, WA (Seattle) | $1,063,750 | $1,361,800 | $1,646,100 | $2,045,700 |
| Suffolk County, MA (Boston) | $962,550 | $1,232,250 | $1,489,500 | $1,851,100 |
| Denver County, CO (Denver) | $862,500 | $1,104,150 | $1,334,700 | $1,658,700 |
| Honolulu County, HI (Honolulu) | $828,000 | $1,060,000 | $1,281,300 | $1,592,350 |
| El Dorado County, CA (Sacramento) | $764,750 | $979,000 | $1,183,400 | $1,470,700 |
| Fulton County, GA (Atlanta) | $718,750 | $920,150 | $1,112,250 | $1,382,250 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL (Miami) | $667,000 | $853,900 | $1,032,150 | $1,282,700 |
| Salt Lake County, UT (Salt Lake City) | $637,100 | $815,600 | $985,900 | $1,225,200 |
| Travis County, TX (Austin) | $571,550 | $731,700 | $884,450 | $1,099,150 |
| Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix) | $557,750 | $714,000 | $863,100 | $1,072,600 |
| Hennepin County, MN (Minneapolis) | $552,000 | $706,650 | $854,200 | $1,061,550 |
| Cook County, IL (Chicago); Harris County, TX (Houston); Clark County, NV (Las Vegas) | $541,287 | $693,050 | $837,700 | $1,041,125 |
Connecticut works differently, because HUD lists it by planning region instead of by county. In 2026, the Western Connecticut and Greater Bridgeport regions have a one-unit limit of $977,500, while the other seven regions are at the floor.
El Dorado County also shows how FHA and conforming limits can differ in one place. Its 2026 FHA limit is $764,750 for one unit, but its 2026 conforming limit is the $832,750 baseline, according to FHFA’s county file.
How to look up your county
In HUD’s FHA Mortgage Limits search, choose “FHA Forward” as the limit type and “CY2026” as the year, then search by state and county or by metro area. The results then list the one- to four-unit limits.
What FHA loan limits mean for your purchase price
With a credit score of 580 or higher, FHA lets you put down as little as 3.5%, so the base loan can be up to 96.5% of the price. Dividing the county limit by 0.965 therefore gives the highest price that fits the limit with the minimum down payment.
Specifically, the table assumes a one-unit home, a price at or below the appraised value, 3.5% down and a financed UFMIP of 1.75%. Because it covers the loan only, it leaves out closing costs, rates, monthly payments, taxes and insurance.
| 2026 example | Floor county | Ceiling county |
|---|---|---|
| Highest price with 3.5% down | $560,919.17 | $1,294,430.05 |
| Down payment (3.5%) | $19,632.17 | $45,305.05 |
| Base loan (the 2026 limit) | $541,287 | $1,249,125 |
| Upfront MIP (1.75%) | $9,472.52 | $21,859.69 |
| Total loan with financed UFMIP | $550,759.52 | $1,270,984.69 |
Above those prices, you can still use FHA, but you bring more cash. Say a buyer wants a $650,000 home in a floor county, and the appraisal comes in at or above the price. Since the base loan can be no more than $541,287, the buyer needs $108,713 down, or 16.73% of the price, plus closing costs. Our FHA down payment guide also covers gift funds and assistance programs.
Still, the limit only caps the loan. Your lender also reviews income, debts, credit and the appraisal, so the loan you qualify for may be well below your county limit. In addition, a score under 580 limits you to 90% financing, as our guide to the credit score you need to buy a house explains.
To see what a loan near your limit would cost each month, check current mortgage rates and then compare offers from more than one FHA lender.
FHA loan limits vs conforming loan limits
For 2026, FHFA set the conforming limit at $832,750 for one unit in most areas and $1,249,125 in high-cost areas (FHFA). The FHA floor is 65% of that baseline, while the FHA ceiling equals the high-cost conforming ceiling.
As a result, the gap is widest in low-cost areas. Where the conforming limit is the $832,750 baseline and FHA is at the floor, a conventional loan can be $291,463 larger than an FHA loan. Our guide to conventional loan limits also has the county-level conforming figures.
FHA has no jumbo loan program
There is no FHA jumbo loan, so the county limit is the cap. Some lenders call an FHA loan in a high-cost county a “high-balance” loan, but FHA’s program rules stay the same. However, the annual MIP is higher when the base loan amount is above $726,200 (HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05). Lenders may also set their own pricing for these loans.
When the loan you need is above your county’s FHA limit, you have these paths:
- Put more down to bring the base loan under the limit, as in the $650,000 example.
- Use a conventional loan, including a high-balance conforming loan in a high-cost county.
- Use a jumbo loan if the amount also tops your county’s conforming limit.
How FHA loan limits change each year
HUD publishes new limits for each calendar year after FHFA announces the next year’s conforming limit in late November, and then HUD’s mortgagee letter follows. For example, the 2026 letter came out on December 11, 2025.
The 2027 limits will apply to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027. So if your county’s limit rises for 2027, a case number assigned in December 2026 still uses the 2026 limit. We will update this page when HUD publishes the 2027 limits.
Still, limits do not move in every county each year. In HUD’s 2026 county file, some counties keep a limit set in an earlier year. Also, anyone can ask HUD to change an area’s limit, as long as the request reaches FHA within 30 days of publication with local sales data (4000.1 II.A.2.a.ii).
Other FHA limits buyers ask about
The county limit is only one cap on an FHA loan, so see our FHA loan guidelines for the full requirements.
Number of FHA loans
The loan limit caps the size of one loan, while a separate rule caps how many you can have. Because FHA insures loans only on a principal residence, and a person may have only one at a time, FHA will not insure a second home for the same borrower except in a few cases, such as a job move of more than 100 miles (4000.1 II.A.1.b.iii(A)).
Debt-to-income ratio
FHA has no single debt-to-income ratio cap. Instead, for manually underwritten loans, HUD allows 31% for housing and 43% for total debts. With a score of 580 or higher, one compensating factor (such as cash reserves) raises that to 37/47, while two raise it to 40/50. Loans that get an Accept from TOTAL Scorecard, FHA’s automated system, are not held to that matrix, so their ratios can run higher (4000.1 II.A.5.d.viii).
Income
FHA loans have no income limit, although you need enough stable income to repay. USDA loans, by contrast, cap household income, as our USDA vs FHA comparison explains.
203(k) rehab loans
The same county limits apply to the base loan on an FHA 203(k) loan (4000.1 II.A.8.a.ix). Also, a Limited 203(k) caps repairs at $75,000 (ML 2024-13).
Energy improvements
When an energy efficient mortgage (EEM) adds the cost of energy improvements to an FHA loan, the financeable energy package can take the base loan above the county limit (4000.1 II.A.8.c.vi). Similarly, when the loan adds the cost of a solar or wind energy system, it can exceed the limit by up to 20% (4000.1 II.A.2.a.v(C)).
FHA loan limits FAQ
What is the FHA loan limit for 2026?
For one unit, the 2026 FHA limit is $541,287 in low-cost areas and $1,249,125 in high-cost areas. However, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a higher ceiling of $1,873,625.
Does the FHA loan limit include the down payment?
No, because the limit applies to the base loan, which is the price minus your down payment. So if the price is above the limit plus 3.5% down, you can still use FHA by putting more down.
Does the FHA loan limit change every year?
HUD sets new limits for each calendar year, and the 2026 limits came out in December 2025. Many counties stay at the floor, which moves with the conforming limit, while some keep a limit set in an earlier year.
What is the FHA loan limit for a duplex or fourplex?
In 2026, the two-unit limit ranges from $693,050 to $1,599,375, while the four-unit limit ranges from $1,041,125 to $2,402,625, depending on the county. You must also live in one of the units.
Can an FHA loan be more than the loan limit?
Yes, because the limit applies to the base loan, so the financed upfront MIP can take the total loan above it. An energy efficient mortgage can also exceed the limit by the cost of the energy package, and a loan that adds a solar or wind system can exceed it by up to 20%.
When will the 2027 FHA loan limits come out?
FHFA usually announces the next conforming limit in late November, and then HUD follows with its mortgagee letter. The 2027 FHA limits will apply to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027.
Check your county’s FHA limit before you set a price range
FHA loan limits cap the base loan, and they vary by county and unit count. So look up your county in HUD’s tool first, then divide the one-unit limit by 0.965 to find the highest price that works with 3.5% down.
Then get preapproved with an FHA lender to learn what you qualify for within that limit. If you are still weighing FHA against other loans, our pros and cons of FHA loans can help. For a government overview, also see the CFPB’s page on FHA loans.
