FHA Loan Limits 2026: County-by-County Maximums

FHA loan limits in 2026 set the maximum amount you can borrow on an FHA-insured mortgage in your county. The 2026 nationwide floor is $524,225 — meaning even the lowest-cost counties in America have at least that much FHA borrowing power. The ceiling, applicable in high-cost areas like the San Francisco Bay Area, Manhattan, and parts of Hawaii, is $1,209,750 for a single-family home. The exact limit in your county determines whether you can use FHA financing for the home you want, or whether you need to bring more cash to closing — or pivot to a different loan program entirely.

This guide explains how FHA loan limits are set, where the 2026 numbers come from, what happens when your purchase price exceeds your county limit, and the specific multi-unit and high-cost area rules that change the math.

FHA loan limits are tied directly to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) conforming loan limits — the maximum loan size Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy. Each November, FHFA announces the next year's conforming loan limit based on the FHFA House Price Index. For 2026, the conforming limit is $806,500, up from $766,550 in 2025.

FHA's floor is 65% of the conforming limit: 65% × $806,500 = $524,225. FHA's ceiling is 150% of the conforming limit: 150% × $806,500 = $1,209,750. The actual limit for your county sits somewhere on this spectrum based on local median home prices, calculated by HUD using the prior year's third-quarter median home sale data.

If you're shopping in a low-cost area (rural Mississippi, rural Wyoming, small-town Iowa), your FHA limit is the floor of $524,225. If you're shopping in a high-cost area (San Francisco County CA, Westchester County NY, Honolulu County HI), you're at or near the ceiling of $1,209,750. Most counties fall somewhere in between.

2026Single-Family FHA Limits by County Cost Tier

FHA publishes a county-by-county lookup at HUD.gov. Rather than reproducing 3,000+ counties, here's how to read your specific situation:

Low-cost areas (the floor: $524,225)

Most of rural America. Examples: all of Mississippi, most of Alabama, most of Arkansas, much of Oklahoma, much of Kentucky, most of West Virginia, most of Iowa, most of South Dakota, all of North Dakota, and most of inland California counties (Fresno, Kern, Tulare). If your county is in this tier, $524,225 is your single-family limit — which is well above the median home price almost everywhere in these markets.

Moderate-cost areas ($524,226 to roughly $700,000)

Smaller cities and suburban metro areas. Examples: Phoenix, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City suburbs, most of Texas suburban metros. Specific county limits in this tier vary based on local median home prices.

High-cost areas ($700,000 to roughly $1.0M)

Major metros with elevated home prices. Examples: Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Austin, Seattle suburbs, Boston suburbs, Miami, Washington DC suburbs. Specific county limits depend on year-over-year median price changes.

Highest-cost areas (the ceiling: $1,209,750)

The top 25-50 counties nationally. Includes: San Francisco County CA, Marin County CA, San Mateo County CA, Santa Clara County CA, Alameda County CA, Orange County CA, Los Angeles County CA, San Diego County CA, all five NYC boroughs, Nassau County NY, Suffolk County NY, Westchester County NY, Fairfield County CT, Honolulu County HI, Kauai County HI, Maui County HI, Hawaii County HI, Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Loudoun County VA, Montgomery County MD, Howard County MD, Anne Arundel County MD, and a few resort/island counties.

Verify your specific county at https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm before relying on any estimate. Limits change every year based on local market data.

FHA loan limits scale up for multi-unit properties — important if you're house hacking under FHA's owner-occupied 2-4 unit rules. For 2026 in low-cost areas:

Single-family (1 unit): $524,225

2 units (duplex): $671,200

3 units (triplex): $811,275

4 units (fourplex): $1,008,300

In high-cost areas, multi-unit limits scale to their respective ceilings:

Single-family: $1,209,750

2 units: $1,548,975

3 units: $1,872,225

4 units: $2,326,875

These are some of the highest available loan limits for any conventional, FHA, or VA program — making FHA 3.5% down on a 4-unit property in a high-cost area one of the most leveraged real-estate plays available to a U.S. consumer. See our [FHA multi-unit house hacking guide](/blog/fha-multi-unit-house-hacking) for the full strategy.

If you want to buy a home priced above your county's FHA limit, you have three options.

Option 1: Bring more cash to closing

Buy at the higher price but cap your loan amount at the FHA limit. Your effective down payment increases. On a $700,000 home in a county with a $524,225 FHA limit, your minimum cash to close is $175,775 down payment plus 1.75% UFMIP on the loan plus closing costs — about 25-30% effective down payment. This rarely makes sense; the FHA insurance premium is paying for low-down-payment risk you no longer need.

Option 2: Switch to conventional financing

If your home price is between the FHA limit and the conforming limit ($806,500), a conventional loan with 5-20% down is usually a better fit. PMI cancels at 78% LTV (vs FHA's lifetime MIP). For higher-credit buyers (700+), conventional rates are typically equal or better than FHA at this loan size. Use our [mortgage calculator](/mortgage-calculator) to compare.

Option 3: Use a jumbo loan

If your home price is above the conforming limit, you need jumbo financing — non-conforming loans the lender holds on its own balance sheet rather than selling to Fannie/Freddie. Jumbo loans typically require 10-20% down, 700+ credit, 6-12 months of reserves, and rates 0.25-0.5% above conventional. Some private banks offer 'physician jumbos' or 'professional jumbos' with as little as 5% down for high-income borrowers.

Quick reference for all three federal-program loan limits in 2026:

Conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac)

Single-family: $806,500 (floor) to $1,209,750 (ceiling, high-cost). Same FHFA-set tiers as FHA.

FHA

Single-family: $524,225 (65% of conforming floor) to $1,209,750 (150% of conforming floor). Multi-unit limits scale up.

VA

VA technically has no maximum loan amount for eligible veterans with full entitlement — you can borrow whatever you can qualify for. Loans above the conforming limit ($806,500) may require a 25% down payment on the portion above the limit. See our [VA loan calculator](/tools/va-loan-calculator) for VA-specific math.

USDA loans have no maximum loan amount but require properties to be in eligible rural areas. Use the USDA property eligibility map for verification.

FHA limits change every January 1st based on FHFA's November announcement. The drivers:

Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index (HPI). When U.S. home prices rise, conforming limits rise next year, and FHA limits rise with them. The 2026 conforming limit increase of $39,950 (5.2%) reflects the FHFA HPI's measured rise through Q3 2025.

Local median home prices feed into county-level FHA limits. HUD uses the prior year's Q3 median sale price data to set each county's limit. Counties with rapid price appreciation see their limits rise faster than the national average.

Statutory floor and ceiling. The 65% floor and 150% ceiling are set by Congress and only change when housing legislation modifies them. They've been at these levels since 2008.

If you're planning to buy in late 2025 or 2026, know that limits will rise again in January 2027 if home prices continue to rise. Buyers who can wait may benefit from higher FHA borrowing power next year.

How do I find the FHA loan limit for my exact county?

Use HUD's official county lookup at https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm — search by state and county. The tool shows single-family, duplex, triplex, and fourplex limits for the current year. Your specific county's limit is the only one that matters for your purchase.

Can I get an FHA loan if the purchase price exceeds the FHA limit?

Yes, but you'd have to bring extra cash to closing so that the loan amount itself stays at or below the FHA limit. This rarely makes sense financially. If your price is above the FHA limit but below the conforming limit, conventional is almost always a better path.

Do FHA loan limits differ for FHA 203(k) renovation loans?

The total loan amount (purchase + renovation costs + UFMIP) must stay within your county's FHA limit. If the renovation is significant, this can become a binding constraint. See our [FHA 203(k) renovation loan guide](/blog/fha-203k-renovation-loan-guide) for how the math works on renovation purchases.

Are FHA limits the same in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands?

No — these jurisdictions get special treatment. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the USVI have FHA single-family limits that can exceed the standard ceiling. In 2026, Hawaii's high-cost counties hit $1,814,625 single-family — 50% above the standard ceiling. Verify with HUD's lookup tool.

Will my FHA loan limit affect what I can refinance into?

Yes. FHA Streamline Refinance and FHA Cash-Out Refinance both follow the current FHA county limits. If your original FHA loan is above the current year's limit (because prices rose then fell), you may have refinancing restrictions. Check current county limits before assuming an FHA refinance is available.