Conforming and FHA Loan Limits for 2026: Baseline, Ceiling and Where Jumbo Starts

The 2026 conforming loan limit for one unit is $832,750 in most counties and up to $1,249,125 in high-cost ones, per FHFA's Nov 25, 2025 release, read Oct 20, 2026. HUD's FHA one-unit limit runs from a $541,287 floor to the same ceiling (Dec 11, 2025). Above a county's conforming limit, a loan is jumbo. FHFA's list and HUD's search show counties.

Four statutory areas have higher values, listed below: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The limits in the table cap loan size and are not offers: a lender decides what a borrower qualifies for, and this page is not a pre-approval.

Financeradar data: of the 7 mortgage lenders we compare, 4 state a minimum credit score (580 to 620) and 5 publish an example rate (page re-read Oct 20, 2026; lender terms verified Oct 14, 2026). The lender sets credit and rate terms; the agencies below set the limits.

The 2026 limits by unit count

As of Oct 20, 2026, the table gives the nationwide baseline and high-cost ceiling for conforming loans and the floor and ceiling for FHA. A county sits at the baseline or floor, at the ceiling, or between them.

Sources: the FHFA news release of Nov 25, 2025 (one-unit values), FHFA's 2026 addendum (two- to four-unit baselines) and 2026 county list (its highest two- to four-unit values outside the four areas, shown here as ceilings), and HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 of Dec 11, 2025 (FHA). Conforming figures apply to loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac acquire in 2026; FHA figures to case numbers assigned on or after Jan 1, 2026.

Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands:

• Conforming (FHFA): a one-unit baseline equal to the mainland ceiling above and a one-unit ceiling of $1,873,675. In FHFA's county list, 37 of the 39 rows in these areas sit at that baseline and the other two, both in Hawaii, sit between that baseline and the ceiling, so the ceiling is a cap and not what most get.
• FHA (Mortgagee Letter 2025-23): ceilings of $1,873,625 for one unit, $2,399,050 for two, $2,899,800 for three and $3,603,925 for four. HUD's one-unit figure is $50 below FHFA's, so check which program's number you are reading.

Conforming loan limits: what the baseline and ceiling cap

A conforming limit is the highest loan amount Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac can acquire, according to FHFA's FAQ, and it caps the loan, not the price of the home. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) has FHFA adjust the baseline yearly by the change in average home prices.

Where 115% of an area's median home value exceeds the baseline, the limit rises with it, up to a ceiling set at 150% of the baseline. FHFA gives every county in a metro or micropolitan area the value of that area's highest-median county, so a limit can sit above what one county's prices would produce. HERA also requires the two- to four-unit baselines to rise by the same percentage as the one-unit baseline.

The catch is what the number caps. Because the limit applies to the loan and not the price, a home can cost more than the limit and still be financed under it, with the difference paid as a down payment. A loan above the county limit is no longer conforming, and the lender's own jumbo rules apply.

FHA loan limits: a 65% floor and a 150% ceiling

FHA does not cap loans at the county conforming limit; it sets its own floor and ceiling from the national conforming limit. Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 sets the one-unit floor at 65% of the $832,750 national conforming limit and the ceiling at 150% of it, and the table carries the multi-unit values. Between the two, HUD's press release says limits follow each area's median home price, and the floor applies where 115% of the median falls below it.

The catch is the gap. Where the FHA limit sits at the floor, the one-unit limit is $291,463 below the conforming baseline (our subtraction), so a loan that fits the conforming limit there can be over the FHA limit. Lenders that publish low down payment programs are on our lists for first-time buyers and low down payments.

FHA's reverse-mortgage program (HECM) uses one maximum claim amount instead of a unit table. Mortgagee Letter 2025-22 sets it at the one-unit ceiling for case numbers assigned from Jan 1 through Dec 31, 2026, in every area, including the four special ones.

VA loans: limits with full entitlement and with less

VA says a borrower with full entitlement has no loan limit, as long as the loan is affordable and the appraisal supports the purchase price; the lender still has to approve it. Full entitlement means the certificate of eligibility shows $36,000 of basic entitlement. VA's limits page says that amount backs loans of $144,000 or less, and above that VA guarantees up to 25% of the loan. The lender sizes the loan from credit, income, debts and assets, and VA sets no minimum credit score although some lenders do.

With less than full entitlement, the county limit returns. VA's steps: multiply the county's FHFA one-unit limit by 25%, subtract the entitlement already used, and multiply what remains by 4 to get the most that most lenders would loan with no down payment. VA says a down payment may allow a loan above the county limit, and to use the one-unit limit even for a multi-unit home.

FHFA's FAQ adds that since Jan 1, 2020, VA-guaranteed loans are no longer capped at the conforming limit (Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019). Compare lenders on our VA loans list, or read the pages for Veterans United Home Loans and Navy Federal Credit Union Mortgage.

USDA loans: income and location rules come first

USDA's Section 502 Guaranteed Loan Program offers 100% financing, with a 90% loan note guarantee to the lender. Income cannot exceed 115% of median household income for the area, the home must be a primary residence, and it must sit in an eligible rural area. USDA's fact sheet says loans are based on repayment ability and there is no set maximum purchase price, so income and location do the work a limit table does elsewhere.

The same fact sheet lists a catch: applicants must be unable to get conventional financing without private mortgage insurance. USDA's separate Direct program differs, because the property's market value cannot exceed the county's area loan limit. USDA's guaranteed program page says lenders set the interest rate.

Where does a jumbo loan start?

FHFA's FAQ calls mortgages above the conforming limit jumbo loans, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are restricted by law from buying them. There is no single national threshold: jumbo starts at the county's limit for the unit count. In most counties that is the baseline in the table, in high-cost counties it is higher up to the ceiling, and in the four statutory areas it is higher again.

The agencies set the dividing line, not the terms above it, which come from each lender. Our pages for Rocket Mortgage, Chase Home Lending, Bank of America Home Loans and Better Mortgage show what each one publishes, including the loan types it lists.

How do I find my county's limit?

FHFA's conforming loan limit page links the 2026 county list (spreadsheet, CSV and PDF) and a map, with one- to four-unit limits per county. HUD's FHA Mortgage Limits search looks up a state, county or metropolitan area and offers FHA forward, HECM or Fannie/Freddie limits for 2026, 2025 or 2024. HUD's maximum mortgage limits page links its lists of areas at the ceiling and in between.

Our count of FHFA's 2026 file: 3,235 rows, of which 39 are in the four statutory areas. Of the other 3,196, 3,075 (96%) carry the baseline, 83 sit between baseline and ceiling and 38 sit at the ceiling. That fits FHFA's FAQ, which says over 95% of counties get the baseline and roughly 100 to 200 qualify for high-cost values.

A limit says nothing about the down payment: where to put cash compares places to save it, and the average rate is on our high-yield savings statistics. Test a payment with the mortgage calculator; owners can use the refinance calculator, refinance lenders or HELOC lenders, and the home loans hub has the rest.

What changed from 2025

• Conforming baseline: the one-unit baseline rose $26,250 after FHFA's house price index gained 3.26% between the third quarters of 2024 and 2025. FHFA says 2026 values are higher in all but 32 counties or county equivalents, and its FAQ says county limits do not decrease.
• HECM: HUD's maximum claim amount rose from $1,209,750 to the one-unit ceiling.
• FHA decreases: unlike conforming limits, FHA limits can fall. HUD lists 10 counties whose limits fell, each now at the floor, with comments pointing to metro-area changes. One Maryland county, Calvert, fell to the floor.
• Next update: FHFA's FAQ says it updates limits at the end of each November, effective Jan 1, so the 2027 values should land on that timing.

How we compared

On Oct 20, 2026 we read FHFA's release, addendum, FAQs and county file, HUD's release, both Mortgagee Letters and limits pages, VA's limits page and USDA's program pages and fact sheet. The two- to four-unit ceilings and county counts are our reading of FHFA's file. County limits are not printed here because they vary.

This is general information, not personalized financial advice, and it is not a pre-approval. Financeradar may earn a commission from some links; it never affects rankings (how we make money).

FAQ

What is the conforming loan limit for 2026?

For one unit it is $832,750 in most counties and up to $1,249,125 in high-cost areas (FHFA, Nov 25, 2025). Two- to four-unit limits are higher, and Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a one-unit ceiling of $1,873,675. Check your county and unit count.

What is the FHA loan limit for 2026?

For one unit it runs from a $541,287 floor to a ceiling equal to the conforming ceiling, by county, for case numbers assigned on or after Jan 1, 2026 (HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23). Two-unit floors are $693,050, three-unit $837,700 and four-unit $1,041,125. It caps the mortgage amount; it is not an approval.

Where does a jumbo loan start in 2026?

At the conforming limit for the property's county and unit count; FHFA calls mortgages above it jumbo loans. In most counties a one-unit jumbo loan starts above the baseline, and in high-cost areas higher, up to the ceiling. Each lender sets its own jumbo terms.

Do VA or USDA loans have a loan limit in 2026?

VA says a borrower with full entitlement has no VA loan limit, though the lender still approves the amount; less than full entitlement brings in the county's one-unit limit. USDA's guaranteed loans have no set maximum purchase price, per its fact sheet, but need income at or below 115% of area median household income and a rural location.

How do I find the loan limit for my county?

Open FHFA's 2026 county list or map for conforming limits, or HUD's FHA Mortgage Limits search for FHA limits, and read the row for your county and unit count. A limit is a ceiling, not a pre-approval.

Cite this: Financeradar, "Conforming and FHA Loan Limits for 2026: Baseline, Ceiling and Where Jumbo Starts", October 2026.