What the FHA mortgage loan limit is, and what it is not
A single-family FHA loan in a low-cost county tops out at $524,225 in 2025. In a high-cost part of California, the same program can go to $1,209,750. That gap is why two buyers with similar incomes can get very different preapproval amounts. The FHA mortgage loan limit is a county-by-county cap on the loan amount, not a cap on the home price. HUD updates the numbers every January, and the limit applies to the base mortgage, not your closing costs or moving truck.
FHA uses a floor and a ceiling. The floor is the lowest maximum loan amount allowed in any county. The ceiling is the highest. Counties in between get a limit based on local median home prices, which is why a suburb outside an expensive metro can have a higher cap than a rural county 90 minutes away.
For 2025, the one-unit numbers look like this:
- Floor: $524,225 in low-cost counties.
- Ceiling: $1,209,750 in high-cost counties.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands: up to $1,814,625 for a one-unit home.
- Two- to four-unit properties: higher caps because the building has more units.
Those figures are a snapshot, not a permanent rule. Check the current limit for your address before you make an offer. A $15,000 shift in the cap can change which homes are realistic.
Your county matters more than the national headline
FHA loan limits are tied to a county or metro area, not to a state or a national average. A buyer in rural Ohio might see the $524,225 floor. A buyer in Los Angeles County can see the $1,209,750 ceiling. Same FHA program, different borrowing room. Lenders usually pull the limit by property address, but it is worth checking yourself in HUD’s FHA loan limit lookup so you know the number before a lender runs your file.
The loan limit is only one part of approval. Credit, income, debts, and the property itself still decide whether you qualify. If your loan amount fits but your file has a few dings, these FHA loan requirements explain what gets approved and what quietly does not.
The cap applies to the loan, not the listing price
This is the part that surprises buyers. If your county’s FHA limit is $524,225 and you use the standard 3.5% down payment, your maximum purchase price is roughly $543,238. The math: $524,225 divided by 0.965. You are not limited to a $524,225 home. You are limited to a $524,225 loan.
Now suppose the home you want is $600,000 in that same county. The FHA loan still cannot exceed $524,225. You would need about $75,775 down, plus closing costs, to keep the loan under the cap. That is a 12.6% down payment, not 3.5%. The home is not off-limits. The cheap-down-payment version of the purchase is.
Credit score changes the down payment requirement too. A 580 score or higher generally opens the 3.5% option. A score between 500 and 579 usually requires 10% down. On a $500,000 purchase, that difference is $32,500 more cash. If saving 3.5% is already a stretch, down payment assistance and community lending programs can help, and this guide to mortgage types for low-income families covers what actually gets approved.
Property type changes the number
Two- to four-unit properties
A duplex, triplex, or fourplex has a higher FHA limit than a single-family home. In 2025, the low-cost floor is about $671,200 for a two-unit, $811,275 for a three-unit, and $1,008,300 for a four-unit. High-cost counties scale up from there. If you are buying a multi-unit property to house hack, make sure the lender uses the right unit count. Quoting a single-family limit on a triplex will understate your borrowing room.
Three- and four-unit purchases also face FHA’s self-sufficiency test. The property’s net rental income generally needs to cover the mortgage payment. A duplex does not have the same requirement. That rule can matter more than the loan limit when you are shopping for a fourplex.
Condos and manufactured homes
Condos need to be on an FHA-approved project list, and the county limit still applies. Manufactured homes can fall under different FHA programs with different rules, so do not assume the single-family limit transfers automatically. Ask the lender which program and which limit they are using before you write an offer.
What the limit does not cover
The FHA mortgage loan limit is not a cash-to-close estimate. You still need money for closing costs, prepaid taxes and insurance, and the upfront mortgage insurance premium. The upfront premium is 1.75% of the base loan and can often be financed, but ask the lender how they calculate the maximum base loan amount and whether the financed premium affects their figure.
FHA also charges annual mortgage insurance, usually for the life of the loan if you put less than 10% down. That monthly cost is separate from the loan limit, but it affects your budget. If avoiding mortgage insurance is a bigger priority than the higher FHA cap, these mortgage types with no PMI walk through six routes that skip the monthly premium.
When the home costs more than the FHA limit
You have more options than “walk away.” The right one depends on how far over the cap you are and how much cash you can bring.
- Increase your down payment. If the gap is $20,000, a larger down payment can bring the loan under the county cap. This keeps FHA’s credit flexibility and 3.5% minimum, just not at the original cash requirement.
- Compare conventional loans. The 2025 conforming limit is $806,500 for a one-unit home in most of the country. If your price fits, a conventional loan may have a higher cap than your local FHA limit and mortgage insurance that can be removed once you reach 20% equity.
- Look at jumbo or non-conforming loans. If the price is far above both FHA and conforming limits, a jumbo loan may be the practical route. Rates can be competitive for buyers with strong credit and 20% down, but the approval standards are stricter.
- Recheck the property type and county. A different address can have a different limit. So can a duplex versus a single-family home. Verify before you assume the number is fixed.
Do not compare only the interest rate. Fees, mortgage insurance, and points can swamp a small rate difference. This breakdown of how to compare mortgage loan types shows why a half-point difference on a $500,000 loan is worth about $2,500 a year, not a rounding error.
How to confirm your exact FHA maximum loan amount
Before you tour homes, get the number in writing. A preapproval letter that says “up to $600,000” is not the same as a lender confirming the county limit and the maximum base loan amount for that address.
- Look up the property address in HUD’s FHA loan limit database. Use the exact address, not just the ZIP code.
- Confirm the unit count and property type. A single-family home, condo, duplex, and fourplex can have different caps.
- Ask the lender for the maximum base loan amount and the estimated cash to close. Get both numbers.
- Compare Loan Estimates from at least two lenders. The FHA limit is the same, but rates, origination fees, and lender fees are not.
If you are self-employed, income calculation can become the real bottleneck once the loan amount fits. This guide to mortgage types for self-employed buyers covers what lenders will actually approve when your tax returns do not look like a W-2.
Get the county limit, the down payment math, and the total monthly cost on one page before you fall for a listing. That one page will tell you whether the home is an FHA purchase, a bigger-down-payment purchase, or a different loan entirely.