FHA data sources and how we keep figures current
Each FHA figure we publish is listed with the government document it came from, when that document was published and when we last checked it — so you can verify anything you read here.
Where does the FHA data on this site come from and how current is it?
The FHA figures on this site are drawn from published HUD, FHFA and other government documents, and each one is listed here with its source, publication date, applicable program year and the date we last checked it. Official agency publications always control, and we encourage you to confirm any figure with the linked source or with a licensed loan officer before you rely on it.
- • We cite government publications: HUD, FHFA, and the FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1.
- • Each page shows three separate dates: Updated, Reviewed and Data checked.
- • We aim to review pages about every 30 days and to re-check each source around when the agency publishes it.
- • Program and rule changes are read by a person before we change any wording.
- • We do not publish interest rates as fixed figures anywhere on this site.
What this means for you: you can click through to the agency document behind any figure and confirm it yourself. Official HUD, FHA and FHFA publications control, and this page is general information — not legal, tax or lending advice, and not a commitment to lend.
County limits on this site are read from our copy of HUD's CHUMS forward-limits file, refreshed automatically. The most recent automated refresh ran on October 29, 2026 and finished with status "counties_synced".
If the automated refresh fails or returns an incomplete file, the site keeps the last verified snapshot instead of publishing partial or estimated limits. View HUD's county limit file.
Verified against HUD Handbook 4000.1 Update 18 — August 12, 2026
Reviewed by the Simply Approved Mortgages underwriting desk — Licensed mortgage originators (NMLS) — Colorado & Florida. Program-rule content on this site is checked against this handbook version.
The FHA figures we publish and where each one comes from
Each value below is published from one shared list, with its source document, so the same number appears consistently across the site.
| Value | Current | Previous | Source | Published / effective | Verified | Refresh | Pages affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FHA national floor — 1-unit | $541,287 | $524,225 | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) PDF source | December 11, 2025 / January 1, 2026 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check February 5, 2027 | annual human verification | /, /loan-limits, /county-lookup, /states, /states/*, /calculator, /affordability-calculator, /mip-calculator, /loans/*, /requirements, /fha-vs-conventional |
| FHA high-cost ceiling — 1-unit | $1,249,125 | $1,209,750 | HUD PDF source | December 11, 2025 / January 1, 2026 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check February 5, 2027 | annual human verification | /, /loan-limits, /county-lookup, /states, /states/*, /loans/* |
| FHA special exception ceiling (AK, HI, GU, VI) — 1-unit | $1,873,625 | — | HUD PDF source | December 11, 2025 / January 1, 2026 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check February 5, 2027 | annual human verification | /loan-limits, /states/alaska, /states/hawaii, /states/* |
| Conforming loan limit baseline — 1-unit | $832,750 | $806,500 | Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) HTML source | November 25, 2025 / January 1, 2026 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check February 5, 2027 | annual human verification | /loan-limits, /fha-vs-conventional, /loans/* |
| HUD county-by-county FHA limit table | 2026 CHUMS forward limits | — | HUD — CHUMS forward limits file TXT source | December 11, 2025 / January 1, 2026 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check January 2, 2026 | daily automated feed | /county-lookup, /states, /states/*, /loan-limits |
| Official HUD county limit lookup tool | https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm | — | HUD HTML source | December 11, 2025 · 2026 program year | January 1, 2026 next check February 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source | /county-lookup, /states/* |
| FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1 | HUD Handbook 4000.1 Update 18 | Update 17 | HUD PDF source | August 12, 2026 / August 12, 2026 | August 12, 2026 next check September 12, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /requirements, /underwriting-checklist, /credit-score-requirements, /dpa, /first-time-home-buyer, /loans/*, /guides/*, /faq |
| Limited 203(k) maximum repair amount | $75,000 | $35,000 | HUD PDF source | July 9, 2024 / November 4, 2024 | August 31, 2026 next check October 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /renovation-calculator, /loans/fha-203k, /guides/* |
| Streamline net tangible benefit — fixed-to-fixed combined-rate reduction | 0.5 | — | HUD PDF source | August 12, 2026 / August 12, 2026 | August 31, 2026 next check October 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /streamline-benefit, /refinance-break-even, /loans/fha-streamline-refinance |
| Streamline refinance seasoning — days since prior closing | 210 | — | HUD PDF source | August 12, 2026 / August 12, 2026 | August 31, 2026 next check October 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /streamline-benefit, /loans/fha-streamline-refinance |
| Interested party contribution cap — share of sales price | 6 | — | HUD PDF source | August 12, 2026 / August 12, 2026 | August 31, 2026 next check October 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /cash-to-close, /closing-costs, /guides/fha-seller-concessions, /first-time-home-buyer |
| Minimum FICO for 3.5% down (HUD rule) | 580 | — | HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4 PDF source | August 12, 2026 | August 12, 2026 next check September 12, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /, /requirements, /credit-score-requirements, /first-time-home-buyer, /dpa, /loans/* |
| Minimum FICO for 10% down (HUD rule) | 500 | — | HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4 PDF source | August 12, 2026 | August 12, 2026 next check September 12, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /requirements, /credit-score-requirements, /loans/* |
| Live FHA rate quotes | Delivered by the pricing engine at quote time | — | Simply Approved Mortgages pricing engine HTML source | January 1, 2026 | January 1, 2026 next check February 1, 2026 | as-published monitored source · human review required | /rates |
| County median home value, income and homeownership rate (ACS 5-year) | American Community Survey 5-year estimates, all U.S. counties | — | U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey API source | December 11, 2025 | August 28, 2026 next check September 28, 2026 | monthly automated feed | /states/*, /county-lookup |
| National mortgage and housing market series (FRED) | MORTGAGE30US, MORTGAGE15US, MSPUS, CSUSHPINSA, UNRATE, CPIAUCSL | — | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) / Freddie Mac PMMS API source | August 27, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check August 29, 2026 | daily automated feed | /rates |
| State unemployment rates (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics) | LAUS state series | — | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics API source | August 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check September 28, 2026 | monthly automated feed | /states/* |
| County FHA lending activity (CFPB HMDA) | Originated / denied FHA applications and average loan amount, by county | — | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Home Mortgage Disclosure Act API source | March 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check November 29, 2026 | quarterly automated feed | /states/* |
| County natural-hazard risk ratings (FEMA National Risk Index) | Composite risk rating plus coastal-flood and hurricane ratings, by county | — | FEMA — National Risk Index API source | March 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check November 29, 2026 | quarterly automated feed | /states/* |
| State house price index (FHFA all-transactions, via FRED) | XXSTHPI index level and year-over-year change, by state | — | Federal Housing Finance Agency (via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) API source | August 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check September 28, 2026 | monthly automated feed | /states/* |
| U.S. Treasury daily par yield curve (2y / 10y / 30y) | Published daily Treasury par yields | — | U.S. Department of the Treasury CSV source | August 27, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check August 29, 2026 | daily automated feed | /rates |
| Florida Housing Finance Corporation homebuyer program terms | Official Florida HFA program and assistance terms | — | Florida Housing Finance Corporation HTML source | August 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check September 4, 2026 | weekly monitored source · human review required | /dpa, /states/florida |
| Colorado Housing and Finance Authority homebuyer program terms | Official CHFA program and assistance terms | — | Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) HTML source | August 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 next check September 4, 2026 | weekly monitored source · human review required | /dpa, /states/colorado |
HUD does not publish a public API for Mortgagee Letters or the Handbook, so those entries are checked by hand against the published document; county limits come from HUD's CHUMS forward-limits file. Where a source is monitored rather than automated, the table says so. Dates shown reflect when we last checked a source, not a guarantee that the agency has not since revised it.
How we keep FHA figures accurate
We show the date, not a guess
If we cannot confirm a newer figure, the page keeps the last value we checked along with the date we checked it, rather than showing an estimate in its place.
A person reads rule changes
Straightforward number updates can be applied once validated. Changes to program rules or agency guidance are read and interpreted by a person before any wording changes.
We follow up on gaps
When a source cannot be confirmed, we re-check it and follow up manually, and the affected pages continue to show their last checked values and dates.
One change, every page
Our shared list records which pages, tables, calculators and FAQs use each figure, so a confirmed change can be carried through the site together.
Common questions about the FHA figures on this site
- Where do the FHA loan limits on this site come from?
- The 2026 FHA floor, ceiling and special-exception limits come from HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, published December 11, 2025 and effective for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026. County-level limits come from HUD's CHUMS forward-limits file. Both are listed in the registry table on this page with their source links.
- How often is the FHA information on this site checked?
- We aim to review pages on roughly a 30-day cycle and to check each source about as often as the agency publishes it — annually for the loan-limit letters, periodically for the county limit file, and after HUD publishes handbook or program updates. Agencies can change guidance at any time, so the linked official document is the authority.
- What is the difference between Updated, Reviewed and Data refreshed?
- Updated is the date the page's content meaningfully changed. Reviewed is the date someone on our team last checked the page, which can happen with no content change at all. Data checked is the date the underlying government figures were last compared with their source. We keep these dates separate so they stay accurate.
- What if a figure on this page looks out of date?
- When we cannot confirm a fresh value, we keep the last figure we checked and show the date we checked it rather than substituting an estimate. If you spot something that no longer matches the official source, tell us and we will look at it — and in the meantime, rely on the linked agency document.
- Does Simply Approved Mortgages have a relationship with HUD or FHA?
- No. Simply Approved Mortgages is a licensed mortgage originator (NMLS #2620881). We cite HUD, FHA, FHFA and other government publications as sources. We are not a government agency and nothing on this site implies government endorsement, approval, or affiliation.
This page describes how we source and check the FHA information we publish. It is provided for general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice, an offer of credit, or a commitment to lend. FHA program rules, loan limits and agency guidance can change, and the official HUD, FHA, FHFA or other agency publication always controls. Loan approval, terms and eligibility depend on a complete application, verified documentation and applicable program and investor requirements. Simply Approved Mortgages, NMLS #2620881, is not a government agency and is not affiliated with or endorsed by HUD, FHA, or any other government agency. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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