FHA vs Conventional Loans: Which One Saves You More in 2026?
The right answer depends on your credit score, down payment, and how long you'll keep the loan. We break the math down line by line.

A full rule-by-rule comparison plus a live payment calculator that models FHA mortgage insurance against credit-score-priced private mortgage insurance.
FHA wins on credit flexibility: 3.5% down at a 580 score with DTI to 56.9%. Conventional wins on cost once you're above roughly a 680 score with 5% down, because private mortgage insurance is cheaper than FHA MIP and cancels at 20% equity while FHA MIP usually lasts the life of the loan.
Below roughly a 680 score, FHA usually wins on payment; above it, conventional often costs less once mortgage insurance drops off.
Reviewed by the licensed mortgage team at Simply Approved Mortgages · Last verified August 23, 2026 against HUD Handbook 4000.1
Compare both paymentsEverything on this page about FHA vs Conventional Scenarios comes back to one question: what does the loan actually price at? What you are quoted depends on the file — credit profile, base loan amount, down payment, property type, term and lock period each shift FHA pricing. Use the pricing form below to see live FHA options for your file, including provider APR and whether each option costs points or returns a lender credit.
No current pricing snapshot — we never show sample rate figures.
Sample scenario: Florida primary residence, 30-year fixed FHA. Pricing is refreshed once every business day and can change between refreshes.
Snapshot pricing is an example for the sample scenario described above. It is not a quote, an application, a pre-approval, a rate lock, an offer of credit or a commitment to lend, and it is not personalized to you.
APR is supplied by our pricing provider for the exact scenario priced. Other lender or third-party charges listed separately may not be reflected, and the final APR can change. Your final mortgage disclosures control.
A lender credit reduces eligible closing costs only. It cannot exceed those costs and is never cash back to the borrower.
The three cards above are examples from the latest daily snapshot. Enter your own purchase price, down payment, credit score and location to see every eligible FHA option for your scenario, priced right now.
Same home, two loan types. Adjust the inputs to match your quote.
Principal, interest & mortgage insurance only
Principal, interest & mortgage insurance only
Taxes, homeowner's insurance and HOA dues are identical between the two and are excluded here. PMI figures are representative borrower-paid monthly rates; your actual rate comes from the mortgage insurer at underwriting. Not a quote or offer of credit.
Figures are illustrations based on the values you entered — not an offer, rate lock, or commitment to lend. Emailing your scenario sends it to a licensed loan officer in Florida or Colorado.
| FHA loan | Conventional loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum credit score | 500 with 10% down; 580 with 3.5% down | 620 typical for Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac |
| Minimum down payment | 3.5% (10% below 580 FICO) | 3% on HomeReady / Home Possible; 5% standard |
| Mortgage insurance | 1.75% upfront + 0.15%–0.75% annual | PMI only above 80% LTV; no upfront premium |
| Can insurance be cancelled? | No if under 10% down; 11 years at 10%+ down | Yes — automatically at 78% LTV, on request at 80% |
| Benchmark DTI | 31% / 43%, commonly to ~50% with AUS approval | 36%, up to 45–50% with strong reserves |
| Score-based pricing | Rate is largely score-neutral | Loan-level price adjustments penalize lower scores |
| 2026 loan limit (1-unit) | $541,287 floor to $1,249,125 ceiling | $832,750 baseline conforming |
| Seller contributions | Up to 6% of sales price | 3% under 10% down; 6% at 10–25% down |
| Gift funds | 100% of down payment may be gifted | Allowed, with occupancy and source conditions |
| Property standards | HUD minimum property requirements apply | Appraisal only; fewer condition requirements |
| Assumable by a future buyer | Yes, with lender qualification | No |
| Bankruptcy / foreclosure wait | 2 yrs Ch. 7, 3 yrs foreclosure | 4 yrs Ch. 7, 7 yrs foreclosure |
| Streamline refinance | Yes — no appraisal, no income docs | No equivalent; full refinance required |
Many buyers use FHA to get into the home, then refinance to conventional once the score improves or the home appreciates to 20% equity — which permanently removes the mortgage insurance. FHA's low barrier gets you the asset; the refinance optimizes the cost later.
Neither is universally better. FHA wins on credit flexibility — 580 FICO with 3.5% down, higher allowable debt ratios, and pricing that does not penalize a lower score. Conventional wins once your credit is strong and you have equity, because private mortgage insurance is cancellable at 20% equity while FHA mortgage insurance usually lasts the life of the loan.
FHA's floor is 500 with 10% down or 580 with 3.5% down. Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac generally require 620, and pricing improves sharply above 740.
Yes, and it is the most common exit. Once your home has at least 20% equity based on a new appraisal, a conventional refinance eliminates FHA annual MIP entirely with no private mortgage insurance required.
Talk with a licensed FHA broker about your scenario. Licensed in Florida and Colorado.
Program rules and figures on this page are taken from the primary government sources below, not from third-party summaries.
Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with or endorsed by HUD, FHA, or any government agency.
Complete the short form and we send back a full FHA breakdown: your county loan limit, the minimum FHA down payment, financed upfront MIP, monthly mortgage insurance, and an estimated payment — plus whether down payment assistance can cover your cash to close.
Takes about 3 minutes · No obligation · Summary emailed and shown on screen
Illustration only, generated from the information you enter. Not a Loan Estimate, pre-qualification, commitment to lend, or approval. Subject to appraisal, credit and income review, FHA guidelines, and final lender approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Sample figures for illustration only — not a quote, rate lock, offer of credit or commitment to lend. Simply Approved Mortgages · NMLS #2620881 · Equal Housing Opportunity
The trade-offs below are specific to FHA financing. Reviewed August 23, 2026 against HUD Handbook 4000.1 and the current HUD county loan limit file.
A $425,000 example shows the cash and loan structure FHA produces before pricing is added.
| Purchase price | $425,000 |
|---|---|
| FHA down payment at 3.5% | $14,875 |
| Base loan amount | $410,125 |
| Upfront MIP at 1.75%, financed | $7,177 |
| Conventional 20% down for comparison | $85,000 |
Illustration only — not a quote, rate lock, offer or commitment to lend. Subject to lender underwriting and approval.
This is the set an FHA underwriter typically asks for. Having it ready before you write an offer is the single biggest difference between a two-week and a six-week file.
Income documentation is where most FHA files slow down, and it depends on how you are paid. FHA does not apply a different credit score, down payment or county limit to self-employed borrowers — it applies a different documentation standard.
| Item | W-2 employed | Self-employed |
|---|---|---|
| History required | Two-year employment history, with gaps explained. A job change inside the same field is usually fine. | Generally two years of self-employment. A shorter history can sometimes be considered when there is documented prior experience in the same line of work. |
| How income is calculated | Base pay from pay stubs and W-2s. Bonus, overtime and commission generally need a two-year history to be averaged in. | Net income from tax returns, averaged and adjusted for allowable add-backs such as depreciation. Write-offs that reduce taxable income also reduce qualifying income. |
| Documents that open the file | 30 days of pay stubs, two years of W-2s, and a verification of employment. | Two years of personal and business returns, year-to-date P&L and balance sheet, and evidence the business is still operating. |
| Verification at closing | The employer is re-verified shortly before closing; do not change jobs mid-process without telling your loan officer. | Continued existence of the business is re-verified close to closing, typically through a third-party or licensing check. |
| Most common delay | Unexplained gaps, a new job with variable pay, or a VOE the employer never returns. | A declining year over year, or a large deduction that removes the very income needed to qualify. |
| What we suggest | Get the VOE moving on day one — it is the item most often outstanding at the end. | Have your accountant produce the year-to-date P&L before you shop, so qualifying income is known before you write an offer. |
General FHA documentation guidance per HUD Handbook 4000.1, including Update 18 changes to written and electronic verification of employment. Requirements vary by borrower, property, lender and program, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Sources: HUD Handbook 4000.1
Prefilled with the 2026 HUD reference median of $415,000 for the United States, a 0.90% effective property tax rate and a directional $2,300 annual homeowners premium. Change any input — the interest rate is your own assumption, not an offer.
FHA minimum is 3.5% at 580+ credit.
Your assumption — not a quoted rate.
Figures are illustrations based on the values you entered — not an offer, rate lock, or commitment to lend. Emailing your scenario sends it to a licensed loan officer in Florida or Colorado.
Estimates for general educational purposes only. Interest rates shown are assumptions you enter, not quoted rates, and nothing here is a rate lock, APR, payment quote, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Results exclude HOA dues, flood or wind policies, mortgage insurance changes, points and lender-specific fees. FHA upfront MIP of 1.75% and annual MIP of 0.55% follow HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05 for a 30-year term at 3.5% down. Property tax and insurance inputs are directional state references, not a parcel-level bill. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state. All loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity. Sources: HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05 (MIP) · HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 (2026 loan limits) · U.S. Census Bureau ACS · NAIC homeowners insurance · CFPB Closing Disclosure
Mortgage pricing moves the payment a little. Property tax and insurance move it a lot, and they are entirely local. These figures are built from the 2026 HUD county dataset for the United States and national tax and settlement conventions, reviewed August 23, 2026.
| Cost | Estimate | How it works here |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax | $311 / mo | About 0.90% effective on $415,000 — roughly $3,735 a year. Millage is set locally, so verify the parcel's actual bill. |
| Homeowners insurance | $192 / mo | Directional $2,300 a year for a single-family owner policy in the U.S.. Wind, hail and flood may be separate policies. |
| FHA annual mortgage insurance | $184 / mo | 0.55% of the $400,475 base loan at 3.5% down, 30-year term, per HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05. |
| FHA upfront MIP | $7,008 | 1.75% of the base loan, normally financed into the $407,483 total loan amount rather than paid in cash. |
| State transfer / documentary tax | Varies | Transfer, deed, recordation and mortgage taxes are set state by state — several states charge none at all. |
| Settlement convention | Title/escrow state | A title or escrow company customarily conducts the closing and issues the policy. |
Property tax and homeowners insurance vary far more between two states than mortgage pricing does — always re-price the escrow on the exact county before you write an offer.
Taxes and insurance are part of the qualifying payment, so a $503 escrow in your county consumes debt-to-income capacity before a single dollar of principal and interest is counted. Underwriting uses the post-closing figures, not the seller's current bill.
Estimates for general education only — not a quote, rate, APR, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Property tax rates are effective rates derived from U.S. Census Bureau ACS data; actual millage is set by county, city, school and special districts. Insurance figures are directional annual premiums, not quotes. Transfer, deed, recordation and mortgage taxes summarise state-level statutes; counties and municipalities frequently add their own. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS property tax data · NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report · CFPB — understanding closing costs
Below roughly a 680 score, FHA pricing and mortgage-insurance cost usually win. Above that, with meaningful equity, conventional PMI is typically cheaper and removable at 20% equity. We price both on the same property with the same assumptions, because the right answer changes with score, down payment, and how long the borrower expects to hold the loan.
Have both programs quoted on the same scenario before choosing.
SAM is the Simply Approved Mortgages AI assistant, grounded in HUD Handbook 4000.1 and the 2026 HUD county limit file. It answers general FHA questions instantly. A licensed loan officer reviews every scenario before any terms are confirmed.
Hi — I'm SAM. Ask me about FHA loan limits, credit, mortgage insurance, down payment assistance or what an underwriter will need from you. General education only: I don't quote rates, and nothing I say is an offer or commitment to lend.
Ask Simply AI provides general educational information about FHA loan programs. It is an automated assistant, may be incomplete or out of date, and does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. Nothing it produces is a rate quote, APR, pre-approval, offer or commitment to lend. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC (NMLS #2620881) arranges residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado. Eligibility, terms, conditions and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program and state, and all loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Continue with the FHA topic that matches where you are, or talk to a licensed loan officer about your own numbers.
What FHA insurance is and who it fits.
Credit, income, DTI and property rules.
580 vs 500–579 and what they change.
3.5% minimum, gift funds and DPA options.
Upfront and annual MIP, and how long it lasts.
County-by-county HUD maximums.
What you pay and what a seller can cover.
203(b), 203(k), streamline, cash-out and more.
Payment, affordability, MIP and break-even tools.
Step-by-step from budget to closing.
Short on cash to close? Ask about the FHA DPA, offered through Simply Approved Mortgages: 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% of your loan amount toward your down payment and closing costs, structured as a 10-year repayable second lien at your first-mortgage rate + 2%. FICO 580+, primary residence only — it's an option on every loan program on this site.
Enter a purchase price, pick an assistance tier, and confirm property and residency. Results are illustrative — not a quote or commitment.
Simply Approved Mortgages DPA
Estimate 3.5% assistance on the lesser of price or appraisal, layered over a 30-year fixed FHA first mortgage.
Illustrative only — not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Binding figures appear only on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure.
Documentable qualifying income?
Willing to complete homebuyer education before closing?
Property in NY, WA, USVI, Guam, MP, or AS?
Answer each question above to see your preliminary result.
Figures are illustrations based on the values you entered — not an offer, rate lock, or commitment to lend. Emailing your scenario sends it to a licensed loan officer in Florida or Colorado.
Preliminary self-check only — no credit pulled. Not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, FHFA, or any government agency. Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS# 2620881.
At Simply Approved Mortgages, we believe borrowers deserve clear information, professional guidance, and access to competitive mortgage solutions.
Our company is built around a straightforward philosophy: provide transparent mortgage guidance, maintain a consistent compensation structure on most transactions, and help borrowers make informed financing decisions based on their individual needs and goals.
For many mortgage transactions, Simply Approved Mortgages typically operates using a lender-paid compensation structure of approximately 1.50%. Actual compensation may vary based on lender requirements, loan program, state regulations, loan amount, and other transaction-specific factors.
We believe transparency helps consumers better understand the mortgage process and make informed decisions when comparing financing options.
Mortgage financing should be understandable, transparent, and focused on helping consumers make informed decisions.
Our goal isn't to maximize compensation per transaction. Our goal is to build lifelong client relationships through transparency, service, and competitive mortgage solutions.
Many borrowers spend significant time comparing interest rates, but may be less familiar with how mortgage companies and loan originators are compensated.
Compensation structures can vary among lenders, mortgage brokers, banks, credit unions, and other mortgage providers. Compensation is only one component of a mortgage transaction and should be evaluated alongside interest rates, APR, lender fees, discount points, closing costs, loan features, and overall loan suitability.
At Simply Approved Mortgages, we believe consumers benefit from understanding all aspects of the financing process before making a decision.
Move the slider to compare a hypothetical 1.50% Simply Approved Mortgages compensation structure with a hypothetical 2.75% used by some other lending options. For educational purposes only.
For illustration only. Figures are hypothetical and not a quote, offer, rate lock, or guarantee of savings. Lender compensation is one component of closing costs; actual loan terms, interest rates, fees, APR, and total costs vary by program, loan amount, credit qualifications, property, occupancy, state, and market conditions.
The example below compares a hypothetical 1.50% compensation structure used by Simply Approved Mortgages to a hypothetical 2.75% structure used by some other lending options, solely for educational purposes.
| Loan Amount | Simply Approved Mortgages (1.50%) | Other lending options (2.75%) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $3,750 | $6,875 | $3,125 |
| $350,000 | $5,250 | $9,625 | $4,375 |
| $500,000 | $7,500 | $13,750 | $6,250 |
| $750,000 | $11,250 | $20,625 | $9,375 |
| $1,000,000 | $15,000 | $27,500 | $12,500 |
These examples are illustrative only and are intended to demonstrate how different compensation percentages may produce different compensation amounts based on loan size.
These examples do not represent borrower fees, interest rates, APR, closing costs, loan terms, pricing, or savings, and should not be interpreted as a guarantee that any borrower will receive lower costs or better loan terms.
Whether you're purchasing a home, refinancing an existing mortgage, consolidating debt, or financing an investment property, our team is committed to helping you evaluate available options and make informed decisions.
The most appropriate mortgage solution depends on each borrower's individual financial circumstances, objectives, qualifications, and preferences.
Important Disclosure: Simply Approved Mortgages LLC typically utilizes a lender-paid compensation structure of approximately 1.50% on many mortgage transactions; however, compensation may vary based on lender requirements, loan program, state law, loan amount, borrower qualifications, and other transaction-specific factors. Compensation is only one component of mortgage pricing and does not, by itself, determine interest rates, APR, lender fees, closing costs, loan terms, or overall borrower costs. The information provided on this page is for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as mortgage advice, a commitment to lend, an offer to extend credit, a rate quote, a loan approval, or a guarantee of savings. All mortgage loans are subject to credit approval, underwriting requirements, property approval, and program eligibility guidelines. Borrowers should carefully review all disclosures, including the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure, before proceeding with any mortgage transaction. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC • NMLS #2620881 • Equal Housing Opportunity.
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Related FHA topics for this page — tap any question to jump straight to the answer.
The right answer depends on your credit score, down payment, and how long you'll keep the loan. We break the math down line by line.
FHA loan limits rose for 2026, with a floor of $541,287 and a ceiling of $1,249,125. Here's how to find your limit and why it matters.
The FHA's minimum is 500, but lender overlays push the real-world minimum to 580 or 620. Here's what scores actually get approved.
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