2026 Nationwide Forward Mortgage Loan Limits

The Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today said it will raise the maximum claim amount for its Single-Family Forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) mortgage insurance programs to $1,249,125 in 2026 (for a one-unit property), up from $1,209,750 this year.

FHA updates its loan limits every year based on rules in the National Housing Act. These limits are calculated using home-sale data from each county or metropolitan area. The law sets three cost tiers, and FHA adjusts the limits according to local home prices.

The law also caps the loan limit in high-cost areas at 150% of the national conforming loan limit, which is set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The new limit is a 3.3 percent increase of $39,375, marking the 10th straight year of increases. Loan limits for most of the country will increase due to the continued appreciation of home prices over the year.

To read HUD’s Mortgage Letter, which includes links to county loan limits, visit https://on.car.org/4aikYVM