FHA loan limits cap the amount you can borrow when you get a mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). These limits are calculated annually and are tied to the national conforming loan limit, which is set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
Specifically, FHA loan limits are set at 65% of the conforming limit in low-cost areas and up to 150% of the conforming limit in high-cost areas. This ensures FHA loans remain accessible while reflecting local home prices.
To be clear, these limits cap the borrowing amount, not the home price. With a large enough down payment, you could buy a $10 million property using an FHA loan.
For most FHA borrowers, these limits aren’t restrictive because their loan amounts are determined more by their income and existing debt than by FHA caps. However, some buyers or refinance borrowers may encounter these limits, especially in high-cost or competitive markets.
This article explains how FHA loan limits work and how they are determined.
Highlights:
- FHA loan limits set the maximum amount you can borrow with an FHA-backed mortgage, but they do not restrict the purchase price of a home.
- Loan limits vary by location, depending on the average home prices in your county or Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
- For 2025, FHA loan limits for a single-family home range from $524,225 in areas with lower home prices to $1,209,750 in high-cost areas, with special exceptions for places like Alaska and Hawaii.
2025 FHA Loan Limits at a Glance
Here are the 2025 loan limits for single-family homes (1 unit) and multi-family dwellings:
| Home prices in the area are: | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
| Much lower than the national average | $524,225 | $671,200 | $811,275 | $1,008,300 |
| Much higher than the national average | $1,209,750 | $1,548,975 | $1,872,225 | $2,326,875 |
| Exceptions (AK, HI, GU and VI) | $1,814,625 | $2,323,450 | $2,808,325 | $3,490,300 |
Remember, there are countless gradations between the lowest and highest FHA loan limits. And the one for your county or MSA will likely be somewhere between the two. So, use the HUD lookup tool or consult its lists (links above) to find yours
FHA loan limits vary by area
We say “FHA loan limits” rather than limit because the borrowing cap varies in different parts of the country. What yours is will depend on the average price of homes in the county or Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) where you buy.
Knowing the limit in your county would be impossibly complicated were it not for a lookup tool on the website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which manages the FHA.
That site also has a full list of counties and their loan limits for those areas with prices above the floor limit but below the ceiling limit. Another page lists those at the ceiling limit.
Calculating the limits
Toward the end of each year, HUD publishes the FHA loan limits for the following calendar year. In 2024, the announcement for 2025 was made on Nov. 26. And we can expect the 2025 limits at around the same time each year.
HUD doesn’t just pluck figures out of thin air. The rules it uses to set them are laid down in statutes.
In 2025, the “national conforming limit” is $806,500. That’s 115% of the area median house price for each jurisdiction averaged out across the nation.
The counties and MSAs with the lowest home prices are capped at 65% of the national conforming limit, and those with the highest are capped at 150% of that limit.
There are exceptions for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They’re adjusted to account for their higher construction costs. The FHA loan limit for a single-family dwelling in these is $1,814,625 in 2025.
FHA multifamily loan limits
We’ve mentioned single-family dwellings a couple of times. That’s because the limits we’ve quoted so far have been for these one-unit homes.
But, if you’re buying a multifamily property with two, three or four units, the loan limits are higher. The FHA doesn’t lend on buildings with more than four residential units.
FHA streamline refinances and loan limits
An FHA streamline refinance occurs when you trade in your existing FHA loan for another FHA loan. One of these typically involves less expense, paperwork and hassle than a standard refinancing.
There are some rules, notably that you can’t take out more than $500 in cash and must derive some tangible benefit from the refi. So, you might be refinancing to a lower mortgage rate or monthly payment, preferably both.
Some lenders offer no-closing-cost FHA streamlines. But they’ll typically charge a slightly higher mortgage rate to recoup those costs over time.
Often, lenders skip steps such as appraisals and credit checks within the streamlined process. So, your home’s current value is generally irrelevant to the streamline refi and your loan limit. You’ll recall that the limit applies only to the amount you’re borrowing, not your home’s appraised value.
Given that you can add only $500 to your existing mortgage balance with one of these refis, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll bump up against the loan limit for your area.
You’d have had to have taken out an FHA loan very recently (limits almost always rise each year), and that loan would have to have been within $500 of the limit.
Even then, you’re not obliged to take out $500 in cash. So, it’s hard to imagine how an FHA loan limit could ever affect an FHA streamline refinance.
What If You Need a Loan Above FHA Limits?
FHA loan limits are set by federal statutes and cannot be negotiated. If your borrowing needs exceed these limits, you may want to explore other options.
One such option is a conventional loan. Conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac have higher loan limits than FHA loans in most areas. For 2025, the conforming loan limit for a single-family home is $806,500 in most counties —significantly above the FHA floor limit of $524,225. These higher limits can provide more flexibility for borrowers who meet the qualifications.
If your borrowing needs surpass even the conventional loan limits, you might consider a jumbo loan. Jumbo loans are non-conforming, meaning they aren’t backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and don’t have official loan caps. However, they often come with stricter requirements, such as higher down payments, excellent credit, and robust income documentation.
For those committed to using an FHA loan, the only way to access a higher loan limit is to purchase a home in a county or metropolitan area designated as a high-cost region. In these areas, FHA limits are adjusted to reflect local home prices and can reach up to $1,209,750 for single-family homes in 2025.
