Down payment assistance finder
Published Last updated
Ten questions, about ninety seconds. We compare your answers against the published eligibility rules of the programs in our database — state housing finance agencies, city and county funds, Federal Home Loan Bank set-asides and lender programs — and show you the ones worth pursuing, with the repayment structure stated plainly on every card.
Quick answer: What down payment assistance can you actually use?
The programs you can use are the ones open in your county, within the published income and purchase-price caps, and still accepting reservations. Our finder asks about location, household size, income, credit range and buyer status, then matches those answers to the program rules we track and shows the fit after you submit your details.
TL;DR
- Eligibility is decided by county, income, price and buyer status — not by credit score alone.
- Programs are layered: a state second plus a city or county grant is common.
- Funding is set by the administering agency and can pause without notice.
- The finder takes about ninety seconds.
Quick questions
- What do I need to answer?
- Where you're buying, household size, gross household income, roughly your credit range, and whether you've owned in the last three years.
- Does the finder decide eligibility?
- No. It shows the programs whose published rules match your answers. The administering agency makes the eligibility decision.
Which state are you buying in?
Assistance is awarded by state, county and city — location is the single biggest filter.
Simply Approved Mortgages LLC arranges residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado only. We ask first so we never collect a mortgage inquiry we are not licensed to act on.
This tool is an educational research aid. It does not determine eligibility, and does not confirm that any program currently has funds. Program rules are set and changed by the administering agencies.
How down payment assistance helps you buy
Down payment assistance closes the cash gap between what a lender will lend and what a seller needs at the closing table. For most buyers it is the difference between purchasing this year and saving for another three to five. Terms and availability are set by each administering agency and can change or run out of funding without notice.
You buy years sooner
Saving a 5% down payment on a median-priced home usually takes several years. Assistance covers most or all of that gap now, so your timeline is set by your credit and income rather than by your savings balance.
Your own cash stays intact
Because the assistance funds the down payment and, on many programs, closing costs, your savings can stay where they belong — reserves, moving costs, and the repairs that show up in the first year.
Often no monthly payment added
Grants and forgivable or deferred second mortgages add nothing to your monthly payment. Only a repayable second creates a second monthly obligation, and every program card on this site states which structure applies.
It stacks with normal financing
Assistance attaches to a standard FHA, conventional, VA or USDA first mortgage originated by a lender approved for that program, so you are not trading away loan choice to use it.
What you have to meet
- Income limit
- Household or qualifying income must fall at or below a published cap, set by county and usually adjusted for household size. This is the most common disqualifier, so check it first.
- Purchase-price cap
- Most programs limit the acquisition cost of the home, and the cap can differ between new construction, existing homes and federally targeted areas.
- First-time buyer status
- Commonly defined as no ownership interest in a primary residence for the past three years. Veterans and targeted-area purchases are frequently exempt.
- Credit score
- Program minimums typically sit in the low-to-mid 600s, and the first mortgage carries its own minimum. The higher of the two governs your file.
- Owner occupancy
- The home must be your primary residence. Investment and second-home purchases are not eligible, and moving out during a forgiveness period usually accelerates repayment.
- Homebuyer education
- Most programs require an approved course certificate before closing. It takes a few hours online — take it early, because it is a hard closing condition.
- Participating lender and reservation
- Funds are delivered through the first mortgage and reserved by an approved lender, normally once you are under contract. Eligibility alone does not hold money; the reservation does.
A realistic timeline
- Week 1Check the county income and price limits, pull your own credit report, and start the homebuyer education course.
- Week 1–2Work with a lender approved for the specific assistance program you want to use to confirm your financing.
- Week 2–8Shop inside the program's eligible area and price cap, then write an offer that allows time for the assistance paperwork.
- At contractYour lender reserves the assistance funds while the file moves through underwriting.
- At closingFunds are wired to the closing agent and applied to your down payment and permitted closing costs — they are never paid to you as cash.
Timelines are illustrative and vary by program, lender and market. Nothing here is an offer of credit, an approval, or a guarantee of assistance eligibility, funding availability or any particular term.
See your own numbers
Free tools using current stored limits and your inputs. Estimates are educational, not loan offers.
- Eligibility checkAnswer a few questions to see which program types may fit.Open tool
- Affordability calculatorEstimate a comfortable price range from your income and debts.Open tool
- DPA calculatorEstimate how assistance could change your cash to close.Open tool
Want a personalized quote?
Buying in Florida or Colorado? Request a scenario review from a licensed mortgage broker.
October 2026 Assistance Finder Review
We reviewed program eligibility questions in the finder, state and local program coverage and income and purchase-price limits relevant to this page. No material changes requiring substantive revisions were identified this month. The information and sources shown here remain current as of our latest review.
- Checked: program eligibility questions in the finder
- Checked: state and local program coverage
- Checked: income and purchase-price limits
This page's scheduled monthly review is overdue. The section above reflects our latest completed review, not a new one for the current month.
Current data & page updates
- Page last reviewed
- September 27, 2026
- Page last substantively updated
- September 27, 2026
- Next scheduled review
- October 27, 2026
- Current monthly review
- October 2026
- Live data feed
- No
This page is past its scheduled review date and is queued for the next review cycle.
Licensing & Disclosures
Simply Approved Mortgages LLC | NMLS #2620881
Florida Branch Office (Miami, FL) | Branch NMLS #2688012
Florida Mortgage Broker License #MBR7685 | Colorado Mortgage Company Registration
Business Phone: (877) 813-7219
Equal Housing Opportunity
Broker identification. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is a mortgage broker and is not a direct lender. We arrange residential mortgage loans with third-party lenders and do not make the lender's final credit decision or fund the loan. We arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado.
Down payment assistance programs. Down payment and closing-cost assistance programs listed or referenced on this site may be administered by third parties, including state housing finance agencies, cities, counties, Federal Home Loan Banks, nonprofit organizations, lenders, and other program sponsors. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC does not administer, control, fund, or guarantee third-party assistance unless expressly stated otherwise.
Listing or displaying a program does not constitute an offer of that program, a representation that funding is currently available, or a determination that a borrower or property qualifies. Program availability, funding, assistance amounts, income limits, purchase-price limits, credit requirements, occupancy requirements, geographic restrictions, homebuyer education requirements, participating-lender requirements, repayment terms, and other eligibility criteria vary by program and may change or become unavailable without notice. Eligibility and current program terms must be confirmed for the particular transaction.
Types of assistance. Down payment or closing-cost assistance may be structured as a grant, forgivable loan, deferred-payment loan, repayable second mortgage or other form of assistance. Assistance structured as a lien or secondary financing may be subject to repayment, forgiveness, occupancy, resale, refinance, or other conditions. Assistance should not be considered "free money" unless the applicable program documents expressly provide that the assistance is a grant with no repayment obligation.
Receiving or potentially qualifying for down payment assistance does not guarantee mortgage approval, guarantee receipt of assistance, or necessarily eliminate all funds that a borrower may be required to contribute to a transaction.
Credit and program terms. All loans are subject to lender credit approval, underwriting, acceptable appraisal, title review, insurance, and supporting documentation. Eligibility, programs, rates, APRs, points, fees, payments, terms, loan amounts, down-payment requirements, and availability may vary based on borrower, property, occupancy, credit profile, loan-to-value ratio, debt-to-income ratio, lender, assistance program, and location and may change without notice. Not all borrowers, properties, products, or programs will qualify or be available in every location. Nothing on this site constitutes a loan approval, rate lock, offer, commitment to lend, guarantee of assistance, or guarantee of closing.
Rates, payments and calculators. Rates, APRs, payments, down payments, estimated assistance amounts, affordability, home prices, closing costs, savings, and other calculator or scenario results displayed on this site are estimates or illustrations unless expressly stated otherwise. Actual eligibility, assistance, and loan terms may differ. Taxes, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, association dues, lender charges, broker compensation, discount points, third-party charges, and other costs may apply. Advertised rates, payments, APRs, down payments, and other credit terms are subject to the assumptions and disclosures presented with the applicable advertisement.
Government affiliation. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is not a government agency and is not affiliated with, acting on behalf of, sponsored by, or endorsed by HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, any housing finance agency, or any other federal, state, or local government agency. References to government agencies, housing authorities, assistance programs, data, forms, or resources are provided for informational purposes and do not imply sponsorship or endorsement of Simply Approved Mortgages LLC.
Fair lending. Equal Housing Opportunity. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC conducts business in accordance with applicable federal and state fair-housing and equal-credit-opportunity laws and does not discriminate on any prohibited basis.
No professional advice. Content on this site is educational and general in nature and is not legal, tax, accounting, financial, or investment advice. Borrowers should review the applicable program documents and consult qualified professionals regarding their individual circumstances.