Simply Approved Mortgages logo

Down payment assistance by buyer group

Assistance rules are the same for everyone, but the tiers you can ask for and the way your income is calculated are not. These guides cover the occupation set-asides that genuinely exist, the documentation each group needs, and the eligibility traps that stop files late.

Different households — a young couple, a family and a single buyer — outside their homes
Illustrative photo. Down payment assistance terms are set by each administering agency, not by Simply Approved Mortgages.

Published Last updated

  • Reviewed September 2026
Written and reviewed by the Simply Approved Mortgages Team at Simply Approved Mortgages LLC, NMLS #2620881.Verify on NMLS Consumer Access

Teachers and school staff

How teachers and school staff use down payment assistance: educator set-asides, larger awards in targeted school districts, and the income-limit traps that catch second-income households.

Read the guide

First responders

Assistance for police, firefighters and EMS: hero tiers, Good Neighbor Next Door, overtime income rules and the residency conditions attached to many local awards.

Read the guide

Nurses and healthcare workers

Assistance for nurses and healthcare workers: hospital housing benefits, how travel and per-diem income is underwritten, and the occupation tiers worth asking about.

Read the guide

Veterans and military

How veterans and service members combine VA loans with down payment assistance, when assistance is worth it at zero down, and the state veteran programs to ask about.

Read the guide

Self-employed buyers

Down payment assistance when you are self-employed: how agencies calculate your income, why write-offs hurt, and what documentation to gather before you apply.

Read the guide
Monthly review

September 2026 Occupation-Based Assistance Review

We reviewed state housing finance agency occupation tiers, federal programme announcements including Good Neighbor Next Door, employer-assisted housing benefit changes and published income and eligibility 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: state housing finance agency occupation tiers
  • Checked: federal programme announcements including Good Neighbor Next Door
  • Checked: employer-assisted housing benefit changes
  • Checked: published income and eligibility limits

Current data & page updates

Page last reviewed
September 4, 2026
Page last substantively updated
September 4, 2026
Next scheduled review
October 4, 2026
Current monthly review
September 2026
Live data feed
No

Licensing & Disclosures

Simply Approved Mortgages LLC | NMLS #2620881

Florida Mortgage Broker License #MBR7685 | Colorado Mortgage Company Registration

Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is a mortgage broker and is not a direct lender. We arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado.

Eligibility, terms, conditions, and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program, and state. Not all products or programs are available in all states. All loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Verify our license on NMLS Consumer Access

DPA amount calculator and eligibility checker

Estimate your assistance amount, the second-lien payment and where you stand against the program rules. Illustrative only — not a quote, offer or commitment to lend.

Simply Approved Mortgages DPA

DPA amount calculator & eligibility checker

Estimate 3.5% assistance on the lesser of price or appraisal, layered over a 30-year fixed FHA first mortgage.

Estimated DPA
$14,000
3.5% of $400,000
2nd-lien P&I
$174
10-yr · 8.500%

Amount calculator

Assistance tier
Lesser of price or appraisal
$400,000
DPA at 3.5%
$14,000
2nd-lien term
10-year fixed, repayable
2nd-lien rate
8.500%
Monthly P&I
$174/mo

Illustrative only — not a quote, lock, offer, or commitment to lend. Binding figures appear only on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure.

Eligibility checker

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.

Talk to a Loan Officer →

Preliminary self-check only. 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.

Keep reading

Related pages on down payment assistance, local markets and the numbers behind each program.

Simply Approved Mortgages In-House DPA

Our own down payment assistance program — up to 5% toward your primary home

Simply Approved Mortgages LLC · NMLS# 2620881

In addition to matching you with agency programs, we offer our own assistance program, provided through our wholesale lender partner and arranged by Simply Approved Mortgages: up to 5% of the lesser of the purchase price or appraised value, structured as a repayable 10-year fixed second mortgage on a qualifying primary residence. It layers with FHA 203(b) or FHA 203(k) purchase first mortgages only, and the second lien is priced at the first-mortgage rate plus 2.00%. It is fully amortizing — not a grant and not forgivable — so your Loan Officer will show a side-by-side comparison before you commit.

Offered through our wholesale lender partner
Up to 5% of the lesser of purchase price or appraised value
Repayable 10-year fixed second mortgage
Layers with FHA 203(b) or FHA 203(k) purchase first mortgages
Second-lien rate = first-mortgage rate + 2.00%
Fully amortizing — not a grant and not forgivable
Qualifying primary residence only
See if you qualifyTalk to a Loan Officer

Program at a glance

Assistance
Up to 5%
Where
FL & CO*
Min credit
580
First-time buyer
Not required

*Our wholesale lender partner offers this product nationwide, but Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is licensed to arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado only, so we can originate it in those two states only. Outside Florida and Colorado this is educational information and you should work with a lender licensed in your state.

How it works

1. Find the assistance you qualify for

Answer ten short questions and our DPA matching tool screens your location, income, price range, credit band and first-time buyer status against every state, county and city program we track.

2. A licensed loan officer reviews it with you

A Simply Approved loan officer confirms which programs your file can actually use, how each one is structured, and what it means for your monthly payment and closing costs.

3. Pair assistance with your first mortgage

Assistance is delivered through an approved first mortgage. We arrange the FHA, conventional, VA or USDA loan underneath it and reserve the assistance funds once you are under contract.

4. Funds arrive at closing

The assistance is wired to the closing agent and applied to your down payment and, where the program permits, closing costs — so your own savings stay where they belong.

Repayment: The second lien is a recorded lien with a monthly payment that is underwritten into your debt-to-income ratio. Layered DPA affects your final rate and mortgage insurance; your Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer will disclose the side-by-side comparison before you commit. Program terms, income limits, funding availability and eligibility requirements are subject to change without notice and must be confirmed in writing. Nothing here is an offer of credit, an approval, or a guarantee of eligibility, funding or any particular term. All loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow our down payment assistance updates on Google

Add Simply Approved Mortgages as a preferred source in Google Search and our program updates, county limit changes and funding-status notes are more likely to surface when you search. It is a Google setting you control and can remove at any time.

Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Google, and this setting has no effect on loan eligibility, pricing or availability.

Add as a preferred sourceOr open Google's source preferences
Free monthly briefing

Down payment assistance changes fast. Stay ahead of it.

New funding rounds, closed programs, and updated income and price limits for Florida and Colorado buyers — in one short email each month.

Licensing notice: Simply Approved Mortgages LLC arranges residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado only. The briefing and this website are educational content — not an offer, solicitation, advertisement of credit terms or commitment to lend, and no mortgage services are offered in states where we are not licensed.

Expert Insight

Occupation-based programs stack with general ones

Teacher, first-responder and healthcare programs are usually layered on top of a state assistance program rather than replacing it. Buyers who only apply to the occupation-specific program often leave the larger general program unused.

Takeaway: Apply for the general state program and any occupation program together.

The only way to know which program, down-payment structure, and closing-cost strategy actually fits your file is to walk through it with a Simply Approved Mortgages Loan Officer who can compare the real numbers side-by-side on a Loan Estimate.

Commentary from the Simply Approved Mortgages Team at Simply Approved Mortgages LLC, NMLS #2620881. Verify on NMLS Consumer Access