Down payment assistance tools and calculators
Published Last updated
Five free tools that answer the questions a down payment assistance file actually turns on: what the loan limit is in your county, whether you meet the common eligibility rules, which programs you may match, what the assistance costs you over time, and how much cash you still need at closing.
Quick answer: Which calculator should you use?
Start with affordability to find the price range your income and debts support, then use the payment and closing-cost tools to pressure-test a specific home, the repayment tool to see what an assistance second costs over time, and the refinance tool if you already own and are weighing a rate, cash-out or consolidation move.
TL;DR
- Affordability first, then payment and closing costs on a real address.
- The repayment tool models grant, forgivable, deferred and repayable seconds.
- All figures are estimates, not quotes or offers of credit.
Quick questions
- Are the results a quote?
- No. They're estimates for planning. A quote requires a full application and a credit review.
Published Last updated
- Reviewed September 2026
What these tools are for
Down payment assistance turns a savings problem into an eligibility problem, and eligibility is made of numbers you can check before you talk to anyone: the county income cap, the county purchase-price limit, the FHA or conforming loan limit, the minimum borrower contribution, and the cash you still need on the table at closing.
Each tool below answers one of those questions with published data or with figures you supply. None of them requires an account, and none of them returns an approval — an approval needs verified income, verified assets, a property and a credit review.
The order most buyers should use them in
Buyers who work these in sequence arrive at a lender with a realistic price range and the right documents. Buyers who open one calculator in isolation almost always plan around the wrong constraint.
- Check the county limits — the FHA one-unit limit caps the first mortgage; the program purchase-price limit is set separately by the housing finance agency and is often lower.
- Test yourself against the common rules — ownership history, occupancy, homebuyer education, the income cap, borrower contribution and credit review.
- Find the programs that fit — the finder matches your answers against the registry and links each result to the administering agency's own page.
- Price the structure — the assistance calculator shows what a grant, a deferred second and a repayable second each do to your monthly obligation.
- Compare before you accept — the comparison page puts the four structures against each other over three, five and ten years.
Where the numbers come from
Loan limits come from the HUD CHUMS forward-limit file for the current calendar year and the FHFA conforming loan limit announcement. Area median prices are HUD's published figures for the county. Program details come from the administering agency's own published documents, each linked on the program page.
Nothing on this site is generated or estimated where a published figure exists. Where a figure is an estimating convention rather than a published value — the closing-cost percentage band, for example — the tool says so on the page.
- Loan limits: HUD CHUMS annual forward-limit file, refreshed for each calendar year.
- Conforming limits: FHFA annual conforming loan limit announcement.
- Income and purchase-price limits: the administering housing finance agency for the county.
- Program terms, funding status and repayment structure: the agency's own program document.
- Market context: federal mortgage-market data, refreshed on a published schedule.
Every tool on this site
- DPA Finder
Ten questions on location, income, household size and buyer status, matched against every program in our registry. Returns potential matches with the official program source for each one.
- Down payment assistance calculator
Models cash to close with and without assistance, and shows how a repayable second changes the monthly obligation compared with a grant or a deferred second.
- Cash-to-close estimator
Adds the down payment, an estimated closing-cost band, seller credits and assistance together so you can see what actually has to be on the table at closing.
- Affordability and payment calculator
The full monthly cost of a price — principal, interest, your state's published property tax rate, insurance, mortgage insurance and HOA — plus the purchase price your income supports at a chosen debt-to-income ceiling.
- Repayment and recapture calculator
What you would owe back on a grant, forgivable second, deferred second, repayable second or shared-appreciation award if you sell or refinance in any given year.
- Refinance calculator
Rate-and-term break-even, cash-out loan-to-value sizing, and a debt consolidation comparison that shows both the monthly relief and the total interest cost.
- County loan limit lookup
The 2026 FHA one-to-four-unit loan limits for every U.S. county from the HUD CHUMS file, alongside the FHFA conforming limit and the HUD area median price.
- First-time buyer eligibility explainer
Walks through the six rules that decide most assistance files — ownership history, occupancy, education, income caps, borrower contribution and credit review.
- Compare assistance structures
Grants, forgivable seconds, deferred seconds and repayable seconds side by side, with the cost of each at year three, year five and year ten.
- Program directory
Every down payment assistance program we track, filterable by state and structure, each with the administering agency and its official source page.
- Florida and Colorado local pages
County and city pages for our licensed footprint, with county income and purchase-price limits and the local funds that serve each market.
Tool questions
Are these down payment assistance tools free to use?
Yes. Every tool on this page runs in your browser, and none of them requires an account or a fee. The finder asks for contact details only when you choose to see your matched program list.
Do the calculators give me a real quote?
No. They produce estimates for planning, using figures you enter and published limits. A quote requires a full application, verified income and assets, a property and a credit review, and is delivered as a Loan Estimate.
Which tool should I start with?
Start with the county loan limit lookup and the eligibility explainer if you are early. Once you know your county limits and where you sit against the common rules, run the finder and then the cash-to-close estimator against a real price.
Can I use these tools outside Florida and Colorado?
Yes, the research and calculators are available nationwide. Simply Approved Mortgages LLC originates residential mortgages only in Florida and Colorado, so outside those states the tools are educational and you should work with a lender licensed where the property sits.
Ready to see which programs fit you?
Answer 10 quick questions and see the down payment assistance programs worth checking..
See your own numbers
Free tools using current stored limits and your inputs. Estimates are educational, not loan offers.
- DPA calculatorEstimate how assistance could change your cash to close.Open tool
- Eligibility checkAnswer a few questions to see which program types may fit.Open tool
- County loan limit finderLook up the current FHA and conforming limit for your county.Open tool
Want a personalized quote?
Buying in Florida or Colorado? Request a scenario review from a licensed mortgage broker.
October 2026 Down Payment Assistance Tools Review
We reviewed published FHA and conforming loan limits used by the lookup tools, calculator assumptions and estimating conventions and program registry coverage behind the finder 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: published FHA and conforming loan limits used by the lookup tools
- Checked: calculator assumptions and estimating conventions
- Checked: program registry coverage behind the finder
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.