Look up your county’s 2026 limit and see if your mortgage is conforming or jumbo
Updated October 2026
A conforming loan is a mortgage small enough for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sets the maximum each year. Loans above the limit for your county are jumbo loans, which lenders keep or sell elsewhere, usually with stricter credit, reserve and down payment requirements. Loans between the $832,750 baseline and a high-cost county’s limit are often called high-balance conforming loans.
Pick the state, type the county name (“Los Angeles,” “King,” “St. Louis city”), choose the number of units, and enter the price and down payment. The loan amount is the price minus the down payment. If the county is not recognized, the calculator shows the baseline limit and says so; the FHFA file lists counties, parishes, boroughs and independent cities by their official names.
| County | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline (most counties) | $832,750 | $1,066,250 | $1,288,800 | $1,601,750 |
| Los Angeles County, California | $1,249,125 | $1,599,375 | $1,933,200 | $2,402,625 |
| San Francisco County, California | $1,249,125 | $1,599,375 | $1,933,200 | $2,402,625 |
| New York County, New York | $1,209,750 | $1,548,975 | $1,872,225 | $2,326,875 |
| King County, Washington | $1,063,750 | $1,361,800 | $1,646,100 | $2,045,700 |
| Denver County, Colorado | $862,500 | $1,104,150 | $1,334,700 | $1,658,700 |
| Honolulu County, Hawaii | $1,249,125 | $1,599,375 | $1,933,200 | $2,402,625 |
| Utah County, Utah | $832,750 | $1,066,250 | $1,288,800 | $1,601,750 |
| Harris County, Texas | $832,750 | $1,066,250 | $1,288,800 | $1,601,750 |
160 of the 3,235 counties and county equivalents in the FHFA file have a one-unit limit above the baseline.
Under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the baseline moves with the FHFA House Price Index: prices rose 3.26% between the third quarters of 2024 and 2025, so the 2026 baseline rose by the same share, $26,250 to $832,750. In high-cost areas the limit is 115% of the local median home value, but no lower than the baseline and no higher than 150% of it, $1,249,125 for one unit in 2026. Limits are set by metro area, so every county in an area gets the same figure, and they do not fall when prices drop. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a higher baseline of $1,249,125. FHFA announces the next year’s limits at the end of November, effective January 1; as of October 22, 2026, the 2027 limits had not been announced, so this page uses the 2026 file.
Down payment needed = price − county limit. In a baseline county, a $900,000 home with 10% down needs an $810,000 loan, under $832,750, so it is conforming. Buy a $950,000 home and the minimum to stay conforming is $950,000 − $832,750 = $117,250, or 12.3% down. In Los Angeles County the same $950,000 home could be bought with any down payment the loan program allows, because the limit there is $1,249,125.
| Situation | County limit | Loan | Type | Minimum down to stay conforming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $900,000 home, 20% down, baseline county (Autauga, AL) | $832,750 | $720,000 | Conforming | — |
| $950,000 home, 10% down, baseline county | $832,750 | $855,000 | Jumbo | $117,250 |
| Same $950,000 home, 10% down, in Denver County, CO | $862,500 | $855,000 | Conforming (high-balance) | — |
| $1,400,000 home, 20% down, Los Angeles County (default) | $1,249,125 | $1,120,000 | Conforming (high-balance) | — |
| $1,400,000 duplex, 20% down, Los Angeles County | $1,599,375 | $1,120,000 | Conforming (high-balance) | — |
| $1,500,000 home, 10% down, King County, WA | $1,063,750 | $1,350,000 | Jumbo | $436,250 |
FHA and VA loans follow their own rules and limits, so check the FHA and VA calculators. The calculator does not price the loan: high-balance and jumbo rates, fees and requirements vary by lender. For a purchase near a limit, ask your lender which county and which year’s limit they will use, since loans closed in January use the new year’s figures.
Using last year’s limit. Limits change on January 1; a 2025 figure is $26,250 lower in baseline counties.
Looking up the city instead of the county. Limits are by county; a city that spans counties can have more than one limit.
Forgetting the unit count. A duplex or fourplex has a higher limit than a single-family home in the same county.
Assuming high-balance equals jumbo. A loan above $832,750 can still be conforming in a high-cost county.