The income limits on Texas down payment assistance
The state publishes an income limit for every metro in Texas, and the lowest of them is six figures. What the current table says, why the number moved twice this year, and why the limit that applies to you depends on the county rather than on the programme.
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Texas?
There is not one. There is a limit for every metro area, the state publishes them all in a single table, and the lowest of them is six figures. That is the sentence most people looking for this never get told. The table below is TDHCA's own, and every household that signs the Deed of Trust counts toward the figure, including a non-purchasing spouse.
- The limits come in tiers. The 100% AMFI column is the standard one; higher columns apply in targeted areas and with a mortgage credit certificate.
- The purchase price is capped separately from your income, and by the same table.
- Every limit carries an effective date and they are revised. The current table is effective 13 July 2026.
- Source, and the only figure worth acting on: welcomehome.tdhca.texas.gov
| Area | Standard limit, 100% AMFI | Targeted / MCC, up to 140% AMFI | Purchase price limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $134,400 | $188,160 | $598,019 |
| Dallas (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall) | $121,100 | $169,540 | $589,596 |
| Fort Worth-Arlington (Johnson, Parker, Tarrant) | $110,300 | $154,420 | $589,596 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels (Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Wilson) | $104,725 | $146,616 | $583,580 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | $104,000 | $145,600 | $566,354 |
| Much of the rest of the state | $101,500 | $142,100 | $566,354 |
Why is the limit higher than almost everyone assumes?
Because it moved, and nobody announces it when it does. Brad has watched it happen from inside his own pipeline: "these programs have raised their income limits twice this year already. So it's really juicy out there." His comparison with what he used to work under is the part a table cannot give you: "it's not the 60 grand that we used to see just a few years ago. These have gotten much more realistic." A buyer whose impression of assistance formed a few years ago is working from a number that has since been replaced twice.
Why does the limit depend on the county rather than the programme?
Because it is calculated from local median family income rather than set centrally. In his words: "each city and each county has its own different income limit based on its median income, and I'm surprised how high some of these are." Two households on identical pay can get different answers because one is in a county with a higher median than the other. It also means a figure somebody quotes you from another metro is not your figure, even if the programme is the same one.
And the price cap is a separate gate
Clearing the income limit does not mean the house clears. The same table sets a maximum purchase price by area, and on these programmes both have to be true at once. A buyer comfortably under the income limit can still be ruled out by the price of the house they want, and the reverse happens just as often.
What should you do with a number from this table?
Check the current one rather than this one, because the effective date is the point of the whole page. Find your county rather than your city, since the table is organised by area. Then take the figure to a participating lender, because the table tells you whether a programme is open to a household like yours and only a lender can tell you what you would actually be offered. Nothing here is an approval or a commitment to lend.
Want this checked against your own situation?
The free class covers the whole picture in 45 minutes. Or take two minutes and see which programs are worth a look for someone in your position.