2026 Loan Limits Explained: Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA & Jumbo
“How much house can I actually get a loan for?”
It’s a question that sounds simple until you realize the answer depends entirely on which loan program you’re asking about. Conventional loans, FHA loans, VA loans, USDA loans, and jumbo loans each play by their own set of rules — and a few don’t even use a fixed dollar limit at all.
Let’s break down how each one actually works, and where the number known as your “loan limit” comes from.
Why Loan Limits Exist
Conventional loans that follow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines have a cap called the conforming loan limit. This number is set every year by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) based on how much home prices moved nationally. FHA loans follow a related, but separate, set of limits tied to that same conforming number.
Once a loan amount exceeds the conforming limit for a given county, it’s no longer considered “conforming” — it becomes a jumbo loan, which we’ll get to below.
Conventional (Conforming) Loan Limits
For 2026, the baseline conforming loan limit is $832,750 for a single-family home in most of the country — including most of Washington and Oregon State.
In higher-cost counties, the limit goes up. For example, King County, Washington sits at $1,063,750 for 2026, reflecting the higher home values in the Seattle area.
Here’s something worth knowing if you’re working with us at Columbia Bank: we’re already lending up to $845,000 on conventional loans in anticipation of where the 2027 conforming limit is expected to land. The official 2027 number won’t be announced by the FHFA until late November, but this gives our borrowers a head start rather than waiting on the calendar.
FHA Loan Limits
FHA loan limits work similarly, but with different numbers. For 2026:
- FHA floor (most areas): $541,287
- FHA ceiling (high-cost areas): $1,249,125
Like conventional limits, the exact number for your area depends on local home values, and it can land anywhere between the floor and the ceiling depending on your county.
VA Loan Limits
This one surprises people: VA loans don’t really have a hard loan limit the way conventional and FHA loans do — at least not for eligible veterans with full entitlement. The VA removed its standard loan limit caps years ago for borrowers using full entitlement.
That said, individual lenders can still set their own internal guidelines on how large of a loan they’re willing to approve, so “no limit” doesn’t always mean unlimited in practice — it depends on the lender and the borrower’s file.
USDA Loan Limits
USDA loans work differently still. There isn’t a fixed loan-limit number the way there is for conventional or FHA loans. Instead, USDA eligibility is driven mainly by household income limits and the property’s location in an eligible rural or suburban area — the loan amount itself is based more on affordability and appraised value than a set dollar cap.
What Is a Jumbo Loan?
A jumbo loan is simply any loan that exceeds the conforming loan limit for the county the property sits in. It’s not one fixed number nationwide — it’s relative to wherever you’re buying.
For example, in most of Washington, a loan above $832,750 would be considered jumbo. But in King County, that threshold doesn’t kick in until above $1,063,750, because the conforming limit there is higher.
Jumbo loans generally come with their own guidelines — often stricter credit and reserve requirements, since they’re not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the way conforming loans are.
A Quick Example
Say you’re buying a home in Benton County (Tri-Cities) for $900,000. Since the conventional conforming limit for most of Washington in 2026 is $832,750, a loan for the full purchase price would exceed that limit — meaning you’d likely need a jumbo loan rather than a standard conventional loan.
Now say that same $900,000 home was in King County instead, where the 2026 limit is $1,063,750. In that case, you could stay within conventional loan limits entirely, since $900,000 falls under that county’s higher threshold.
Same purchase price, two very different loan categories — just based on where the property sits.
Look Up Your Own County’s Limit
Loan limits vary by county, so the best move is to check the actual number where you’re buying rather than assuming a national figure applies:
- FHFA Conforming Loan Limit Map — official interactive map for conventional loan limits by county
- HUD FHA Mortgage Limits Lookup — official tool for FHA loan limits by county
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my loan amount exceeds the conforming limit?
It becomes a jumbo loan, which typically comes with stricter credit, income, and reserve requirements since it isn’t backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Do VA loans have a maximum loan amount?
Veterans with full entitlement don’t face a VA-set loan limit, though individual lenders may still apply their own internal guidelines on loan size.
Is the loan limit the same in every county?
No. Conventional and FHA loan limits vary by county based on local home values — some counties use the baseline number, while higher-cost counties have a higher limit.
How is a USDA loan amount determined if there’s no fixed limit?
USDA loans are based mainly on household income eligibility and the home’s appraised value and affordability, rather than a set dollar cap like conventional or FHA loans use.
Final Thoughts
Loan limits aren’t one-size-fits-all, and the right program for you depends on your purchase price, your county, and which loan type actually fits your situation. It’s worth checking your specific county’s number before assuming you know which category you fall into.
Have Questions About Which Loan Program Fits You?
Whether you’re right at the edge of a conforming limit or exploring VA, USDA, or jumbo financing, I’d be happy to walk through your numbers with you. No pressure — just an honest conversation about what actually fits.
Jowed Hadeed Home Loan Officer | NMLS #1746530 Columbia Bank Home Lending
Cell: 509-851-7967 Email: JowedHadeed@ColumbiaBank.com Website: TheGoodLender.com Apply Online: Start Your Application
