Every January, the numbers that quietly shape every mortgage in America reset. If you are buying or refinancing in the Austin area in 2026, three of them matter more than any rate ad you will see: the conforming loan limit, the FHA ceiling for our metro, and the VA rules that replaced hard caps. Here is what each one is, where it sits this year, and what it means for your buying power.
What a loan limit actually is
A loan limit is not a cap on what you can buy — it is a cap on which program your loan fits into. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will only purchase loans up to the conforming limit, FHA insures loans up to its county ceiling, and anything above conforming moves into jumbo territory with different underwriting and pricing. The limit applies to the loan amount, not the purchase price, so your down payment does part of the work.
Conforming: up to $832,750
The 2026 conforming limit for a single-family home is $832,750. Loans at or under this number get the most competitive pricing in the market because dozens of wholesale lenders compete for them. With 20% down, that supports a purchase price a little over $1.04 million — which covers the large majority of Austin-area transactions. Details on the program are on our conventional loans page.
FHA in the Austin metro: $571,550
FHA limits are set by county, and the Austin–Round Rock metro ceiling for a single-family home in 2026 is $571,550. FHA remains the workhorse for buyers with thinner credit or a 3.5% down payment, and at today’s median prices that ceiling still reaches a meaningful share of the local market. See our FHA loans page for qualifying details.
VA: no dollar cap, with a catch worth knowing
Veterans with full entitlement have had no VA loan limit since 2020 — the lender’s underwriting, not a federal table, decides the ceiling. The number to watch instead is the funding fee: 2.15% on a first use with nothing down (it can be financed into the loan, and borrowers with a service-connected disability rating are exempt). If you have partial entitlement from a prior VA loan, limits can still apply — our VA loans page walks through it.
Over $832,750? Jumbo is not a penalty box
Loans above the conforming limit are jumbo loans. They carry somewhat stricter reserve and documentation requirements, but pricing is often closer to conforming than people expect — especially when a broker can shop the loan across wholesale jumbo lenders instead of taking one bank’s sheet. Start with our jumbo loans page.
2026 limit questions we hear most
Are the limits the same in every Austin-area county?
The conforming limit is the same across Travis, Williamson, Hays, and the rest of the metro — no Austin-area county is designated high-cost in 2026. FHA limits are set at the metro level, so the $571,550 ceiling applies across the Austin–Round Rock area.
What if I need to borrow just a little more than $832,750?
You have two options: a slightly larger down payment to bring the loan amount under the conforming limit, or a jumbo loan. Which one wins is a math problem — sometimes the rate difference pays for itself, sometimes the extra cash down does. We run both side by side before you commit.
Do loan limits apply to refinances too?
Yes — the same program limits apply. Texas adds one of its own on cash-out refinances: Section 50(a)(6) of the state constitution caps them at 80% of your home’s value. Details are on our refinance page.
Related: Conventional FHA VA Jumbo
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360 Lending Group, LLC — NMLS 266484. This information is for general education and is not a commitment to lend or a rate quote. Loan programs, limits, and terms are subject to change and to borrower qualification. Figures cited are 2026 limits and may differ by county and property type.
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