2027 Conforming Loan Limits: What’s Announced and What Isn’t

The 2027 baseline conforming loan limit is $845,000 for a one-unit property in the lower 48, up from $832,750 in 2026. For Alaska and Hawaii, the one-unit limit is $1,267,500, up from $1,249,125.

That is the part that has been announced. Several other limits that borrowers care about, county-specific high-cost limits, FHA limits, and VA figures, have not been published yet. This page covers both: what is confirmed, what is still pending, and what any of it means if you are buying right now.

The announced 2027 limits

The increase is about 1.5% across the board, which tracks the annual change in national home prices that FHFA uses to set the figure.

What $12,250 of extra borrowing power actually buys

The baseline moved up $12,250 for a one-unit property. In practical terms, that is the difference between a conforming loan and a jumbo loan for a narrow band of buyers, and conforming financing is generally cheaper and easier to qualify for than jumbo.

With 20% down, a buyer can now purchase a home priced roughly $15,300 higher and still stay within conforming limits. With 5% down, it is about $12,900 higher. Modest, but for anyone sitting right at the old ceiling it can be the difference between two very different loan products.

If you were told a purchase would require jumbo financing based on the 2026 limit and the loan amount lands between $832,750 and $845,000, it is worth re-running the numbers once the new limits take effect. Our monthly payment calculator will show you the difference.

What has not been announced yet

Three categories are still pending, and the distinction matters because plenty of coverage reports the baseline as though it applies everywhere.

High-cost county limits — not yet announced

Expected: typically published alongside or shortly after the baseline announcement, in late November or early December.

If you are buying in a high-cost county, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Francisco, King County, Denver metro, Williamson County in Tennessee, Maui, and many others, the $845,000 baseline is not your limit. Your county limit is higher.

Here is how it works. High-cost county limits are set at up to 150% of the baseline, which puts the 2027 ceiling at $1,267,500 for a one-unit property in the lower 48. You can see that confirmed in the table above: Alaska and Hawaii use the ceiling as their floor, which is why their one-unit figure is exactly $1,267,500.

What is still pending is where each individual county lands between the $845,000 floor and the $1,267,500 ceiling. That comes from FHFA's county-level file, which is based on local median home prices. Some counties sit at the ceiling, some sit at the baseline, and many sit somewhere in between.

Until that file publishes, the 2026 county limits remain in effect.

FHA loan limits — not yet announced

Expected: HUD publishes FHA limits separately, usually shortly after FHFA's announcement.

FHA limits are calculated from the conforming baseline, so the formula is known even though the figures are not published yet:

• The FHA floor is 65% of the conforming baseline. At $845,000, that works out to roughly $549,250, up from $541,287 in 2026.
• The FHA ceiling is 150% of the conforming baseline, which would be $1,267,500, matching the conforming ceiling.

Like conforming, FHA limits are set county by county between that floor and ceiling based on local median prices. Our FHA loan calculator reads current county limits directly and will reflect the 2027 figures once HUD publishes them.

One detail that almost never gets covered: HUD ties the FHA mortgage insurance premium rate tier to the conforming loan limit. Annual MIP rates change at that threshold, so when the baseline moves to $845,000, the MIP tier threshold moves with it. That affects the annual premium on FHA loans that fall between the old and new thresholds.

VA loan limits — mostly a non-issue, and here is why

Expected: VA figures follow the conforming limit once it takes effect.

Every year this generates confusion, so it is worth stating plainly: if you have full VA entitlement, there is no VA loan limit. You can borrow whatever you qualify for based on income and credit, with no down payment, whether that is $400,000 or $1.5 million. The conforming limit does not cap you.

Limits only re-enter the picture if you have partial entitlement, meaning you have another VA loan outstanding or a prior VA loan that has not been restored. In that case your remaining entitlement is calculated against the conforming limit for your county, which is why the figure matters at all. More on how that works on our VA loans page.

When the new limits take effect

Announced in November does not mean effective in November. The 2027 limits apply to loans delivered to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2027, and lenders typically begin honoring the new limits at various points between the announcement and January 1 depending on their own policies. Some accept the new limits almost immediately; others wait.

If you are under contract right now with a loan amount between the 2026 and 2027 limits, ask your lender specifically when they will honor the new figure. It can be the difference between a conforming loan and a jumbo loan on the same purchase.

If your loan amount falls between the 2026 and 2027 limits right now

This is the practical wrinkle, and it is worth knowing before you are surprised by it. Loans that exceed the 2026 limits but fall within the 2027 limits are in an in-between state until the new limits are fully in effect, and that has real consequences during underwriting:

• Loans exceeding the 2026 limits will not receive A/E findings from the automated underwriting system.
• If you are receiving A/I findings for exceeding the 2026 limits, the loan can generally still proceed.
• Loans exceeding the 2026 limits will not receive a PIW or ACE, meaning no appraisal waiver. You will need a full appraisal.

That last point is the one that affects timelines and cost. If you were counting on an appraisal waiver on a loan in that band, plan for a full appraisal instead.

Also worth noting: as of the baseline announcement, several product categories have not been updated at all yet, including High Balance, Jumbo, FHA, and VA. Guideline updates for those follow separately.

What to do with this

If your loan amount is well under $832,750, none of this changes anything for you.

If you are somewhere between $832,750 and $845,000, you are the person this announcement actually helps, and the timing question matters. Ask when your lender will honor the new limit, and plan on a full appraisal rather than a waiver.

If you are in a high-cost county, wait for the county file before assuming anything. Your limit is almost certainly higher than $845,000, and it may move by a different amount than the baseline did.

And if you have full VA entitlement, none of these limits apply to you in the first place.

I will update this page as the county-specific limits, FHA figures, and VA guidance publish. If you want to know how the new limits affect a specific purchase, ask me below or give me a call.