What Credit Score Do I Need to Buy a House?

There's no single number. The minimum credit score depends on the loan type: FHA loans go as low as 580 (or 500 with 10% down), VA and USDA have no set federal minimum, and conventional loans generally start around 620, though Fannie Mae recently removed its hard 620 floor for automated approvals.

Minimums by loan type (verified as of July 2026)

FHA: 580 with the standard 3.5% down. Scores between 500 and 579 can still qualify with 10% down. This is the most accessible option for lower credit.

VA: No minimum set by the VA itself. Individual lenders set their own overlays, often around 580 to 620, but the program itself imposes no floor.

USDA: No hard federal minimum, though most lenders look for around 640 for streamlined automated approval.

Conventional: Historically 620. Notably, Fannie Mae recently removed the long-standing 620 minimum for loans evaluated through Desktop Underwriter, which now assesses your overall financial profile (payment history, DTI, reserves, down payment) rather than applying a hard score cutoff. Manually underwritten conventional loans still require 620.

The catch: minimum to qualify is not the same as minimum for a good rate

Meeting the minimum gets you approved. It doesn't get you the best pricing. Your credit score directly affects your interest rate and, on conventional loans, your PMI cost. A borrower at 760+ will pay meaningfully less than one at 620 for the identical loan. So the real question isn't just "can I qualify," it's "what will this score cost me over the life of the loan."

Lender overlays are real

Even where a program allows a low score, individual lenders often impose stricter internal minimums called overlays. This is why one lender may decline a score another approves. As a broker with access to many wholesale lenders, matching a borrower to the lender whose overlays fit their profile is often the difference between a yes and a no.

The practical takeaway

If your score is below 620, FHA is usually your most direct path. If you're above 620, you likely have conventional options, but pushing your score higher before applying can lower both your rate and your mortgage insurance. Even a modest score improvement can change your monthly payment.

Verified as of July 2026.