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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFor mortgages that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac acquire in calendar year 2026, the baseline conforming loan limit is $832,750 for a one-unit property in most of the United States. Your actual limit can be higher or otherwise different because it depends on the property’s county or county-equivalent area, unit count, geography and the year of acquisition or delivery. A loan below the applicable limit is not automatically approved: the lender must still verify your income, credit, assets, debts, documentation, property and other underwriting requirements.
What is the 2026 conforming loan limit?
A conforming loan limit is the maximum principal balance that can generally qualify for acquisition by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in a particular area, for a particular property type and unit count. The limit is not a price limit for homes and is not a promise that a lender will approve your application.
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For 2026 acquisitions, the national baseline for a one-unit property in most U.S. areas is $832,750. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that amount on November 25, 2025. It is $26,250 higher than the 2025 baseline. FHFA said the adjustment reflected a 3.26% increase in average nominal, seasonally adjusted, expanded-data home prices from the third quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025.
“For areas in which 115 percent of the local median home value exceeds the baseline conforming loan limit value, the applicable loan limit will be higher than the baseline loan limit.”
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Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2025
The baseline applies broadly, but it is not the answer for every address. FHFA publishes a county-by-county table, and the applicable figure can change with the county or county equivalent, the number of units and whether the area has a statutory special limit.
2026 baseline limits by property unit count
For the contiguous states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Fannie Mae lists these 2026 baseline amounts:
| Property | 2026 baseline conforming limit |
|---|---|
| One unit | $832,750 |
| Two units | $1,066,250 |
| Three units | $1,288,800 |
| Four units | $1,601,750 |
“One unit” generally means a single-family residence. Two-, three- and four-unit limits apply to eligible properties with that number of separate housing units. The unit count is not interchangeable with the number of borrowers, bedrooms or people living in the property. A lender and the applicable Enterprise’s property rules determine how a particular building is classified.
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FHFA sets limits using local home values as well as the national baseline. The official table identifies each county or county-equivalent area and gives a limit for one-, two-, three- and four-unit properties. A statewide average, a neighboring county’s amount or the maximum high-cost ceiling cannot substitute for the address-specific figure.
How high-cost limits are calculated
An area can receive a higher limit when 115% of its local median home value exceeds the baseline limit. The higher amount remains subject to a statutory ceiling of 150% of the baseline. The county table may therefore show an amount between the baseline and the ceiling; reaching the ceiling is not automatic.
For the contiguous states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the 2026 one- to four-unit high-cost ceilings listed by Fannie Mae are:
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| Property | High-cost ceiling |
|---|---|
| One unit | $1,249,125 |
| Two units | $1,599,375 |
| Three units | $1,933,200 |
| Four units | $2,402,625 |
These are ceilings, not universal county limits. For example, a high-cost county could have a one-unit limit of $1,050,000 rather than $1,249,125 if its calculation produces the lower figure. Only the official county lookup establishes the amount for a specific property.
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Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have special statutory treatment. Fannie Mae’s 2026 table lists Hawaii high-cost ceilings of $1,299,500 for one unit, $1,633,600 for two units, $2,010,950 for three units and $2,499,100 for four units. The applicable limit for a Hawaii address still comes from the county or equivalent-area table.
Fannie Mae notes that there are no high-cost areas in Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands for 2026. Those jurisdictions can nevertheless be subject to separate statutory limits or geographic rules, so do not infer their amount from the contiguous-state baseline or a high-cost ceiling.
How to find the limit in your county
Use the FHFA 2026 county table or Fannie Mae’s loan-limit lookup. The process is the same whether you are buying or refinancing; the relevant year is the year the mortgage is delivered to or acquired by the applicable Enterprise.
- Identify the property’s county or county equivalent. Use the legal property address, not the lender’s office location or your mailing address. Independent cities and other county-equivalent areas appear as their own entries where applicable.
- Confirm the unit count. Select one, two, three or four units. Do not choose a two-unit limit merely because you plan to rent a room in a one-unit home.
- Check the acquisition or delivery year. Select 2026 for a mortgage delivered to Fannie Mae in 2026 or acquired by an Enterprise during calendar year 2026. A loan originated in 2025 can still be governed by 2026 limits if it is delivered in 2026 under the applicable Enterprise rules.
- Read the county-specific amount. Record the exact limit shown for that county and unit count. If the table shows a high-cost amount, use that amount rather than the national baseline; if it shows the baseline, do not substitute the national high-cost maximum.
- Compare the proposed loan amount, not the purchase price. The limit applies to the mortgage principal considered for Enterprise acquisition. Your down payment, financed closing costs and other transaction details determine how the requested loan relates to the home’s price.
Keep a copy of the table result with your loan file, especially when a contract, rate lock or closing crosses December 31. If the county, unit classification or delivery year is uncertain, ask the lender to document which lookup result and Enterprise rule it used.
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Does a loan below the limit qualify automatically?
No. “Conforming” describes both the loan amount being within the applicable limit and the loan otherwise meeting the eligibility requirements for possible purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The dollar cap addresses only one part of that analysis.
Separate approval questions your lender must evaluate
- Credit: credit history, scores and repayment patterns under the product and underwriting rules used for your application.
- Income and employment: the stability, amount and documentation of qualifying income.
- Assets and funds: available cash, reserves, source of the down payment and documentation of those funds.
- Debt: existing obligations and the resulting debt-to-income analysis.
- Property: appraisal, condition, marketability, occupancy, title and eligibility for the selected loan program.
- Documentation: tax, employment, bank, identity and other records required by the lender and applicable Enterprise guidance.
- Transaction structure: purpose, loan-to-value ratio, refinance details, subordinate financing and other terms that can affect eligibility.
For that reason, a $700,000 request can be under the $832,750 one-unit baseline and still be declined, reduced or conditioned. Conversely, a borrower can meet underwriting requirements for a loan amount that is conforming in one county but not in another because the county limits differ.
How the year boundary works
Fannie Mae states that its 2026 limits apply to loans delivered to it in 2026, even if the loans were originated before January 1, 2026. FHFA’s county table describes mortgages acquired in calendar year 2026. Origination date, closing date, delivery date and acquisition date are not always the same event.
Questions to ask when a transaction spans years
- Which Enterprise is expected to acquire or receive the loan?
- Will delivery or acquisition occur in 2025 or 2026?
- Does the lender’s underwriting system use the applicable Enterprise’s delivery-year limit?
- Has the property’s county-equivalent designation or unit count been confirmed?
- Could a change in loan amount, appraisal or closing date move the transaction into a different limit year?
Do not assume that a pre-2026 preapproval locks the 2025 limit or the 2026 limit. Have the lender state in writing which year’s limit controls the planned delivery or acquisition.
Worked examples without guessing a county amount
One-unit home in a baseline county
Suppose the official 2026 table lists your county’s one-unit limit as $832,750 and you request a $780,000 mortgage. The requested principal is below that county limit, so the amount test is satisfied. The lender must still complete credit, income, asset, debt, property and documentation underwriting.
One-unit home in a high-cost county
Suppose the table lists a $1,100,000 one-unit limit for your county. A $1,050,000 request is within that county’s limit even though it exceeds the national baseline. You should use $1,100,000, not the $1,249,125 ceiling, because the ceiling is only the maximum permitted high-cost amount.
Two-unit property
A two-unit property in a baseline area uses the $1,066,250 baseline, not the $832,750 one-unit amount. If the county has a higher two-unit limit, use the county table’s two-unit entry. The classification must be supported by the property and appraisal documentation; a borrower cannot select a higher unit category simply to increase borrowing capacity.
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Common mistakes and how to correct them
Using the national baseline for every address
Why it fails: high-cost areas and special geographies can have different limits.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchFix: run the address through the FHFA county table or Fannie Mae lookup and save the county-specific result.
Using the high-cost ceiling as the actual limit
Why it fails: the ceiling is a statutory maximum; a county’s calculated limit can be lower.
Fix: use the exact amount shown for the county and unit count.
Confusing loan amount with home price
Why it fails: the limit applies to the mortgage amount considered for acquisition, not automatically to the purchase price.
Fix: compare the proposed principal balance with the applicable limit after accounting for down payment and the transaction’s financing structure.
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Assuming “conforming” means “approved”
Why it fails: the limit does not evaluate the borrower or the property.
Fix: obtain a full underwriting decision and ask what conditions remain beyond the amount test.
Checking the wrong year
Why it fails: delivery and acquisition rules can make a 2026 limit apply to a loan originated in 2025.
Fix: confirm the planned delivery or acquisition year with the lender and the relevant Enterprise.
What if your loan exceeds the conforming limit?
A request above the applicable county and unit-count limit does not become conforming merely because it is below a national ceiling or because the property is expensive. The lender must determine whether the loan can be structured within the applicable limit or whether a different mortgage category and underwriting framework is needed. The sources for these 2026 limits do not establish personalized terms, rates or approval standards for loans above the cap, so obtain those details directly from a lender.
Quick checklist before relying on a limit
- Property county or county-equivalent area verified.
- One-, two-, three- or four-unit classification confirmed.
- 2026 county-table result saved.
- Baseline, high-cost or special-geography status identified.
- Delivery or acquisition year confirmed.
- Requested principal compared with the applicable limit.
- Borrower and property underwriting reviewed separately.
- Lender asked to explain any difference between its automated result and the published county table.
Key takeaway
The 2026 one-unit baseline is $832,750 in most U.S. areas, but the number that matters for your application is the official limit for your county or county equivalent, unit count and acquisition or delivery year. Treat that amount as an eligibility threshold for possible Enterprise acquisition—not as an approval. A lender still has to qualify both you and the property under the applicable underwriting rules.
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