Insights / What Are Florida's 2027 FHA and Conforming Loan Limits by County?
October 12, 2026
What Are Florida's 2027 FHA and Conforming Loan Limits by County?
FHFA typically announces the next year's conforming loan limit for every U.S. county in late November, with FHA's county limits following within weeks through a HUD Mortgagee Letter. As of this writing, the 2027 numbers have not been published, so the current limits on file for each Florida county still govern loan sizing until FHFA posts the update. Once the new figures are out, they'll be posted county by county so you can check your exact number rather than guess at it.
Florida buyers ask this every fall for a good reason: the number changes county by county, and it changes every year. Nobody can hand you the 2027 figure before FHFA has calculated it, but the mechanics of how that number gets built, and what to do while you're waiting, are settled and worth knowing before you write an offer near the edge of a limit.
The short version is that two agencies move on a predictable clock. FHFA sets the conforming loan limit (the ceiling on what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy) using its House Price Index, and HUD sets the FHA limit as a percentage of that conforming number. Both get refreshed annually and both get published county by county, because home prices in Monroe County have nothing to do with home prices in Levy County.
Jesse's take: So this is going to be really helpful for a lot of folks because it's going to allow them to buy up and not have to go to a jumbo loan. What we would traditionally do would be to do a smaller conforming loan, or a loan at the current loan limits, and then place a fixed-rate or a home equity line of credit second mortgage so that we can push the total amount up to whatever limit they were needing to purchase at. The downside to that strategy is that you now create costs on the second mortgage, and that product is going to carry a higher interest rate than what you would be getting on the first mortgage. Now, you can be smart about it and use it in a manner that eliminates mortgage insurance if you are going to go conventional, but if you're doing FHA, you're going to be stuck with mortgage insurance regardless. So this is a good thing and it's going to help a lot of people get into better loans, but even if you can't make that meet with your area, we still have options.
When does FHFA release next year's loan limits?
FHFA has historically posted its updated conforming loan limits in late November, ahead of the January 1 effective date, using year-over-year home price data from its House Price Index report. HUD then issues a Mortgagee Letter carrying the matching FHA limits, usually within a few weeks of the FHFA release. Until that announcement happens, the prior year's figures remain in force for new case numbers and new commitments. We keep the current, published numbers at Florida loan limits and at our broader loan limits lookup, and we update both the same week FHFA and HUD post.
How does FHFA set the conforming loan limit for each Florida county?
Under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, FHFA sets a national baseline conforming loan limit each year tied to the change in average home prices, then applies a higher ceiling, up to 150% of that baseline, in counties FHFA designates as high-cost based on local median home values. Most Florida counties sit at or below the national baseline, so they get the standard number. A county only gets the higher ceiling if FHFA's data shows local home prices running meaningfully above the national baseline, and that determination is data-driven, not a matter of local opinion or a lender's guess.
How does FHA calculate its loan limit floor and ceiling?
HUD ties its FHA limits directly to FHFA's conforming numbers using a fixed formula: the FHA "floor" for lower-cost areas is set at 65% of the national conforming baseline, and the FHA "ceiling" for high-cost areas matches the conforming high-cost ceiling at 150% of the baseline. Everything in between scales to local median home prices within that floor-to-ceiling range.
| Tier | How it's set | Where it applies in Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Conforming baseline | FHFA's national baseline, adjusted annually by its House Price Index | Most Florida counties |
| Conforming high-cost ceiling | Up to 150% of the baseline, for FHFA-designated high-cost counties | Monroe County (historically) |
| FHA floor | 65% of the conforming baseline (HUD) | Lower-cost Florida counties |
| FHA ceiling | Matches the conforming high-cost ceiling, 150% of baseline (HUD) | Monroe County (historically) |
That last row matters if you're shopping in the Keys. Everywhere else in the state, the FHA floor is the number to know.
Which Florida counties get the higher, high-cost limits?
Monroe County, home to Key West and the rest of the Keys, has for years been the one Florida county FHFA designates as high-cost, which is why its conforming and FHA limits run above the rest of the state. The remaining 66 Florida counties have historically shared the same baseline conforming number and the same FHA floor, because their median home prices, per FHFA's data, don't clear the threshold for the higher tier. That can shift if a metro area's prices climb enough relative to the national baseline, but it's FHFA's published data that decides it each cycle, not speculation ahead of the announcement.
What happens to my file if I'm under contract when the new limits post?
For FHA loans, the limit in effect on the date your case number is assigned is generally the one that governs your loan, not the date you signed the contract or the date you close. For conventional loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, it's typically the limit in effect when the loan is delivered or committed to the agency. That timing detail matters most for buyers closing right around the calendar turnover in late December or early January, and it's worth confirming with your loan officer before you assume either the old or new number applies to your file. You can start that conversation through contact us once you have a purchase price in hand.
What if my loan amount is close to or above the current limit?
If your purchase price puts you above the conforming or FHA limit for your county, you're not stuck. Jumbo loans are built for exactly this, with underwriting suited to loan amounts above conforming caps. If your income doesn't fit a traditional W-2 file, non-QM options including bank statement and DSCR programs sidestep the conforming limit question entirely because they're not sold to Fannie or Freddie in the first place. And if you're a veteran with full VA entitlement, note that Congress removed the county loan limit for that group under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, so VA loans for those borrowers aren't capped by the FHFA county number at all; veterans with reduced entitlement from an existing VA loan still have a limit tied to the county figure. Running your numbers through the affordability calculator before you write an offer near a limit boundary can save a renegotiation later.
A real scenario
A Florida buyer came to Jesse under contract in a county that sits at the standard conforming baseline, with a purchase price landing right at the edge of that year's limit and a closing date scheduled for the first week of January. Waiting for the new limit to post might have opened up a slightly larger loan amount, but it also risked pushing the closing past the seller's deadline. Instead of guessing which number would apply, Jesse confirmed the case number assignment timing with the lender and structured the loan to close cleanly under the limit already in effect, avoiding any dependence on when FHFA's announcement actually landed. The buyer closed on schedule without needing to renegotiate price or wait on an agency press release.
Frequently asked questions
When will FHFA announce the 2027 loan limits?
FHFA hasn't announced them yet as of this writing. Based on its historical pattern, expect the announcement in late November 2026, with HUD's matching FHA figures following within a few weeks in a Mortgagee Letter.
Do all Florida counties have the same FHA loan limit?
No. Most Florida counties share the same FHA floor, but Monroe County has historically carried a higher limit because FHFA designates it a high-cost area based on local home prices.
What's the difference between the conforming loan limit and the FHA loan limit?
The conforming loan limit is the cap FHFA sets on what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase, while the FHA limit is calculated by HUD as a percentage, between 65% and 150%, of that conforming baseline for FHA-insured loans in each county.
Where can I check the current Florida loan limit for my county?
Use our Florida loan limits page or the broader loan limits lookup, both of which we update the week new figures are published.
Does the loan limit change affect VA loans?
Not for most veterans anymore. Veterans with full VA entitlement have no county loan limit under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, though veterans with reduced entitlement from a prior VA loan are still tied to the county figure.
Which limit applies if I'm under contract when the new number posts?
For FHA loans, it's generally the limit in effect on your case number assignment date. For conventional loans, it's typically the limit in effect when the loan is delivered to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so confirm the timing with your loan officer if your closing falls near the calendar turnover.
What if my purchase price is above my county's current limit?
Jumbo financing and non-QM programs like bank statement or DSCR loans aren't bound by the FHFA county limit, so either can work depending on how your income documents. Talk through the numbers before you write the offer.
Will the 2027 limits be higher than the current ones?
There's no way to know until FHFA publishes its House Price Index data and calculates the adjustment; the limit can rise, hold flat, or in rare cases drop, and guessing ahead of the announcement isn't reliable.
Reviewed by Jesse Gonzalez, NMLS #278103
This article is for general information only and is not a loan approval, rate quote, or financial advice. Program guidelines change and every file is different, so talk to a licensed loan officer about your scenario. True Blue Lending Corporation, NMLS #2380218. Equal Housing Opportunity.