The top-ranking guide to Michigan’s MSHDA income limits tells buyers the statewide sales price cap is $224,500. It is $566,355. That page has ranked for years, was last touched in February 2025, and presents itself as current. A Michigan buyer looking at a $300,000 home would read it and conclude they are ineligible for a program they comfortably qualify for.
MSHDA reset its income and sales price limits effective 1 June 2026. This page carries the current figures for all 83 Michigan counties, what each program actually pays, and — just as importantly — the things MSHDA does not publish, which several guides invent.
What changed on 1 June 2026
The governing document is MSHDA’s Income Sales Price Limits — MI Home Loan MCC Program chart, stamped 6.1.2026 in both its title block and its footer. It sets three things: the statewide sales price cap, the income limits by area and household size, and which areas carry targeted status.
Every figure on this page comes from that chart or from MSHDA’s own program pages. Where MSHDA does not publish something, this guide says so rather than filling the gap.
The sales price cap is one number, statewide
$566,355. It is identical on all 100 rows of MSHDA’s chart, covering every county and every targeted sub-area in Michigan. There is no Detroit figure and no Ann Arbor figure. There is one figure.
This matters because several Michigan guides present sales price limits as varying by county, which sends buyers hunting for a local number that does not exist. Household size changes your income limit. It does not change what the house may cost.
MSHDA income limits for 2026
Income limits depend on three things: your county, your household size, and whether the property sits in a targeted area. Across the state they run from $98,400 at the low end to $199,220 at the high end.
MSHDA publishes two household brackets — one to two people, and three or more. Targeted areas carry limits exactly 20% higher than non-targeted areas, and they also waive the first-time buyer requirement.
Looking for your exact county limit? Use our interactive 2026 MSHDA income limit lookup to see standard and targeted-area figures side by side for all 83 Michigan counties.
| Area | Status | 1–2 people | 3+ people | Sales price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne — Detroit, Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Inkster, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, Taylor, Wayne, Ecorse | Targeted | $125,760 | $146,720 | $566,355 |
| Wayne — rest of county | Non-targeted | $104,800 | $120,520 | $566,355 |
| Oakland — Pontiac, Royal Oak Twp., Southfield | Targeted | $125,760 | $146,720 | $566,355 |
| Oakland — rest of county | Non-targeted | $104,800 | $120,520 | $566,355 |
| Macomb — Harrison Twp., Mt. Clemens | Targeted | $125,760 | $146,720 | $566,355 |
| Macomb — rest of county | Non-targeted | $104,800 | $120,520 | $566,355 |
| Kent — Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Kent City, Spencer Twp. | Targeted | $127,920 | $149,240 | $566,355 |
| Kent — rest of county | Non-targeted | $106,600 | $122,590 | $566,355 |
| Washtenaw — entire county | Targeted | $170,760 | $199,220 | $566,355 |
| Ingham — entire county | Targeted | $123,120 | $143,640 | $566,355 |
| Kalamazoo — entire county | Targeted | $129,720 | $151,340 | $566,355 |
| Livingston — Howell, Cohoctah Twp., Conway Twp., Iosco Twp. | Targeted | $154,800 | $180,600 | $566,355 |
| Leelanau — entire county | Targeted | $146,520 | $170,940 | $566,355 |
| Grand Traverse — entire county | Targeted | $136,680 | $159,460 | $566,355 |
| Ottawa — Holland, Allendale Twp., Chester Twp. | Targeted | $136,440 | $159,180 | $566,355 |
| Ottawa — rest of county | Non-targeted | $113,700 | $130,755 | $566,355 |
| Standard non-targeted baseline (Bay, Calhoun, Genesee, Monroe, Muskegon, Saginaw, Shiawassee — rest of county) | Non-targeted | $98,400 | $113,160 | $566,355 |
| Standard targeted baseline (most rural counties, entire county) | Targeted | $118,080 | $137,760 | $566,355 |
Two thirds of Michigan’s counties fall on the standard targeted baseline of $118,080 and $137,760 — the whole county is targeted, so the higher limit applies and repeat buyers are welcome.
Most of Michigan is targeted end to end — including the metros you would not expect
66 of Michigan’s 83 counties are targeted in their entirety. Only 17 split into targeted cities and townships with a non-targeted balance, and those 17 are mostly the big metros: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Genesee, Ottawa, Livingston, Saginaw, Muskegon and a handful of others. Everywhere else, the whole county carries the higher limit.
The counter-intuitive part is which urban counties do not split. Washtenaw, Ingham and Kalamazoo are targeted end to end, along with Lapeer and St. Clair — so Ann Arbor, Lansing and Kalamazoo all sit entirely inside targeted territory. Buying anywhere in those counties means the higher income limit applies and the first-time buyer requirement does not. In Washtenaw that is $170,760 for a couple, or $199,220 for a household of three or more — the highest in the state.
What MSHDA actually offers
Michigan runs three live homebuyer programs. Two more have closed, and a fourth name still circulating was retired years ago.
| Program | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MI Home Loan | Fixed-rate first mortgage, pairs with the DPA | Live |
| MI 10K DPA Loan | Up to $10,000 for down payment, closing costs and prepaid taxes and insurance | Live |
| Mortgage Credit Certificate | Federal tax credit worth 20% of annual mortgage interest | Live |
| First-Generation DPA | $25,000 pilot | Closed — funds exhausted |
| MSHDA Rate Relief Mortgage | Reduced-rate first mortgage | Closed — funds exhausted |
| MI Home Loan Flex | — | Retired. Appears only in a 2021 document still hosted on MSHDA’s site |
The MI 10K DPA Loan
Up to $10,000, available statewide. Flat amount, no zip-code tiers. Some guides still describe a $7,500 / $10,000 split by area — that structure is gone. MSHDA publishes a dollar cap only; there is no percentage-of-purchase-price formula.
It is interest-free, non-amortizing, and carries no monthly payment. It is eligible on FHA, Rural Development and conventional loans. MSHDA’s lender requirements page does not list VA, so do not assume a VA loan qualifies without confirming with your lender.
The repayment rule most guides get wrong
The MI 10K DPA is described almost everywhere as a “0% loan”, which is true but incomplete. Deferred is not forgiven. MSHDA never uses the word “grant” or “forgivable” for this product, and there is no forgiveness schedule at any point.
MSHDA’s own wording is worth reading closely:
“Repayment of the loan is deferred until certain events, such as payoff of the first mortgage, the sale or refinance of the home, or when the home is no longer owner-occupied.”
Note “such as”. That is an illustrative list, not a closed set, and guides that present those four events as the complete list of triggers are reading more certainty into the sentence than MSHDA put there. Note also the fourth trigger, which is frequently dropped: the loan can come due if the home stops being owner-occupied, even without a sale. If you are considering converting the house to a rental later, that is the clause to raise with your lender.
Who qualifies
Credit score: 640. MSHDA states a single minimum and publishes no variation by loan type — the same 640 applies to conventional, FHA and Rural Development loans.
First-time buyer, with a three-year test. MSHDA’s wording is that the program is “available to first-time homebuyers (have not owned a home in the previous three years) statewide and repeat homebuyers in targeted areas.” So the requirement is not that you have never owned a home — only that you have not owned one in three years. And in targeted areas it does not apply at all.
Homebuyer education is required for every borrower. The certificate is valid for 12 months. Accepted providers include Fannie Mae HomeView, Freddie Mac CreditSmart, eHome America, Framework, and HUD-approved counseling agencies, online or in person. MSHDA does not publish a minimum number of hours — guides quoting a specific figure are importing it from another state’s program.
You cannot apply to MSHDA. Every MI Home Loan is originated through a participating lender. MSHDA maintains a separate approved-lender list for the MCC, so a lender approved for the mortgage is not automatically approved for the tax credit.
What MSHDA does not publish
Two figures appear constantly in Michigan guides and appear nowhere in MSHDA’s published materials.
There is no published maximum debt-to-income ratio. The 45% that circulates widely is not an MSHDA number. DTI is determined by the participating lender’s underwriting and the automated underwriting result for your loan type.
There is no published minimum borrower contribution. No dollar figure or percentage of your own funds is required by MSHDA as published; this too is a lender underwriting matter.
MSHDA also does not publish an asset limit, a property-type restriction, or a rule on whether the MCC can be combined with the DPA. If a guide states any of those as fact, ask where it came from.
Why so many Michigan guides show the wrong number
The $224,500 figure is not invented. It was correct — in 2021.
MSHDA’s own website still hosts its May 2021 income and sales price sheet, at two separate URLs, showing a statewide cap of $224,500 and naming the retired “MI Home Loan Flex” product. Both documents load today. Anyone searching for MSHDA limits can land on an official michigan.gov PDF that is five years out of date and reads as authoritative.
That is the likely origin of the error on the guides currently ranking, and it is a reason to check the effective date on any figure you are given. The current chart is stamped 6.1.2026. Anything older has been superseded.
MSHDA’s own pages are not fully consistent either: its Mortgage Credit Certificate page still displays a sales price limit of $544,233 from May 2025, while linking to the 6.1.2026 chart that says $566,355. The chart is the governing document.
How to apply
- Find your area in MSHDA’s 6.1.2026 chart and check your household income against the right bracket — one to two people, or three or more.
- Check whether your area is targeted. If it is, the higher limit applies and the first-time buyer rule does not.
- Confirm your middle credit score is at least 640.
- Complete a homebuyer education course through an accepted provider and keep the certificate — it is valid for 12 months.
- Contact a MSHDA participating lender. If you want the Mortgage Credit Certificate as well, confirm the lender is on the separate MCC approved list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MSHDA sales price limit for 2026?
$566,355, effective 1 June 2026, and it is the same in every Michigan county. Guides showing $224,500 are quoting a figure from MSHDA’s 2021 chart, which is still hosted on michigan.gov but was superseded years ago.
What are the MSHDA income limits?
They range from $98,400 to $199,220 depending on your county, your household size and whether the area is targeted. The most common non-targeted baseline is $98,400 for one to two people and $113,160 for three or more; the most common targeted baseline is $118,080 and $137,760. Washtenaw County is the highest in the state at $170,760 and $199,220.
How much down payment assistance does MSHDA give?
Up to $10,000 through the MI 10K DPA Loan, available statewide on FHA, Rural Development and conventional loans. It is interest-free with no monthly payment, and it can be used for down payment, closing costs and prepaid taxes and insurance.
Do you have to pay back MSHDA down payment assistance?
Yes. It is deferred, not forgiven. Repayment is triggered by events including payoff of the first mortgage, sale or refinance of the home, or the home ceasing to be owner-occupied. MSHDA describes these as examples rather than an exhaustive list, and there is no forgiveness schedule.
Can repeat buyers use MSHDA?
Yes, in targeted areas. Elsewhere you must not have owned a home in the previous three years. 66 of Michigan’s 83 counties are targeted in their entirety, including Washtenaw, Ingham and Kalamazoo, so repeat buyers qualify anywhere within them. Only 17 counties split into targeted and non-targeted areas.
What credit score do you need for a MSHDA loan?
640. MSHDA publishes a single minimum with no variation by loan type.
Sources and effective dates
- MSHDA Income and Sales Price Limits, MI Home Loan MCC Program — effective 1 June 2026. Source for all income and sales price figures on this page.
- MI Home Loan — credit score, first-time buyer rule, lender channel.
- MI 10K DPA Loan — assistance amount, structure, repayment wording.
- MI Home Loan lender requirements — eligible loan types.
- Mortgage Credit Certificate — 20% credit rate.
- First-Generation Down Payment Assistance — closed.
Figures on this page were verified against MSHDA’s primary program documents on 31 July 2026. The Housing Signal is an independent publisher, not a lender or mortgage broker. This is general information, not personalized financial advice. Program terms change; confirm current figures with a MSHDA participating lender before making decisions.