The short version: TSAHC does not publish one income limit. It publishes two entirely separate limit tables, and which one applies to you depends on a choice most buyers do not know they are making. On the table that governs down payment assistance alone, a Harris County household can earn up to $156,000 and still qualify. Add the mortgage tax credit and the same household is capped at $104,000. That is a $52,000 swing on an identical file.
The two-table problem nobody explains
The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation runs two home buyer programs — Home Sweet Texas and Homes for Texas Heroes. Both offer the same interest rates, the same assistance percentages and the same 620 credit floor. The difference is your job, and the income ceiling that comes with it.
What almost no guide makes clear is that each program is governed by a different limit depending on the product you take:
- Down payment assistance only. Home Sweet Texas is capped at 150% of area median income. Homes for Texas Heroes is capped at 170% of AMI — roughly 13% more room.
- Down payment assistance combined with a Mortgage Credit Certificate. The MCC is funded through mortgage revenue bonds, so federal bond rules take over. Limits drop to roughly 100% of area median income and split by household size.
Taking the tax credit is not free. It buys you an annual federal credit worth 15% of your mortgage interest, and it costs you access to the higher income table. For a household earning between the two thresholds, the MCC is not an upgrade — it is a disqualification.
There is a second trap in the dates. TSAHC’s general limits took effect 13 June 2026. The Homes for Texas Heroes assistance limits were revised separately on 9 July 2026, almost four weeks later. Any guide refreshed in late June carries correct Home Sweet Texas numbers and stale Heroes numbers, which is why you will find contradictory figures across the first page of results.
TSAHC 2026 income limits by metro county
These are the ceilings that apply when you take down payment assistance without the tax credit. They apply to total household income and do not vary by household size.
| County | Metro | Home Sweet Texas (150% AMI) | Homes for Texas Heroes (170% AMI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Fort Bend | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Montgomery | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Galveston | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Chambers | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Liberty | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Waller | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Austin | Houston | $156,000 | $176,800 |
| Brazoria | Brazoria (own HUD area) | $189,000 | $214,200 |
| Dallas | Dallas–Plano–Irving | $181,650 | $205,870 |
| Collin | Dallas–Plano–Irving | $181,650 | $205,870 |
| Denton | Dallas–Plano–Irving | $181,650 | $205,870 |
| Rockwall | Dallas–Plano–Irving | $181,650 | $205,870 |
| Tarrant | Fort Worth–Arlington | $165,450 | $187,510 |
| Travis | Austin–Round Rock | $201,600 | $228,480 |
| Williamson | Austin–Round Rock | $201,600 | $228,480 |
| Hays | Austin–Round Rock | $201,600 | $228,480 |
| Bastrop | Austin–Round Rock | $201,600 | $228,480 |
| Caldwell | Austin–Round Rock | $201,600 | $228,480 |
| Bexar | San Antonio | $157,358 | $178,339 |
| Comal | San Antonio | $157,358 | $178,339 |
| Guadalupe | San Antonio | $157,358 | $178,339 |
| El Paso | El Paso | $152,250 | $172,550 |
| Hidalgo | McAllen–Edinburg | $152,250 | $172,550 |
| Nueces | Corpus Christi | $152,250 | $172,550 |
Four things worth noting. Limits follow HUD income-limit areas, not county lines, which is why Dallas, Collin and Denton share a figure while neighbouring Tarrant sits $16,200 lower — Fort Worth is a separate MSA division. Travis and Williamson carry the highest ceilings in the state at $201,600, shared with Bastrop, Caldwell and Hays. And $152,250 is the statewide floor, applying across most rural counties.
The fourth is the one that costs people money. Brazoria County sits inside the Houston metro but HUD carves it out as its own income-limit area — the Brazoria County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area — so its ceiling is $189,000, not the $156,000 that applies to Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery. That is a $33,000 gap, and it runs in the direction that wrongly excludes buyers: a Brazoria household earning $170,000 reading a Houston-metro figure would conclude it does not qualify for Home Sweet Texas when it comfortably does. No competing Texas guide we reviewed lists Brazoria separately.
If you have read that Harris, Dallas and Travis counties share a single cap of around $122,000, that figure does not appear anywhere in TSAHC’s 2026 chart. The number it is most likely a garbled version of is $121,100 — the Dallas County limit for a one- or two-person household on the tax credit table below, which applies to one county and one household size only.
The tax credit table: lower limits, split by household size
Combine down payment assistance with an MCC and these bond limits apply instead. They also come with purchase price ceilings, which the assistance-only table does not impose.
| County | 1–2 persons | 3+ persons | Purchase price (non-targeted) | Purchase price (targeted area) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | $104,000 | $119,600 | $566,354 | $692,211 |
| Dallas | $121,100 | $139,265 | $589,596 | $720,617 |
| Travis | $134,400 | $154,560 | $598,019 | $730,912 |
Households of three or more get exactly 15% more room — the multiplier is fixed statewide, so you can derive the 3+ figure for any county from its 1–2 person limit. A “targeted area” is a federally designated census tract; buying inside one raises your purchase price ceiling by roughly $130,000 and, on the tax credit, waives the first-time buyer requirement entirely. Ask your lender to run your address before you assume you are outside one.
A third and lower tier exists at or below 80% of area median family income, governing certain bond-funded and conventional assistance products. Those figures are narrow, product-specific, and change independently of the two tables above. If a lender quotes you an income limit that matches neither table here, that is likely why — ask which product it attaches to.
Eligibility: what actually disqualifies you
| Requirement | TSAHC standard |
|---|---|
| Minimum credit score | 620 for FHA, VA and USDA loans; 640 for conventional products |
| Maximum DTI | No stated maximum with automated underwriting approval; FHA manual underwriting capped at 43% |
| Assistance amount | Elect 2%, 3%, 4% or 5% of the loan amount — 5% is the ceiling |
| Assistance structure | A non-repayable grant, or a three-year deferred forgivable second lien |
| First-time buyer | Not required for down payment assistance |
| Occupancy | Must be your primary residence |
| Education | Approved home buyer education course, completed before closing |
The repeat buyer rule, stated plainly
This is the single most misreported fact about TSAHC. In its own words: “You do not have to be a first-time home buyer (defined as anyone who has not owned a home in the past three years) to receive down payment assistance through TSAHC.”
You can own a home right now, sell it, and take TSAHC assistance on your next purchase, provided the new home becomes your primary residence and your income sits under the applicable ceiling. Guides that describe TSAHC as a first-time buyer programme are importing the MCC’s restriction and applying it to the whole programme.
The MCC genuinely is first-time-only, with two exceptions: qualified veterans, and purchases inside a targeted census tract. TSAHC has also retired the standalone MCC — the tax credit is now available only in combination with its down payment assistance, and it is issued free of charge to Homes for Texas Heroes borrowers.
The three-year clock on the second lien
If you take assistance as a deferred forgivable second lien rather than a grant, the balance becomes repayable if you sell or refinance within three years. Refinancing triggers it exactly as selling does. Forgiveness is a cliff, not a slope: nothing is written off until the three-year mark, then all of it is at once.
Three years is short enough that this rarely bites, but it is long enough to overlap a rate-driven refinance. If you take 5% assistance at today’s rates and rates fall meaningfully in 2028, refinancing means repaying the assistance in full. Model it as a loan, not a gift, and run the numbers on our down payment calculator before you choose between the grant and the lien.
Before you talk to a TSAHC lender
TSAHC assistance is originated through approved lenders, not by TSAHC directly — and the programme is only as good as the loan officer running it. Two things are worth settling before that first call: a firm sense of what you can borrow, and a written pre-approval you can put in front of a seller.
Our recommended tools hub lists the mortgage pre-approval and rate-comparison services we have actually vetted, with current pricing and what each one is genuinely good for. Pair it with our home affordability calculator so you arrive at the conversation with your own number rather than the lender’s.
TSAHC vs TDHCA: two Texas agencies, two different answers
Texas runs two statewide down payment assistance agencies, and they are routinely confused. TSAHC is the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation; TDHCA is the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. They are separate organisations with separate programmes, separate limits and separate lender networks. You can apply to both.
| TSAHC Home Sweet Texas | TSAHC Homes for Texas Heroes | TDHCA My First Texas Home | TDHCA My Choice Texas Home | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Low and moderate income buyers, any profession | Teachers, police, firefighters, EMS, corrections officers, veterans, nursing faculty | First-time buyers and veterans | Repeat buyers — no first-time requirement |
| Income basis | 150% AMI (assistance only) | 170% AMI (assistance only) | Bond limits by household size | Bond limits by household size |
| Assistance | 2–5% of loan amount | 2–5% of loan amount | Up to 5% of loan amount | Up to 5% of loan amount |
| Minimum FICO | 620 / 640 conventional | 620 / 640 conventional | 620 | 620 |
| Maximum DTI | Per AUS approval | Per AUS approval | 50% | 50% |
| Loan types | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional | FHA, VA, USDA | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional (Freddie Mac HFA Advantage) |
| First-time required | No | No | Yes — waived for veterans and targeted areas | No |
| Tax credit | MCC with assistance only, 15% credit rate | MCC free of charge | Texas MCC available | Not offered |
How to choose between them
The decision usually comes down to three questions.
- Do you work in a qualifying profession? If yes, Homes for Texas Heroes gives you the highest income ceiling available in Texas — $228,480 in the Austin metro — plus a free tax credit. Start there.
- Have you owned a home in the past three years? If yes, TSAHC and TDHCA’s My Choice Texas Home are open to you. My First Texas Home is not, unless you are a veteran or buying in a targeted tract.
- Do you need a conventional loan? My First Texas Home is FHA, VA and USDA only. If you are putting down enough to avoid FHA’s permanent mortgage insurance, look at TSAHC’s conventional option or My Choice Texas Home’s Freddie Mac HFA Advantage product, which allows 3% down and reduced mortgage insurance below 80% AMI.
One cost difference that rarely makes it into comparisons: TDHCA charges a $275 compliance review fee, a $150 loan review fee, an $85 tax service fee, and a further $400 to issue an MCC. Build roughly $500 to $900 into your closing costs, and ask any lender quoting you a TSAHC or TDHCA loan for their fee sheet in writing.
How to apply
Neither agency lends directly. Both work through approved lender networks, and the lender submits your file.
- Confirm which table applies to you. Decide up front whether you want the tax credit, because that choice determines your income ceiling before anything else is assessed.
- Check your county in the tables above, then verify against the current source document — TSAHC revises these figures at least annually and did so twice in 2026.
- Find an approved lender. TSAHC maintains a lender directory and a phone line on 877-508-4611; TDHCA’s is 1-800-792-1119.
- Name the product explicitly. Ask for “Homes for Texas Heroes with 5% assistance as a grant” rather than “down payment help.” Loan officers who rarely run these files default to whatever is easiest to originate.
- Complete home buyer education through an approved provider and confirm the certificate reaches your lender before closing.
If Texas turns out not to be where you buy, our guide to down payment assistance programs covers how these schemes work nationally, and we maintain the same county-level analysis for Ohio, Michigan and Maryland. New to the process entirely? Start with our first-time home buyer guide and our overview of first-time buyer programs.
Frequently asked questions
What are the TSAHC income limits for 2026?
TSAHC publishes two tables. For down payment assistance alone, Home Sweet Texas caps income at 150% of area median — $156,000 in Harris County, $181,650 in Dallas County and $201,600 in Travis County. Homes for Texas Heroes allows 170%, or $176,800, $205,870 and $228,480 respectively.
Do you have to be a first-time home buyer to use TSAHC?
No. TSAHC states directly that you do not have to be a first-time home buyer to receive its down payment assistance. The home must be your primary residence and your income must fall under the applicable limit. Only the Mortgage Credit Certificate carries a first-time requirement, waived for veterans and targeted-area purchases.
What credit score do you need for TSAHC down payment assistance?
620 for FHA, VA and USDA loans, and 640 for conventional products. There is no stated maximum debt-to-income ratio when the loan receives automated underwriting approval; manually underwritten FHA files are capped at 43%.
How much down payment assistance does TSAHC give?
You elect 2%, 3%, 4% or 5% of the loan amount, with 5% the maximum. On a $300,000 loan that is $15,000. It comes either as a grant that is never repaid, or as a deferred forgivable second lien repayable only if you sell or refinance within three years.
What is the difference between TSAHC and TDHCA?
They are two separate Texas agencies. TSAHC runs Home Sweet Texas and Homes for Texas Heroes, sets income limits as a percentage of area median, and does not require first-time buyer status. TDHCA runs My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas Home, uses bond income limits by household size, and caps debt-to-income at 50%. You may apply to both.
Can you use TSAHC assistance if you already own a home?
Yes, for down payment assistance, provided the property you are buying becomes your primary residence and your household income is under the limit for your county. You cannot combine it with a Mortgage Credit Certificate unless you are a veteran or buying in a targeted census tract.
Sources and effective dates
Income and purchase price figures are taken from TSAHC’s Combined Income and Purchase Price Limits, with general limits effective 13 June 2026 and Homes for Texas Heroes assistance limits effective 9 July 2026. Programme terms, credit thresholds and the first-time buyer language are from TSAHC’s home buyer programs page and its published qualification guidance. TDHCA figures are from the Texas Homebuyer Program comparison chart and the My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas Home lender flyers. HUD’s income-limit area definitions, including the separate Brazoria County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, are from HUD User’s published income limit documentation, with the area name confirmed in HUD’s Texas income limit tables.
TSAHC revised its limits twice in 2026, roughly four weeks apart. Verify against the source document before relying on any figure here, and treat any guide that does not print an effective date as unreliable on this topic. We re-verify this page each time TSAHC issues a revision.
Disclaimer: The Housing Signal is an independent educational publisher. We are not a mortgage broker, lender, or licensed financial advisor, and nothing here is personalized financial advice. Programme terms, income limits, fees and eligibility rules change frequently, and the figures above may not reflect your own circumstances or the most recent TSAHC or TDHCA revision. Figures cited are accurate as of the dates given and will change. Consult a licensed professional before making a decision.