California first-time homebuyer grants and down payment assistance (2026)

How CalHFA stacks MyHome, ZIP and MyAccess on one purchase

MyHome goes in second position behind any CalHFA first mortgage. It covers up to the lesser of 3.5% of the price or appraised value on a CalHFA FHA or CalPLUS FHA loan. On CalHFA conventional, VA and USDA loans it covers 3% ⁠²⁠³. The handbook calls MyHome a simple-interest loan. You make no payments, and principal plus interest is due when you transfer title, sell, refinance or pay off the first loan, or if a notice of default is recorded ⁠³. It cannot pay off debt or give you cash back, and the combined loan-to-value ratio cannot exceed 105% ⁠³.

ZIP is a 0% loan of 2% or 3% of the first mortgage. It comes only with a CalPLUS FHA or CalPLUS Conventional first mortgage, and it pays closing costs only, not the down payment. Its principal is due on transfer, refinance or payoff of the first mortgage ⁠⁴⁠⁵. MyAccess pays 2.5% of a CalPLUS Access first mortgage toward the down payment or closing costs. It accrues interest and has the same repayment triggers ⁠⁴⁠⁵. ZIP and MyAccess sit in third position behind MyHome. CalHFA describes CalPLUS loans as carrying a slightly higher 30-year fixed rate than its standard loans, so the extra help raises the first-mortgage rate ⁠¹.

Every borrower must be a first-time buyer to use MyHome. CalHFA defines that as no ownership interest in a principal residence, and no living in a home owned by a spouse, in the last three years ⁠³⁠⁸. Everyone must live in the home within 60 days of closing, and non-occupant co-borrowers are not allowed ⁠³. First-time buyers buying a resale home must also buy a one-year home warranty ⁠⁴.

Dream For All: the lottery-only 20% loan and what it costs at resale

The California Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan pays up to 20% of the price or appraised value, capped at $150,000. It is used with a Dream For All Conventional first mortgage ⁠⁹. You make no monthly payments. When you sell, transfer the home or pay off the first mortgage, you repay the original amount plus a share of the home’s gain in value. The standard share is 20% of the appreciation. If your income is at or below 80% of area median income on Fannie Mae’s HomeReady lookup, the share drops to 15% ⁠⁹.

At least one borrower must be a current California resident, all borrowers must be first-time buyers, and at least one must be a first-generation buyer ⁠⁹. First-generation means no ownership interest or name on a U.S. home loan in the last seven years, and parents who do not own a U.S. home (or did not own one when they died). Anyone who was ever in foster care or institutional care also qualifies ⁠⁸.

Status: The 2026 pre-registration portal closed March 16, 2026, and CalHFA released the round’s vouchers on May 20, 2026. Applicants who were not selected cannot reapply until a new round opens. Waitlisted applicants move up automatically if a voucher frees up ⁠⁹. CalHFA steers buyers who missed the draw to MyHome and CalPLUS with ZIP ⁠⁹.

CalHFA’s 2026 county income caps, with no purchase price cap

CalHFA publishes one maximum household income per county, not a chart by household size. The 2026 figures took effect June 30, 2026, and apply to every CalHFA first mortgage and to MyHome, ZIP and MyAccess ⁠⁶. Dream For All has its own, lower table ⁠¹⁰. CalHFA uses the income your lender counts to qualify you for the loan ⁠³. Since June 1, 2020, CalHFA has had no purchase price limit. Only the county loan limits of the FHA, VA, USDA or conforming first mortgage cap the loan size ⁠⁷.

The lowest CalHFA limit, $192,000, applies in 22 counties. The highest, $325,000, applies in Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara ⁠⁶. Dream For All ranges from $153,000 to $310,000 ⁠¹⁰. Other counties are in the PDFs under Verified resources.

Credit score and DTI rules by CalHFA first mortgage

MyHome, ZIP and MyAccess follow the credit and debt rules of the first mortgage they are attached to ⁠³.

• CalHFA FHA, CalPLUS FHA, CalPLUS Access FHA, VA and USDA: minimum 640 middle score, using the lowest-scoring borrower. The minimum is 660 for manually underwritten FHA loans and manufactured homes. Borrowers with no credit score are not accepted ⁠⁴. Total debt-to-income is capped at 45%. It can go to 50% with a score of 700 or higher, and manual underwriting is capped at 43% ⁠⁴.
• CalHFA Conventional, CalPLUS Conventional and CalPLUS Access Conventional: under the June 2026 handbook, the minimum is 680, or 660 if your income is at or below Fannie Mae’s HomeReady 80% AMI limit. DTI is capped at 45%, or 50% with a 700+ score ⁠⁵.

Lenders may charge customary fees of up to the greater of 3% of the loan or $3,000. Processing fees are capped at $250 on MyHome and MyAccess and $50 on ZIP ⁠³⁠⁴.

The eHome-or-counselor education rule and the approved-lender requirement

One occupying first-time borrower on each CalHFA loan must finish homebuyer education with counseling. There are two routes. Online, the only course CalHFA accepts is eHome’s eight-hour course, which costs $100 and includes a one-hour, one-on-one counseling session. Frameworks and HomeView are not accepted because they include no counseling. You can also take a live course, in person or virtual, through a NeighborWorks America center or any HUD-approved housing counseling agency, where fees vary ⁠². Certificates are good for one year ⁠⁴. Dream For All adds CalHFA’s free one-hour online course on shared appreciation ⁠⁹.

MyHome is offered only through a CalHFA-approved lender. A mortgage broker must work through a CalHFA-approved wholesale lender ⁠³.

No CalHFA mortgage credit certificate in 2026

CalHFA’s October 2026 program list includes no Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) ⁠¹. Its handbooks allow pairing a CalHFA loan with another agency’s MCC, but the credit cannot be counted to qualify you ⁠⁴. The largest local MCC, run by the City of Los Angeles, pays a credit of 20% of yearly mortgage interest. LAHD’s page, updated April 6, 2026, says the program is out of funding ⁠¹³.

Los Angeles city and county: LIPA, MIPA and HOP

• City of Los Angeles, Low Income Purchase Assistance (LIPA). Up to $161,000 at 0% interest with no monthly payments. You repay the loan plus a share of appreciation when you sell, transfer the home or repay the first mortgage, or in a balloon payment after 30 years. The 2026 limit is 80% of AMI: $93,300 for one person, $133,250 for four and $175,900 for eight. The home must be inside city limits and cost no more than $956,465 ⁠¹¹. You need a 660 middle FICO, an 8-hour class from an LAHD-approved provider and 1% of the price from your own money. Because funds are limited, LAHD takes a fixed number of reservations on set dates. The June 2026 schedule listed LIPA rounds on Oct. 14 and Nov. 18, 2026, with 24 slots each ⁠¹¹.
• City of Los Angeles, Moderate Income Purchase Assistance (MIPA). The same terms, up to $115,000, for incomes of 81% to 120% of AMI. That is up to $179,700 for a household of four. A round of 23 slots was scheduled for Dec. 16, 2026 ⁠¹².
• Los Angeles County, HOP80 and HOP120. LACDA lends up to $100,000 or 20% of the price, whichever is less, at 0% interest with deferred repayment and shared equity. It is due when you sell, transfer the home or stop living in it ⁠¹⁴. The home must be in unincorporated LA County or a participating city, and the City of Los Angeles is not one of them. Price caps are $700,000 for HOP80 and $850,000 for HOP120. You need 1% of the down payment from your own money, an eight-hour course from a HUD-approved agency, and a HOP participating lender. Applications are first come, first served. The HOP80 limit is $93,300 for one person and $133,250 for four, effective June 1, 2026 ⁠¹⁴.

San Diego Housing Commission: which programs still have money

SDHC’s funding table, dated Feb. 1, 2026, showed no funding available for its City of San Diego low-income program. That program offers up to 19% of the price (max $125,000) at 3% simple interest. The table also showed no funding for the County of San Diego low-income program ⁠¹⁵. Funds were available for two others:

• Middle-Income Program, City of San Diego. For households at 80% to 150% of AMI. It pays a $40,000 deferred loan at 4% simple interest plus a $10,000 closing cost grant, which is forgiven after three years if you still live in the home. The price cap is $1,250,000 ⁠¹⁵.
• County Moderate-Income Program. For households at 80% to 120% of AMI in six participating cities and the unincorporated county. It lends up to 17% of the price at 3% simple interest ⁠¹⁵.

Both require homebuyer education and counseling. Call SDHC at (619) 578-7788 ⁠¹⁵.

From CalHFA pre-approval to closing

1. Check your county’s income limit

   Compare your household income with the June 30, 2026 CalHFA table. If you are on the Dream For All waitlist, use its table instead ⁠⁶⁠¹⁰.

2. Find a CalHFA Preferred Loan Officer

   Use the directory or call 877-922-5432. The loan officer picks the first mortgage (CalHFA FHA, CalPLUS, CalPLUS Access or conventional), which decides whether you can add ZIP or MyAccess on top of MyHome ⁠¹⁠⁸.

3. Finish education before you sign

   Take eHome’s $100 course or a live HUD-approved course and keep the certificate. It is valid for one year ⁠²⁠⁴.

4. Ask about local layering

   CalHFA lets other assistance sit behind MyHome ⁠³. In Los Angeles, find out which LIPA, MIPA or HOP round or lender list applies to you ⁠¹¹⁠¹⁴.

5. Gather documents

   Your lender documents the income it uses to qualify you, and CalHFA tests that same income against the county limit ⁠³. Dream For All voucher holders also need a government ID, the lender’s Dream For All pre-approval letter, and proof of the parent relationship or foster care ⁠⁹.

6. Close and move in

   Every borrower must live in the home within 60 days of closing. Keep the MyHome note, because it comes due when you sell, refinance or pay off the first mortgage ⁠³.

Other states’ programs are on the first-time homebuyer grants page, and other California guides are on the California page.