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Seller contribution limits calculator for loan officers.
The most a seller or other interested party can contribute on a conventional, FHA, VA or USDA purchase, how much of the offer applies, and what happens to the rest, with the rule cited and the date it was read.
Your actual rate, payment, and costs could be higher. Get an official Loan Estimate before choosing a loan.
Estimates from the inputs shown. Not a Loan Estimate or an offer to lend.
Inputs stay in this browser. Usage counts record the tool used and a few rounded figures, such as loan purpose, state and loan-amount band. No names, addresses or exact amounts.
Questions
Where do the limits come from?
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: 3%, 6% or 9% of the lower of the price and the appraised value for a principal residence or second home, by the loan-to-value ratio (combined, with other liens); 2% for an investment property. Selling Guide B3-4.1-02 and Freddie Mac Guide 5501.6.
FHA: 6% of the sales price, toward origination fees, other closing costs, prepaid items and discount points. HUD 4000.1 II.A.4.d.iii(G).
VA: concessions over 4% of the reasonable value are excessive. The buyer's normal closing costs and discount points paid by the seller aren't counted. VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 8, Topic 5.
USDA: 6% of the sales price. 7 CFR 3555.102(h) and HB-1-3555, Chapter 6, 6.2.C.
Each was read on October 1, 2026. Guides change, so check the current one before relying on a figure.
What happens to the part over the limit?
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: anything over the limit, or more than the borrower's closing costs, is a sales concession. It comes off the price, and the loan-to-value ratio is worked out again.
FHA: anything over 6%, or more than the actual costs, is an inducement to purchase. It reduces the price dollar for dollar when the adjusted value is worked out, before the loan-to-value limit applies.
VA: concessions over 4% are unacceptable for a VA-guaranteed loan.
USDA: a purchase where the seller contributes more than 6% is listed as an ineligible loan purpose.
What does it leave out?
Exceptions in the guides: HomePath properties at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac's own REO, USDA single-close construction-to-permanent loans. Costs a seller customarily pays under local custom, which the conventional guides leave outside the limit. Lender credits from premium pricing, which FHA and USDA leave out. Whether a contribution can pay a given charge. The investor's own overlays and the AUS findings.
These are estimates from the inputs shown, not a Loan Estimate or an offer to lend.