Maximum Loan Calculator: How Much You Can Borrow
Budget, earnings, down payment and loan limits each cap your borrowing; the smallest of them is the ceiling that applies to you.
What This Calculator Does
You get the largest conventional, FHA or VA loan that keeps your complete monthly bill inside your budget, which is how much mortgage you can get. That bill covers principal and interest, tax, insurance and HOA, plus PMI or FHA mortgage insurance. Enter your earnings, and a DTI cap of your choosing joins the test. Your down payment meets each program's LTV, and the conforming and FHA caps for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach sit alongside. The result names whichever cap binds.
Who Is This For
Use it if you're weighing conventional against FHA or VA before pre-approval, or if you're a veteran eyeing a VA purchase with nothing down. Agents can check which ceilings box in a client's price range.
How It Works
What comes back is the maximum loan, the factor holding it down and the monthly payment at that amount. To get there, choose a program and type in your down payment, rate and term. Next, the money side: set a monthly budget, enter earnings and debts, or use both. Last, add what you expect to pay for tax, insurance and HOA, then press calculate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why pile taxes, insurance and HOA onto the payment?
Because a lender looks at everything you'd pay to live in the home, not just the loan. Leave principal and interest standing alone and the maximum swells. South Florida shows it most: insurance premiums and association dues run heavy there.
How does my down payment set a ceiling on the loan, and what's LTV?
Every program caps LTV, the loan divided by the price, and that cap is what makes your down payment limit the loan. VA allows 100% and FHA 96.5%. Conventional reaches 97%, but without first-time-buyer status or HomeReady/Home Possible, that figure is off the table.
How high can a loan go in 2026 in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach?
On a single-unit property, borrowing past $832,750 (the FHFA conforming cap) makes the loan jumbo. FHA stops lower, at $667,000 (HUD's cap). A VA loan with full entitlement has no cap at all.
Is the maximum the number to aim for?
No. The top number marks the edge of what's possible, nothing more. Borrow right at it and you have little cushion when insurance jumps, a special assessment lands or something needs repair. Only the lender's approval fixes the final amount.