VA Loan Limits

Since 2020, VA loans have no program-imposed cap for borrowers with full entitlement. Your maximum is set the old-fashioned way: by what your income, credit, and debts support, and by what the home appraises for.

Loan limits only come into play if you have remaining (partial) entitlement — usually because you already have an active VA loan, or you had a prior VA loan that ended in a loss to VA. Your Certificate of Eligibility shows which situation you're in.

You have full entitlement if you've never used a VA loan, or you've paid off a previous VA loan and sold the property. With full entitlement:

• No VA loan limit applies, in any county, at any price.
• No down payment is required by VA at any loan size.
• The real ceiling is your lender's underwriting: income, debts, credit, and the appraisal.

The practical question isn't "what's my limit?" — it's "what payment can I comfortably carry?" That's exactly what the VA Affordability Calculator estimates.

If part of your entitlement is tied up in an existing VA loan, the county loan limit sets the framework for how much more you can borrow with zero down. The math:

• VA guarantees 25% of the county loan limit, minus the entitlement you're already using.
• If the remaining guaranty doesn't cover 25% of your new loan, the lender typically requires a down payment for the difference.
• Buying above your zero-down threshold is still possible — it just takes cash at closing.

This calculation trips up even experienced buyers. Your lender runs it from your COE; your job is simply to know which bucket you're in before you shop.

County limits follow the conforming loan limits that FHFA sets each year and adjusts for home prices — $832,750 in most U.S. counties for 2026, higher in designated high-cost areas, and updated annually. The current figures are published at fhfa.gov.

Remember: these numbers only matter if you're working with remaining entitlement. With full entitlement, no county limit applies to you regardless of what the table says. Working with partial entitlement? The VA Entitlement Calculator applies your county's limit for you.

"VA jumbo" is lender language for a VA loan above the conforming county limit — not a separate VA program. With full entitlement you can borrow into jumbo territory with no down payment required by VA, though lenders typically apply stricter credit and reserve standards at those sizes. Shopping multiple lenders matters more at jumbo sizes than anywhere else. The full breakdown — including the 25% guaranty math when entitlement is partial — is in the VA jumbo loan guide.