Homes for Texas Heroes Income Limits (2026): County Guide

When you are a Texas teacher, peace officer, firefighter, corrections officer, or veteran, figuring out whether your paycheck disqualifies you from down payment help can feel unexpectedly complicated.

This 2026 guide breaks down the current published Homes for Texas Heroes income limits by county, explains how the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) counts borrower versus household income, and compares Heroes caps against other assistance options.

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By the end, you will know which income column applies to your loan, whether a purchase price cap affects your search, and what moves you can make if your household earns over the limit.

How TSAHC Sets Homes for Texas Heroes Income Limits

TSAHC does not use a single statewide cap for the Homes for Texas Heroes program. Instead, the agency sets homes for texas heroes income limits by county and by the specific loan structure you choose.

Every loan under the program is a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage paired with one of three paths: Non-Bond Down Payment Assistance (DPA), Bond DPA, or a No DPA first mortgage. You can also add a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) to a Non-Bond DPA or No DPA loan, which gives you a 15% federal income tax credit on your annual mortgage interest.

Because Non-Bond DPA is funded through the mortgage-backed securities market, Bond DPA comes from tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds (Internal Revenue Code Section 143), and MCCs carry their own limits, each path has its own income rules:

• Non-Bond DPA or No DPA (without an MCC): Uses the highest published county income limits for FHA loans in Texas, VA loans in Texas, USDA-RHS loans, and HFA conventional loans above 80% of Area Median Family Income (AMFI). Household size does not change the limit.
• Conventional loans at or below 80% AMFI: Uses a separate, lower income limit that is the same across both TSAHC homebuyer programs.
• Non-Bond DPA or No DPA with an MCC: Uses federal MCC income caps, which are set at 100% of AMFI for households of 1 to 2 people and 115% of AMFI for households of 3 or more, with higher limits in Targeted Areas.
• Bond DPA: Requires buyers to be at or below 80% AMFI and is reserved for first-time buyers (unless buying in a Targeted Area or qualifying as a veteran under federal law).

One note if you have read older articles or Texas statutes online: Texas Government Code Section 2306.5621 references a statutory limit of 115% of area median family income (adjusted for family size) or the maximum permitted under Section 143(f), whichever is greater. However, TSAHC's current published Non-Bond limits in its official County Income Limits tool are significantly higher than 115% of implied median income, and TSAHC has not published an explanation. Always go by TSAHC's current published county dollar limits and ask a participating lender to verify the live figure when registering your loan.

Current Homes for Texas Heroes Income Limits by County (Without MCC)

When you use Non-Bond DPA (a 2% to 5% grant or 3-year deferred forgivable second lien) or the No DPA option without an MCC, household size does not matter. One limit applies whether you are buying solo or with a family of five.

The table below shows TSAHC's current published income limits for major Texas counties across the Non-Bond, below-80% conventional, and Bond DPA categories, along with the Home Sweet Texas limit for comparison. TSAHC's county lookup tool does not state an effective date and figures can update periodically, so treat these numbers as current published guidelines to confirm with a participating lender.

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TSAHC Income Limits With a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC)

Heroes borrowers who are first-time homebuyers (haven't owned a principal residence in the past three years, unless buying in a Targeted Area or qualifying as a veteran) can pair Non-Bond DPA or a No DPA loan with a TSAHC Mortgage Credit Certificate. Even better, TSAHC waives the $400 MCC issuance fee for Homes for Texas Heroes borrowers who combine Non-Bond DPA with an MCC.

Adding an MCC changes the income math in two ways: the dollar caps are lower than the standalone Non-Bond Heroes limits, and your limit now depends on whether your household has 1 to 2 people or 3 or more people. Buying a home inside a federally designated Targeted Area (an IRS qualified census tract or area of chronic economic distress) raises those caps substantially.

Here are TSAHC's current published MCC income limits by household size for those same counties (these figures are identical for both Homes for Texas Heroes and Home Sweet Texas):

How TSAHC Counts Income: Borrower vs. Household

Knowing the county dollar limit is only half the equation. According to TSAHC program guidelines (revised September 9, 2026), whose income gets counted depends entirely on which product option you select.

Option 1: Non-Bond DPA or No DPA (Without an MCC)

When you use Non-Bond DPA or No DPA by itself, TSAHC counts only the mortgagors' qualifying income—meaning the income listed on your 1003 mortgage application that the underwriter uses to qualify you for the loan.

• A non-purchasing spouse's income is excluded.
• If you bring on a cosigner or non-occupying co-borrower (who does not sign the deed of trust or take ownership), their income is excluded on FHA, VA, and USDA loans, though it does count toward income limits on conventional loans.

Option 2: With an MCC or With Bond DPA

When you add an MCC to your loan or use Bond DPA (such as the 30-year Deferred Repayable Second Lien), TSAHC counts the total household income of everyone on the deed of trust, including a non-purchasing spouse.

• Even if your spouse is left off the mortgage note, their income must be included in the compliance calculation.
• If your household is over the MCC or Bond cap, standalone Non-Bond DPA may still work, since its income ceiling is higher and a non-purchasing spouse's income is left out.

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Homes for Texas Heroes vs. Home Sweet Texas Income Limits

TSAHC operates two main homebuyer programs: Homes for Texas Heroes and the Home Sweet Texas Home Loan Program. Both offer the exact same down payment assistance percentages (2%, 3%, 4%, or 5% of the total loan amount) and the same minimum credit scores (620 for government loans and 640 for HFA conventional loans).

Why apply under Heroes if the assistance is the same? Three big reasons:

1. Higher Non-Bond income limits: If you work full-time in one of the Homes for Texas Heroes eligible professions—such as a public K-12 teacher, school nurse, counselor, librarian, teacher aide, peace officer, firefighter, EMS worker, TDCJ or TJJD corrections officer, county jailer, public security officer, nursing or allied health faculty member, or eligible veteran—you get extra income room on Non-Bond government and above-80% conventional loans. In Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, Heroes allows up to $205,870 compared with $181,650 for Home Sweet Texas.
2. Free MCC issuance: Heroes borrowers who combine Non-Bond DPA with an MCC have the $400 MCC issuance fee waived, whereas Home Sweet Texas borrowers pay the $400 fee.
3. Fallback flexibility: If you are a nurse or social worker not covered by the Heroes statute (only full-time public K-12 school nurses and college nursing faculty qualify under Heroes), you do not need a qualifying profession to use Home Sweet Texas—you simply qualify under the Home Sweet Texas county limit.

Do Purchase Price Limits Apply to Homes for Texas Heroes?

If you use Non-Bond DPA alone (without an MCC), there is no purchase price limit from TSAHC.

Purchase price limits apply only when you use Bond DPA or add an MCC. For a broader look at how caps work across state programs, see our guide to Texas homebuyer income and purchase price limits.

Below are TSAHC's current published purchase price limits for Bond DPA and MCC loans in major Texas counties:

What to Do If You Are Over the Income Limit

Finding out your household earns more than the number on a chart does not automatically end your shot at down payment assistance. Here are five practical ways Texas buyers stay eligible:

1. Switch from MCC or Bond to standalone Non-Bond DPA: If your household is over the MCC limit ($101,500 to $154,560 across the non-targeted counties above, depending on county and household size), dropping the MCC and using Non-Bond DPA by itself raises your county cap to between $172,550 and $228,480—and removes the purchase price limit at the same time.
2. Qualify with one borrower on Non-Bond DPA: Because Non-Bond DPA (without an MCC) counts only the qualifying income on the 1003 loan application and excludes a non-purchasing spouse's income, qualifying on the Hero borrower's income alone may keep you under the cap if your single income still supports the mortgage debt-to-income ratio.
3. Avoid adding a cosigner on a conventional loan: Remember that a non-occupying co-borrower's income counts toward TSAHC's income limit on conventional loans, but does not count toward the limit on FHA, VA, or USDA loans.
4. Check if the property is in a Targeted Area: If you want an MCC, buying in a designated Targeted Area boosts the 3+ person household limit to $145,600 in Harris County, $169,540 in Dallas County, and $188,160 in Travis County.
5. Compare TDHCA and local programs: Texas runs another major statewide assistance system through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), including the My First Texas Home Program and the My Choice Texas Home Program. You can compare all major state options in our Texas first-time homebuyer grants and programs guide.

Next Steps to Verify Your Eligibility

Meeting the tsahc income limits can be the biggest hurdle for dual-income households, but you will also need to meet standard requirements to buy a house in Texas, including a minimum 620 credit score for government loans (640 for conventional or manufactured homes), full-time employment in a qualifying Heroes role (or qualifying veteran status), and completion of an approved homebuyer education course. Rates for TSAHC programs are set daily by the program, and buyers must apply through a TSAHC-approved participating lender who registers and locks the loan in the LoanDock lender portal.

Our team at Make Texas Your Home (run by Next Wave Mortgage, LLC) helps Texas educators, first responders, and veterans check their numbers against the right county column, compare options, and get connected with a participating lender who can quote today's live rates.

Check Your Texas Heroes Home Loan Eligibility