Common questionCommon question · Loan types
Can you use down payment assistance with a USDA loan?
Short answer
Yes: 1269 of the 2,700-plus programs in the catalog name USDA among the loan types they can be paired with. They are recorded in 51 states and territories. The assistance program and the USDA lender each review the file, and the lender has to accept the assistance as a source of funds.
By the numbers
programs naming USDA
- States and territoriesStates and territories with one
- 51
- Open nationwideOpen nationwide
- 25
- Grants or forgivableGrants or forgivable loans
- 699
- Deferred second loansDeferred second loans
- 399
- Ask for a homebuyer classAsk for a homebuyer class
- 1,122
- No first-time ruleNo first-time requirement
- 327
Hey Prescott catalog of 2,000+ programs. Types are as each program record labels them.
What to know
USDA loans are limited to homes in areas USDA designates as rural, and carry their own household income limits that apply alongside the assistance program’s. Like VA, USDA requires no down payment, so assistance is commonly applied to closing costs.
Two reviews, not one
The assistance program and the USDA lender underwrite separately.
- 1
The assistance program
Checks an application against its own published rules, such as income limits, location and a homebuyer class.
- 2
The USDA lender
Underwrites the mortgage, and must be willing to accept the assistance as a source of funds.
Near you
See programs where you’re buying
Start with a ZIP code, then a few short questions to see every program that matches your answers. No SSN, no credit pull.
State by state
Programs naming USDA, leaving out the 25 nationwide programs.51 states and territories have at least one. Each links to that state’s full directory. Counts leave out the 25 nationwide programs that count here, which apply in every state.
| State | Programs naming USDA |
|---|---|
| Florida | 166 |
| California | 124 |
| Texas | 89 |
| Colorado | 53 |
| Maryland | 46 |
| Virginia | 42 |
| Minnesota | 40 |
| North Carolina | 33 |
| South Carolina | 32 |
| New Jersey | 30 |
Questions, answered
Where do these numbers come from?
Hey Prescott maintains a catalog of 2,000+ active down payment assistance programs across all 50 states and DC, each verified against the administering agency’s own published material and carrying the date it was last checked. The counts on this page are drawn from that catalog and refresh as it does.
Is Hey Prescott a lender?
No. Hey Prescott is an educational directory of down payment assistance programs. We list programs and link to official sources; we do not make loans or give individualized lending advice.