Common questionCommon question · Loan types
Can you use down payment assistance with a VA loan?
Short answer
Yes: 1334 of the 2,700-plus programs in the catalog name VA among the loan types they can be paired with. They are recorded in 51 states and territories. The assistance program and the VA lender each review the file, and the lender has to accept the assistance as a source of funds.
By the numbers
programs naming VA
- States and territoriesStates and territories with one
- 51
- Open nationwideOpen nationwide
- 27
- Grants or forgivableGrants or forgivable loans
- 794
- Deferred second loansDeferred second loans
- 407
- Ask for a homebuyer classAsk for a homebuyer class
- 1,183
- No first-time ruleNo first-time requirement
- 341
Hey Prescott catalog of 2,000+ programs. Types are as each program record labels them.
What to know
A VA loan generally requires no down payment, so assistance is more often applied to closing costs, the VA funding fee, or prepaid items. Programs differ on which of those they permit, and each program page states what its funds may be used for.
Two reviews, not one
The assistance program and the VA 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 VA 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 VA, leaving out the 27 nationwide programs.51 states and territories have at least one. Each links to that state’s full directory. Counts leave out the 27 nationwide programs that count here, which apply in every state.
| State | Programs naming VA |
|---|---|
| Florida | 166 |
| Texas | 125 |
| California | 103 |
| Colorado | 73 |
| Maryland | 47 |
| Virginia | 45 |
| Georgia | 42 |
| Minnesota | 42 |
| Ohio | 33 |
| North Carolina | 32 |
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.