Income limits · Maryland

Income limits and price caps in Maryland

80 Maryland programs publish an income limit, a price cap, or both. Most write the limit as a share of the county’s area median income.80 Maryland programs publish an income limit, a purchase price cap, or both. Most write the limit as a share of the county’s area median income. Here is how to read one.

01
HUD sets the median
Each year, for every county, quoted for a household of four.Each year HUD publishes the area median income for every county, quoted for a household of four.
02
The program picks a share
Up to that share of the median for the county where the home is.A limit written as a share of area median income means up to that share of the median for the county where the home is.
03
The agency publishes the dollars
Adjusted for household size, in the program’s own table. That table is the one that counts.The program adjusts its limit for household size and county, and publishes its own table. That table is the one that counts.

Area median income by county

Find your county’s median

HUD’s four-person figure. Programs adjust it for household size.HUD’s four-person figure for the county where the home is. A program applies its percentage to this number, adjusted for household size by the program.

County	Area median income, 4 people	Programs in county	HUD year	Link
Montgomery	$166,100	7	FY2026	Montgomery programs →
Prince George's	$166,100	7	FY2026	Prince George's programs →
Frederick	$166,100	4	FY2026	Frederick programs →
Howard	$134,000	4	FY2026	Howard programs →
Washington	$105,100	3	FY2026	Washington programs →
Allegany	$72,700	2	FY2026	Allegany programs →
Anne Arundel	$134,000	2	FY2026	Anne Arundel programs →
Baltimore	$134,000	2	FY2026	Baltimore programs →
Baltimore	$134,000	2	FY2026	Baltimore programs →
Charles	$166,100	2	FY2026	Charles programs →
Queen Anne's	$134,000	2	FY2026	Queen Anne's programs →
Wicomico	$104,700	2	FY2026	Wicomico programs →
Garrett	$88,300	1	FY2026	Garrett programs →
Harford	$134,000	1	FY2026	Harford programs →
Somerset	$89,800	1	FY2026	Somerset programs →
Worcester	$111,100	1	FY2026	Worcester programs →
Calvert	$149,900	0	FY2026	Calvert programs →
Caroline	$88,800	0	FY2026	Caroline programs →
Carroll	$134,000	0	FY2026	Carroll programs →
Cecil	$122,700	0	FY2026	Cecil programs →
Dorchester	$87,300	0	FY2026	Dorchester programs →
Kent	$112,000	0	FY2026	Kent programs →
St. Mary's	$154,400	0	FY2026	St. Mary's programs →
Talbot	$117,500	0	FY2026	Talbot programs →

HUD FY2026 Income Limits, median family income for a four-person household. Program counts: programs whose record names the county, Hey Prescott, verified June–September 2026. Statewide programs apply too.

How programs set their limits

The percentage each program publishesThe percentage each Maryland program publishes

Grouped by the limit in each program’s own record.Grouped by the limit written in the program’s own record. A program may also set lower tiers inside its limit; the program page has the details.

Up to 80% AMI

25 programs

All 25 →

Up to 120% AMI

15 programs

All 15 →

Up to 100% AMI

5 programs

All 5 →

SDLP - DreamMaker Loan

Up to 50% AMI

4 programs

Up to 150% AMI

1 program

Frederick County House Keys 4 Employees (HK4E)

Other limits

No percentage published · 30
Each sets its limit another way: a dollar figure, the agency’s own words, or a price cap only.
All 30 →

Limits as written in each program record, Hey Prescott, verified June–September 2026. Confirm current limits with the administering agency.

Purchase price caps

29 programs also cap the home’s price29 programs also cap the price of the home

The highest price the program accepts, as it publishes it.The cap is the highest purchase price the program accepts, as the program publishes it.

Program	County	Income limit	Price cap
1st Time Advantage 3% Loan	Statewide	—	$1.5M
1st Time Advantage 4% Loan	Statewide	—	$1.5M
1st Time Advantage 6000	Statewide	—	$1.5M
HomeAbility	Statewide	80% AMI	$1.5M
Homestart 6% DPA Loan	Statewide	50% AMI	$1.5M
Maryland SmartBuy 3.0	Statewide	—	$1.5M
MMP Flex 3% Loan	Statewide	—	$1.5M
MMP Flex 6000	Statewide	—	$1.5M
Montgomery Employee Down Payment Assistance Loan (MEDPAL)	Montgomery	—	$1.5M
Montgomery Homeownership Program	Montgomery	—	$1.5M
Partner Match Programs	Statewide	—	$1.5M
1st Time Advantage 5% Loan	Statewide	—	$1.3M
Option 2 of the MPP	Montgomery	—	$806,598
Option 3 "MCHAF" Montgomery County Housing Assistance Fund	Montgomery	—	$806,598
Revolving Closing Cost Assistance Program (RCCAP)	Montgomery	—	$806,598
City of Frederick Community Partners Incentive Program (CPIP)	Frederick	—	$806,500
Buy Back the Block	Baltimore City	120% AMI	$731,400
Buying Into Baltimore Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance	Baltimore City	—	$731,400
SDLP - DreamMaker Loan	Howard	100% AMI	$644,756
SDLP - HomeStarter Loan	Howard	80% AMI	$644,756
SDLP - HomeSteader Loan	Howard	80% AMI	$644,756
SDLP - Workforce Initiative Loan	Howard	120% AMI	$644,756
Mortgage Assistance Program (MAP)	Anne Arundel	80% AMI	$500,000
CHAI Homebuyer Assistance Loan	Baltimore City	100% AMI	$499,650
CHAI Homebuyer Incentive Grant	Baltimore City	80% AMI	$499,650
Pathway to Purchase First Time Homebuyer Assistance Program	Prince George's	120% AMI	$485,000
Settlement Expense Loan Program	Harford	120% AMI	$444,000
Project Reinvest Program	Baltimore City	80% AMI	$266,000
South Baltimore Community Land Trust Homeownership Program	Baltimore City	50% AMI	$160,000

All 29 price caps →

MMP Flex 3% Loan$1.5M
MMP Flex 6000$1.5M
Montgomery Employee Down Payment Assistance Loan (MEDPAL)$1.5M
Montgomery Homeownership Program$1.5M
Partner Match Programs$1.5M
1st Time Advantage 5% Loan$1.3M
Option 2 of the MPP$806,598
Option 3 "MCHAF" Montgomery County Housing Assistance Fund$806,598
Revolving Closing Cost Assistance Program (RCCAP)$806,598
City of Frederick Community Partners Incentive Program (CPIP)$806,500
Buy Back the Block$731,400
Buying Into Baltimore Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance$731,400
SDLP - DreamMaker Loan$644,756
SDLP - HomeStarter Loan$644,756
SDLP - HomeSteader Loan$644,756
SDLP - Workforce Initiative Loan$644,756
Mortgage Assistance Program (MAP)$500,000
CHAI Homebuyer Assistance Loan$499,650
CHAI Homebuyer Incentive Grant$499,650
Pathway to Purchase First Time Homebuyer Assistance Program$485,000
Settlement Expense Loan Program$444,000
Project Reinvest Program$266,000
South Baltimore Community Land Trust Homeownership Program$160,000

Sorted by cap. Caps as published by each agency, Hey Prescott program records, verified June–September 2026.

Not sure where your income lands?

48 HUD-approved counseling agencies in Maryland48 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in Maryland

A counselor can walk through a program’s own income table with you, for free.A counselor can walk through a program’s own income table with you, for free. Create an account, take the 90-second match, and we’ll show the counselors near you.

Find my counselor

Free account → 90-second match → your counselors

Keep exploring Maryland

Maryland programs92 programsBack to Maryland →All 24 countiesLocal programs and mediansSee counties →10 cities with a programannapolis, baltimore, bowie and moreSee cities →How income limits workCounted across every stateRead it →

Questions, answered

What are the income limits for down payment assistance in Maryland?

80 down payment assistance programs in Maryland publish an income limit, a purchase price cap, or both. 50 express the limit as a share of the area median income for the county where the home is, and 47 publish a flat dollar figure instead.

Why does the same program have different income limits in different counties?

Because most limits are set as a share of area median income, which HUD publishes per county and revises annually. A program with one published share therefore admits a different dollar figure in each county, and the program adjusts that figure for household size in its own table.

Is a published limit the same as being approved?

No. An income limit is one eligibility rule among several — credit requirements, purchase price caps, occupancy rules and homebuyer education all apply separately, and the first-mortgage lender underwrites on its own terms. Always confirm current figures with the administering agency.

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.

Sources

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Income Limits: median family income, four-person household, by county. HUD’s own household-size tables →
Program limits and price caps: each administering agency, as recorded by Hey Prescott, verified June–September 2026.
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies: HUD agency list.