Florida Hometown Heroes Income Limits (2026): County Eligibility Guide

To qualify for the Florida Hometown Heroes Program, your income must be at or below the limit for the county where you're buying. Simple enough — except there isn't one limit per county. There are two, because the program comes in two versions that count income in completely different ways.

Picking the right version is often the difference between qualifying and being denied, so this guide covers both sets of limits for all 67 Florida counties, plus the purchase price and loan caps that apply alongside them.

If you want to compare Hometown Heroes against local county and city programs at the same time, the Florida down payment assistance calculator lets you filter by county, income, buyer status, and loan type.

Check Your Hometown Heroes Eligibility

Why Each County Has Two Income Limits

Hometown Heroes is delivered through two versions of the same program. The assistance is identical — 5% of your loan amount ($10,000 minimum, $35,000 maximum) as a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage. What changes is how your income is measured:

TBA — the borrower-income version. Counts only the credit-qualifying income of the people actually on the loan. One limit per county, regardless of household size. These limits are significantly higher, which makes TBA the qualifying path for most buyers.

Bond — the household-income version. Counts the income of everyone living in the home who is 18 or older — including a spouse who isn't on the loan. Limits are lower and split by household size (1–2 person vs. 3+ person). In exchange, Bond offers additional loan options, including Fannie Mae's HFA Preferred conventional loan, and higher limits in federally designated targeted areas.

A practical example: if your household earns too much because a working spouse or adult family member lives with you, but your own income fits under the TBA limit, you may still qualify through TBA. Your lender selects the version at reservation — and rates differ between the two — so this is a decision to make together, not an afterthought.

Florida Hometown Heroes Income Limits by County

The figures below are effective with reservations as of May 6, 2026. Florida Housing revises them periodically, and your lender confirms the live number before locking — so treat this table as your planning guide, not your final answer.

Check Your Hometown Heroes Eligibility

A few things to know when reading the table:

• Targeted areas raise the Bond limits. If the home sits in a federally designated targeted area (a Qualified Census Tract), the Bond income limits are higher than the figures shown — and the first-time homebuyer requirement is waived. Your lender checks the property address against the tract list.
• USDA loans have their own caps. If you pair Hometown Heroes with a USDA-RD first mortgage, a separate — generally lower — USDA income limit applies instead of the figure in the TBA column.
• Over the Bond limit? Check TBA. The two columns exist precisely because many buyers fail one test and pass the other.

Purchase Price and Loan Limits Also Apply

Income is only half the math. The Bond version caps the purchase price of the home, and the TBA version caps the loan amount — both by county.

In most Florida counties, the Bond purchase price cap is $566,354 and the TBA loan cap is $541,287 for FHA loans. Higher-cost counties get more room:

Under TBA, conventional (Freddie Mac HFA Advantage) and VA loans have a higher cap — $832,750 in every county except Monroe, where it's $990,150. Bond purchase price caps also rise in targeted areas.

These caps are specific to Hometown Heroes. Florida Housing's standard programs use different tables — see the Florida Housing income and purchase price limits guide if you're comparing across programs.

What Counts as Income

How your income is tallied depends on the version:

Under Bond (household income), lenders count the gross income of every occupant 18 or older — plus a spouse, even one not on the loan. That includes:

• Wages, salary, overtime, tips, and bonuses
• Self-employment net income
• Pensions, retirement income, and Social Security
• Child support and alimony received consistently
• Any other regular income of adult household members

Under TBA (borrower income), lenders count only the credit-qualifying income of the borrowers on the loan — the same income your underwriter uses to approve the mortgage.

For self-employed borrowers, the program uses net income: gross receipts minus business expenses, loan interest, and straight-line depreciation. Negative business income counts as zero — losses can't be used to offset other income. Self-employment also carries its own employment-eligibility rules; see which jobs and employers qualify for Hometown Heroes before assuming you're in.

How to Stay Under the Limit

• Confirm which version you're using first. Every calculation flows from that choice.
• Use gross income, not take-home pay — under-counting is the most common surprise.
• Don't add co-borrowers you don't need. Every borrower's income counts under both versions, and only one borrower has to meet the occupation requirement.
• Remember adult occupants under Bond. A working spouse or adult child in the home counts toward household income even if they're not on the loan.
• Document self-employment cleanly — net income, consistent records, and a CPA or tax preparer letter.
• Verify your county's limit before writing offers, not after. Limits update periodically.
• Get pre-approved with a participating lender who works these files regularly — Hometown Heroes can only be originated through a Florida Housing-approved lender.

Common Mistakes That Disqualify Buyers

• Qualifying against the TBA table when the lender reserved Bond (or vice versa)
• Forgetting a non-borrowing spouse or adult occupant in Bond household income
• Assuming limits are negotiable — $1 over the limit means ineligible, no exceptions
• Relying on an outdated table instead of the live figure at reservation
• Missing the separate, lower USDA income cap on USDA-RD loans

The Bottom Line

Income eligibility is step one, not the whole test. You'll also need to work for an eligible Florida employer, be a first-time buyer (veterans and targeted-area buyers are exempt), and have a 640+ credit score. And because funding is limited and first come, first served, it pays to verify your numbers before the money moves.

For eligible buyers, it's worth the checklist: 5% of your loan amount — $10,000 to $35,000 — at 0% interest with no monthly payments, plus a competitive fixed rate and no 1% origination fee. If Hometown Heroes turns out not to fit, the Florida first-time homebuyer grants and programs guide covers every alternative worth checking.