U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) recently issued updated area median income (AMI) limits for 2026, with most areas showing an increase over 2025. This means you may be able to offer affordable lending opportunities to more borrowers.

As announced in Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide (Guide) Bulletin 2026-F, the updated AMI limits will be effective June 13, 2026, and will be reflected in Loan Product Advisor® (LPA®) and in other eligibility tools, including:

LPA uses AMI limits to assess whether a borrower’s area median income percent (AMI%) meets requirements for Freddie Mac’s Home Possible, Refi Possible and HFA Advantage® offerings, as well as certain Duty to Serve offerings. AMI limits are also used to assess whether a loan is eligible for credit fee caps and credits, if applicable, including mortgages made to first-time homebuyers, as described in Exhibit 19, Credit Fees, and Exhibit 19A, Credit Fee Cap Eligibility Criteria.

Certain Freddie Mac affordable offerings include AMI limits and the requirements are as follows:

  • Home Possible: Income must be less than or equal to 80% of the AMI for the location of the mortgaged premises.
  • Refi Possible: Income must be less than or equal to 100% of the AMI for the location of the mortgaged premises.

LPA will apply the new AMI limits for LPA loan submissions and resubmissions for Home Possible mortgages as follows:

  • If the mortgaged premises is in a county where the AMI has decreased and the loan was submitted before June 13, 2026, LPA will apply the higher 2025 AMI, and the loan will remain eligible if there are no changes in the borrower’s circumstance or the property condition and the loan was previously eligible as a Home Possible mortgage.
  • If the mortgaged premises is in a county where the AMI has increased and the loan was submitted before June 13, 2026, LPA will apply the higher 2026 AMI in assessing eligibility for Home Possible mortgages.

For assessment of credit fee caps and credits, the AMI% is calculated in Loan Selling Advisor® and uses the following:

  • For LPA mortgages, the higher AMI as of the note date or the AMI used in the last LPA submission
  • For manually underwritten mortgages, the higher AMI as of the application received date or the note date

Additional Information

  • 2026 AMI Spreadsheet: Includes AMI, low-income AMI and very low-income AMI and highlights the amount of change from 2025 and the number of tracts by county.
  • 2026 AMI Counties by State Spreadsheet: Includes AMI, low-income AMI and very low-income AMI and highlights the amount of change from 2025 and the number of tracts by county, separated out by state.
  • 2026 AMI with Tract Indicators Spreadsheet: Includes AMI, low-income AMI, very low-income AMI and various tract indicators by county and a comparison to prior years.
  • 2026 Median Family Income (MFI) Raw File: Raw MFI file with territories included.
  • 2026 MFI Read Me File: File provided by FHFA that explains the raw MFI file.

For More Information

  • Read Guide Bulletin 2026-F.
  • Contact your Freddie Mac representative or Customer Service (800-FREDDIE).
  • Log into Developer Portal and check out our growing catalog of APIs that can help your business throughout the loan production process.