First-Time Home Buyer Grants in Florida: Programs and Income Limits

First-time home buyer grants in Florida mostly come as second mortgages, not free cash. Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) runs the statewide programs, and most of its help is a 0% loan you repay when you sell, refinance or move out. One option is truly forgivable over five years.

That difference matters more than the dollar amount. A $15,000 forgivable second and a $15,000 deferred second look the same at closing, yet one can disappear and the other comes due in full when you sell.

This guide sorts every program by that rule and shows real 2026 county income limits from Florida Housing’s own tables.

You will also see which programs are open as of October 30, 2026, what credit score you need, how Hometown Heroes works for teachers, nurses, first responders and veterans, and how your county’s SHIP office fits in.

Key Takeaways

• Florida Housing’s help is a second mortgage that only comes with its own first mortgage. It is never stand-alone cash.
• Only the HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage PLUS second (3%, 4% or 5% of the loan) is forgiven, at 20% a year over five years.
• Hometown Heroes pays 5% of the first mortgage, from $10,000 to $35,000, as a 0% deferred loan. Its program administrator reported over $20 million left on October 29, 2026.
• You need a 640 credit score, a homebuyer education certificate, and income and price under your county’s limit.
• Your county or city SHIP office may add its own help on top, under its own rules and waiting lists.

Are there real first-time home buyer grants in Florida?

Not in the “free money” sense most ads suggest. Florida Housing pays its help as a second mortgage. Most of it is a 0% loan that comes due when you sell, refinance or stop living in the home. The one exception is the HFA PLUS second, which is forgiven at 20% a year and is gone after five years.

The agencies say this plainly. Florida Housing’s program FAQ for lenders asks “Is the HTH Second Mortgage a grant?” and answers “No.” The Orange County Housing Finance Authority writes that its down payment assistance “is not a gift or a grant.”

So when you read “grant” on a lender’s page, ask three questions before you sign. Is it forgiven, and on what schedule? Does it charge interest or a monthly payment? And what event makes the whole balance due?

Florida Housing also sets one firm rule for every option: its down payment help works only with its own 30-year fixed first mortgage. In the agency’s words, it is “NOT available as stand alone down payment assistance” (Florida Housing, Homebuyer overview).

Which Florida first-time buyer programs are open right now?

Per the October 29, 2026 rate sheet from Florida Housing’s program administrator, four groups are open: the Standard Bond and Standard TBA programs (with FL Assist or FL HLP), the PLUS TBA program with its forgivable second, and the 2026 Hometown Heroes program. Each one needs a participating Florida lender.

That same page carried a banner reading “Over $20 Million Available in Hometown Heroes DPA.” Funds are reserved by lenders loan by loan, so the balance moves daily. Florida Housing’s own program page does not post a live balance, so ask your loan officer to confirm funds before you sign a contract.

Interest rates change every business day, so we do not quote them here. The current rate sheet is on the eHousingPlus Florida program page.

One name you may see in older articles is the Salute Our Soldiers Military Loan Program. Florida Housing’s homebuyer page still links to it, but the link returned a “relocated” error page when we checked on October 30, 2026.

It is also missing from the administrator’s list of current programs. Veterans now use Hometown Heroes or the standard programs instead.

Florida first-time home buyer grants and loans, ranked by how the money comes back

Here are the six sources of first-time buyer help a Floridian can actually use in late 2026, ordered from the friendliest repayment terms to the strictest. Amounts and terms come from each agency’s own page as checked on October 30, 2026.

1. HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage PLUS (forgivable)

This is the closest thing to a grant in Florida Housing’s lineup. You get 3%, 4% or 5% of the total loan amount, and the second mortgage is “forgiven at 20% a year over its 5-year term.” Stay five years and you owe nothing on it.

The catch is the loan type. The PLUS second works only with Florida Housing’s conventional first mortgage. The October 29 rate sheet lists it with Freddie Mac’s HFA Advantage loan.

The 4% and 5% versions carry a higher first mortgage rate than the 3% version. More help up front can cost more every month for 30 years.

2. Florida Hometown Heroes (deferred, largest amount)

Hometown Heroes gives “up to 5% of the total first mortgage loan amount (maximum of $35,000/minimum of $10,000).” It is a 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage, and Florida Housing states that it “is not forgivable” (Florida Housing, Hometown Heroes).

It is limited to certain full-time workers and service members, covered in detail below. Hometown Heroes loans also skip the 1% origination fee charged on Florida Housing’s other first mortgages, according to the program’s 2026 lender guide.

3. Florida Assist, or FL Assist (deferred)

FL Assist “offers up to $10,000 on FHA, VA, USDA and Conventional Loans” as a 0%, non-amortizing, deferred second mortgage. There is no monthly payment. Florida Housing says “The FL Assist is not forgivable,” and the full amount comes due when you sell, refinance, pay off the first mortgage or stop living in the home.

4. Florida Homeownership Loan Program, or FL HLP (monthly payment)

FL HLP pays $12,500 as a 3% fully amortizing second mortgage over 30 years. Florida Housing’s master term sheet puts the payment at $52.70 a month, and the agency warns that the payment “may need to be considered” in your debt-to-income ratio. Any unpaid balance is due if you sell, refinance or move out.

5. Your county or city SHIP program (rules vary)

Every Florida county and 55 cities get state SHIP money, and down payment and closing cost help is one allowed use. Each local office writes its own plan, so terms range widely. Some help is forgivable over time and some is deferred. The SHIP section below explains how to find yours.

6. County housing finance authorities (deferred)

Some counties run their own bond-funded first mortgages with a second for down payment help. Two we verified live on October 30, 2026:

• Pinellas County HFA: a Home Key Plus second of $10,000 in Pinellas and $7,500 in Pasco and Polk, as a 0% deferred loan. It needs a 660 credit score and a homebuyer class (Pinellas County, effective September 29, 2026). Phone: (727) 223-6419.
• Orange County HFA: up to $10,000 for homes in Orange, Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties, as a 0% loan due at the end of 30 years or when you sell, refinance or move. It requires one year of Florida residency (OCHFA). Phone: 407-894-0014.

Forgivable, deferred or monthly payment: what is the difference?

A forgivable second shrinks each year you stay and then disappears. A deferred second charges no interest and no payment, but the full balance comes due when you sell, refinance or move out. An amortizing second, like FL HLP, has a small monthly payment and shrinks as you pay it.

The chart below runs each Florida Housing option on the same example: a $300,000 first mortgage. The dollar figures are simple math on Florida Housing’s published terms, not quotes.

Here is what that means in practice. Say you sell after three years.

With a $15,000 PLUS second forgiven at 20% a year, about 60% is gone, so roughly $6,000 is left to repay. With a $15,000 Hometown Heroes second, you repay the full $15,000 from your sale proceeds. With FL HLP, you repay whatever principal you have not paid down yet.

Deferred seconds are paid back at closing, the same way your first mortgage is. If you expect to move within a few years, the forgivable option or a smaller deferred loan may leave you more equity.

Who qualifies for Florida Hometown Heroes in 2026?

You must work full time for a Florida-based employer in an eligible field, or serve in the military, and also meet the first-time buyer, credit and income rules. Eligible fields are health care, school staff, first responders, public safety or court workers, and child care workers. Only one borrower needs the job.

Veterans qualify if they work full time for any Florida-based employer, in any job.

Florida Housing’s 2026 list covers three groups:

• A person employed full time by a Florida-based employer as a health care worker, school staff member, first responder, public safety or court employee, or child care worker.
• A member of the U.S. military or reserves, the Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard.
• A veteran employed full time by a Florida-based employer, in any job.

The occupation list is long. Florida Housing posts a sample eligible occupations list that runs from registered nurses and physician assistants to firefighters, 911 dispatchers and juvenile probation officers.

For teachers, the school staff group covers anyone working full time at a Florida K-12 public, private, charter or magnet school, including aides, cafeteria staff, janitors and librarians. Child care counts for any worker at a licensed child care facility or a licensed or registered home day care.

The work rules that trip people up

Only one borrower on the loan needs the eligible job. That borrower must work full time, as their employer defines it, at a brick-and-mortar location in Florida.

The 2026 lender guide says “No remote workers.” Hybrid employees qualify only if they report to the physical work site at least three days a week. Retirees cannot qualify, because the program requires full-time work.

What veterans and service members should know

Veterans with a DD214 showing a discharge other than dishonorable are exempt from the first-time buyer rule. They do not need an eligible occupation, but they must work full time for a Florida-based employer.

Under the TBA version, active duty and reserve members prove first-time status with a current Leave and Earnings Statement.

The 2026 lender guide also notes that because the second mortgage is repaid when you sell, Hometown Heroes “may not be the best option” for active military buyers who expect orders to move. A VA loan with no down payment may fit better for them. Our veterans benefits hub covers other VA programs.

What are the income limits for first-time home buyer programs in Florida?

They depend on your county and the program. For the Standard Bond program with FL Assist, a one or two person household in Orange or Hillsborough County can earn up to about $114,700 to $114,900. Hometown Heroes allows more: $172,350 in Orange County and $204,300 in Miami-Dade. Each county sets its own figure.

Florida Housing runs two versions of its standard program, and the cheat sheet for lenders states it plainly: “BOND has lower limits, TBA has higher limits.” The Bond program also caps the home’s price. Hometown Heroes uses one income limit per county instead of limits by household size.

The table shows eight counties from the 2026 Bond limits for FL Assist (effective with reservations from May 6, 2026) next to the Hometown Heroes limit for the same county.

County	Bond + FL Assist: 1 to 2 people	Bond + FL Assist: 3 or more	Bond max price	Hometown Heroes income limit
Miami-Dade	$136,200	$156,630	$697,889	$204,300
Broward	$126,800	$145,820	$697,889	$190,200
Palm Beach	$128,500	$147,775	$697,889	$192,750
Orange	$114,900	$132,135	$566,354	$172,350
Hillsborough	$114,700	$131,905	$566,354	$172,050
Duval	$108,700	$125,005	$607,645	$163,050
Polk	$103,874	$118,440	$566,354	$148,050
Leon	$101,434	$116,650	$566,354	$149,250

Sources: Florida Housing Standard Bond Guide, September 17, 2026, non-targeted areas; 2026 Hometown Heroes income and loan limits.

A few things change how you read these numbers. Bond counts the gross income of every household member aged 18 or older, even someone not on the loan. TBA and Hometown Heroes TBA count the income of the borrowers on the loan, as shown in the lender’s underwriting.

Homes in federally designated targeted areas, which are certain census tracts, get higher Bond limits. In Hillsborough the targeted limit is $137,640 and the price cap is $692,211. Buyers in those tracts also do not have to be first-time buyers.

How to look up your own county’s limit

1. If you work in an eligible field, open the 2026 Hometown Heroes limits sheet linked under the table and find your county row.
2. For the standard programs, ask a participating loan officer for the current Bond and TBA limit charts, or open the Bond guide above and go to the income and purchase price pages.
3. Check whether your target address sits in a targeted census tract. The Pinellas and Orange County HFA pages both point buyers to the federal FFIEC geocoding map for this.
4. Add up income the way the program counts it, including overtime and bonuses, before you compare.

For a rough sense of how your income compares to the poverty line, our federal poverty level calculator can help, though these housing limits sit far above it.

What credit score do you need to buy a home with Florida Housing help?

Florida Housing requires a minimum 640 credit score for all borrowers on every loan type. Manually underwritten loans need 660. Local programs can set their own floor: Pinellas County’s HFA requires 660, and Orange County’s HFA asks for a middle score above 640. Debt-to-income limits apply on top of the score.

Debt matters too. Florida Housing caps the debt-to-income ratio at 50% for loans approved through an automated system, 45% for manufactured homes and 43% for manual underwriting. FL HLP’s monthly payment counts toward that ratio, while FL Assist and Hometown Heroes do not add a payment.

Florida Housing does not set a minimum savings amount for down payment. Its Hometown Heroes FAQ says “FL Housing does not have an asset test.” Your first mortgage type, such as FHA or conventional, still sets its own down payment rule, and the second mortgage is meant to cover it.

Who counts as a first-time home buyer in Florida?

For Florida Housing, you are a first-time buyer if you have not owned and lived in a home as your primary residence in the three years before you buy. You can have owned a home earlier, or owned a rental you never lived in, and still qualify. Veterans get an exemption.

There are two exceptions. Eligible veterans are exempt under a federal rule for bond-financed loans. Anyone buying in a federally designated targeted area is also exempt.

Documentation differs by program. The Bond program asks for three years of tax returns or transcripts for every borrower and a non-purchasing spouse. The TBA program relies on the declarations section of your mortgage application.

Is a homebuyer education class required, and where do you take it?

Yes. One borrower must finish a pre-purchase homebuyer education course before closing. It can be in person or online, and it must meet HUD standards or the National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education and Counseling. A class taken after closing does not count, and certificates stay valid for two years.

Veterans, active military and members of the reserves or National Guard are exempt, unless they use a conventional HFA Preferred or HFA Advantage loan. Florida Housing’s 2026 list of online providers names courses from Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, eHomeAmerica and HUD’s own partner, among others.

Some of those online courses charge a fee, and Florida Housing says it does not reimburse it. A free or low-cost option is a local HUD-approved housing counseling agency. You can search HUD’s housing counselor finder by ZIP code, and many agencies also help with credit repair before you apply.

How do SHIP programs help first-time buyers in your county?

SHIP, the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, sends state money to all 67 counties and 55 cities. Each local government decides how to spend it, and down payment and closing cost help is one allowed use. You apply to your county or city housing office, not to Florida Housing, and each office sets its own rules.

Florida Housing describes the ground rules on its SHIP program page. Every county gets at least $350,000. At least 65% of the money must go to homeownership. At least 30% is set aside for very low-income households, up to 50% of area median income, and another 30% for households up to 80%.

The rest can serve households up to 140% of area median income, which is how many working families qualify. The 2026 SHIP income limits show what that means for a household of four:

County	Low income (80% AMI), 4 people	Moderate (140% AMI), 4 people
Broward	$101,400	$177,520
Duval	$86,950	$152,180
Alachua	$79,300	$138,740

Source: Florida Housing, 2026 SHIP and HHRP income limits, effective May 1, 2026.

Finding your local SHIP office

Florida Housing keeps a local SHIP office directory where you pick your city or county. HUD also lists homeownership help by county on its Florida assistance page, with phone numbers for each office.

Each local plan sets the amount, the repayment terms and when applications open, so two neighboring counties can look very different. When you call, ask four things: is funding open, what is the maximum, is it forgivable or deferred, and can it be combined with a Florida Housing loan?

That last question matters. Florida Housing says its own seconds cannot be stacked with each other, but other subordinate loans may be added if they take third lien position. The Orange County HFA page lists county and city SHIP programs that “may be combined” with its loan.

What happens to the assistance when you sell or refinance?

FL Assist, Hometown Heroes and the county HFA seconds come due in full when you sell, refinance, transfer the deed or stop living in the home. They are paid off at that closing, usually from your proceeds. The HFA PLUS second owes only the part not yet forgiven, and nothing after five years.

Refinancing is the trigger people forget. If rates drop and you refinance your first mortgage, a deferred second becomes due at that moment. You either pay it off from the new loan or bring cash, so build that into any refinance math.

Renting the home out also counts as moving out. These programs require the home to stay your primary residence, and Pinellas County says so for “the duration of the loan.”

How do you apply for Florida first-time home buyer help?

You do not apply to Florida Housing directly. A participating lender reserves the funds for you once you have a signed purchase contract. Here is the order that saves the most time:

1. Check your credit. Pull your free reports and aim for 640 or higher before you start.
2. Take the homebuyer class. Finish it early, since the certificate is good for two years.
3. Find a participating loan officer. Use Florida Housing’s lender and real estate agent locator, or a county HFA’s approved lender list.
4. Get preapproved and compare seconds. Ask the lender to price the PLUS, Hometown Heroes, FL Assist and FL HLP options side by side, including the first mortgage rate for each.
5. Call your SHIP office. Ask whether local help is open and can be layered on.
6. Sign a contract, then reserve. The lender reserves funds only with a fully signed purchase contract, and the loan must close and be purchased within about 60 days.

Choosing the wrong lender can slow you down. Lenders must use Florida Housing’s system for these loans, and if you switch lenders after funds are reserved, the first lender must cancel before the new one can reserve again.

How do you spot a fake Florida home buyer grant?

Florida Housing warns that “There is no cost to apply for Hometown Heroes Down Payment Assistance.” Scammers often ask for an upfront fee to “apply” or to hold a grant for you. Report them to Florida Housing’s Inspector General at 850-488-4197.

Ads for a “$25,000 first-time home buyer grant” also circulate widely.

We did not find a Florida program by that name on Florida Housing’s or HUD’s pages when we checked on October 30, 2026. If someone offers one, ask which agency funds it and confirm it on that agency’s own site before you share any personal information.

What if you are not ready to buy yet?

If your credit, savings or income are not there yet, a HUD-approved counselor can map out a plan, often for free. In the meantime, lowering your housing and utility costs frees up money to save.

Renters can look at how the Section 8 application process works, since some housing agencies also run voucher homeownership programs. Florida households can get help with power bills through our Florida utility assistance guide.

Related reading:

• Florida benefits and assistance programs
• Florida food stamps: eligibility and how to apply
• Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers explained
• Housing assistance programs hub
• EITC income limits for working families