Which Side of the Ohio Income Line Are You On?
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Ohio's income test has three outcomes rather than two, and the middle one has a program built specifically for it.
The check
| Limit | Amount | You |
|---|---|---|
| Non-target | $111,500 | Over |
| Target area | $133,800 | Inside |
The three outcomes
Limits from OHFA purchase price and income limits, effective July 1, 2026.
Under the non-target limit. The standard programs are available: First-Time Homebuyer, Ohio Heroes, Grants for Grads if the degree clock permits, or Next Home.
In the band. Over the non-target limit, under the target one. If the address is in a designated target tract you simply use the higher limit. If it is not, FTHB Edge exists for exactly this case. How Edge works.
Over both. The OHFA programs are out of reach on income as calculated, but check what went into the calculation before accepting that.
Whose income goes in the box
Only people who will both live in the property and be obligated on the mortgage note. Both conditions, applied to the same person.
So a non-occupant co-signer's income does not belong in this calculation at all, even though it will help the first mortgage qualify. That is the single most common reason an Ohio file that looks over the limit is not. How co-signers work in Ohio.
On target areas
This check reads OHFA's published non-target and target pair for your county and household size rather than applying a multiplier, because the target uplift is 1.20 for a one-to-two-person household but closer to 1.217 for three or more. What it cannot do is tell you whether your address qualifies, since that is set by census tract. OHFA publishes a lookup. Checking an address.
Send us the numbers and we will run the real calculation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the OHFA income limit for my county?
For a one to two person household in a non-target area, effective July 1, 2026, it runs from $98,800 across 58 counties up to $146,700 in Union County, with $111,500 in the Columbus group, $109,900 around Cincinnati, $105,000 around Cleveland and $103,000 around Dayton. Two separate formulas apply and they cannot be chained: non-target three-or-more is 1.15 times non-target one-to-two, while target one-to-two is 1.20 times non-target one-to-two and target three-or-more must be read from OHFA's published figure.
What happens if my income is between the two OHFA limits?
You are in the FTHB Edge band. If the property sits in a designated target area census tract, the higher limit applies directly and you use the standard programs. If it does not, OHFA's FTHB Edge program serves first-time buyers in non-target areas whose income exceeds the non-target limits but not the target limits. OHFA notes interest rates could be higher than the standard program.
Does a co-signer's income count toward the OHFA income limit?
Not if they do not live in the property. OHFA counts only the income of individuals who will both live in the property and be obligated on the mortgage note. A non-occupant co-signer meets the second condition but not the first, so their income is excluded from the program limit while still being available to the first mortgage's qualifying ratios under agency rules.
How does household size affect the Ohio income limit?
In a non-target area, a household of three or more uses a limit exactly 1.15 times the one to two person figure, so most Ohio counties go from $98,800 to $113,620 and the Columbus group from $111,500 to $128,225. The target-area limits do NOT use 1.15: OHFA sets the target three-or-more figure at 7/6 of the target one-to-two figure, so most counties go from $118,560 to $138,320. Use OHFA's published target pair rather than multiplying.
Is the OHFA income limit based on my income or the household's?
On the income of the individuals who will both live in the property and be obligated on the mortgage note, so it is neither purely your income nor everyone living in the home. Someone living in the property who is not on the note is not counted, and someone on the note who will not live there is not counted either.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a participating lender in the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's programs. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency is an Equal Opportunity Housing entity. Loans are available on a fair and equal basis regardless of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, military status, disability or ancestry. Please visit www.ohiohome.org for more information. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. OHFA program terms and limits are set by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and change; figures here carry the date we verified them. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.