Ohio Assistance Calculators
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Two calculators. One sizes the money, the other tells you which side of the income line you are on, which is the test that actually decides Ohio files.
The tools
- Assistance calculator. Enter a purchase price, see the assistance at both 3% and 3.5%, and see what the seven-year repayment exposure looks like against the Grants for Grads ladder.
- Income and Edge band check. Pick your county group and household size and see whether you are inside the non-target limit, inside the target limit, or in the FTHB Edge band between them.
Why the band matters more than the amount
The assistance percentage does not vary in Ohio. Every program pays 3% or 3.5% per the OHFA Programs at a Glance, so there is no menu to optimise. What varies is whether you qualify at all, and that is an income question.
Because OHFA publishes a non-target and a target limit for every county, there are three places you can land rather than two: under the non-target limit, inside the band between them, or over both. The middle one has its own program. FTHB Edge.
What these do not do
They do not quote rates, APRs or payments, and this site does not publish them anywhere, including the size of the Ohio Heroes rate discount. They do not approve anything. They cannot tell you whether an address is in a target area, because that is set by census tract and OHFA publishes a lookup for it. Checking target status.
After the numbers
The arithmetic is the easy part. What decides Ohio files is which program you fit and what the assistance is secured against. The two forgiveness structures and the co-signer rule are the two pages worth reading next.
Send us the scenario and our team will run all five programs against the current limits.
Frequently asked questions
How much Ohio down payment assistance will I get?
3% of the purchase price on a conventional loan or 3.5% on an FHA, VA or USDA-RD loan, across all five OHFA first mortgage programs. On a $250,000 purchase that is $7,500 or $8,750. The percentage does not vary by program, so the calculation is simply your price times the rate for your loan type.
How do I know if I am inside the OHFA income limit?
Compare your household income to your county group's non-target limit, which runs from $98,800 for one to two people across most of Ohio up to $146,700 in Union County, and is 1.15 times that for a non-target household of three or more. If you are over the non-target limit but under the published target limit for your county and household size, you are in the FTHB Edge band. For a one to two person household that ceiling is 1.20 times non-target; for three or more it is higher, so read it rather than calculating it.
Does this site show Ohio mortgage rates?
No. This site does not publish interest rates, APRs or monthly payment figures anywhere, including the size of the Ohio Heroes interest rate discount, because a rate discount is a rate term. OHFA posts its rates daily on its own site. The calculators here size the assistance amount and check income against the published limits.
Can a calculator tell me if I qualify for OHFA assistance?
It can tell you whether your income clears the published limit for your county group and household size, which is the test that most often decides an Ohio file. It cannot confirm eligibility, because credit score and debt ratios, first-time buyer status, property type, occupancy and homebuyer education all apply, and OHFA program terms are subject to change.
Why does the OHFA assistance amount not vary by program?
Because OHFA sets the assistance at 3% conventional or 3.5% government across First-Time Homebuyer, Ohio Heroes, Grants for Grads, Next Home and FTHB Edge alike. The programs differ on who qualifies, on the interest rate, and for Grants for Grads on the forgiveness structure, but not on the percentage of the purchase price you receive.
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.