Colorado down payment assistance with CHFA
Choose your Colorado county, income and price: the CHFA grant and the deferred second side by side, and the cash each one leaves you to bring.
Help you may get in Denver County
$20,072
CHFA Down Payment Assistance Second Mortgage Loan: deferred loan, repaid when you sell or refinance. 0 programs likely fit, 2 to check.
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 77% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $96,150 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $18,200 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
| Monthly payment, no help | $3,474 |
| Monthly payment, with the help | $3,474 |
| FHA limit · conforming limit | $862,500 · $862,500 |
Programs read on the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) pages; HUD FY 2026 limits; payment = principal and interest over 30 years at 7.4% (Freddie Mac, October 15, 2026). The approved lender confirms eligibility.
| Program | Fit | Amount | Form | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Second Mortgage Loan | Check with the agency | $20,072 | Deferred loan, repaid when you sell or refinance | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table |
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Grant | Check with the agency | $15,054 | Grant, never repaid | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · updated: HUD 2026 limits effective May 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac rate of October 15, 2026 · programs read on October 21, 2026
The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) offers two kinds of help with its first mortgages. The Down Payment Assistance Grant pays up to 3% of the first mortgage and does not have to be repaid; it goes with the CHFA SmartStep and Preferred loans. The Down Payment Assistance Second Mortgage Loan pays up to 4% of the first mortgage, with repayment deferred until you sell, refinance or stop living in the home; it also works with CHFA FirstStep. Both need a 620 credit score, a homebuyer course and a Minimum Financial Investment of $1,000 from the buyer. Whether you must be a first-time buyer depends on the CHFA first mortgage. Income limits are set by program, county, household size and targeted area, which we link. In Denver, a household of three earning $100,000 buying at $520,000 with FHA could get a grant of $15,054 or a second of $20,072, against an $18,200 minimum down payment.
CHFA's grant and second mortgage
| Program | Amount | Repayment (agency wording) | First-time only | Min. credit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Grant | up to 3% of the first mortgage loan amount | does not require repayment | depends | 620 | open |
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Second Mortgage Loan | up to 4% of the first mortgage loan amount | repayment deferred until the home is sold, refinanced or no longer your primary residence | depends | 620 | open |
Both are shares of the first mortgage, so they grow with the loan. On the Denver example the gap between them is $5,018: the second covers the whole FHA minimum and more, the grant falls short of it. CHFA's site refuses scripted connections; the terms come from the indexed text of its official pages.
The Front Range and beyond
| County | HUD median (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (3 people) | FHA limit | Conforming limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver County | $144,000 | $96,150 | $862,500 | $862,500 |
| El Paso County | $116,400 | $83,800 | $541,650 | $832,750 |
| Arapahoe County | $144,000 | $96,150 | $862,500 | $862,500 |
| Jefferson County | $144,000 | $96,150 | $862,500 | $862,500 |
| Adams County | $144,000 | $96,150 | $862,500 | $862,500 |
| Douglas County | $144,000 | $96,150 | $862,500 | $862,500 |
| Larimer County | $130,400 | $93,900 | $634,800 | $832,750 |
| Boulder County | $150,000 | $96,150 | $879,750 | $879,750 |
| Weld County | $128,000 | $89,950 | $575,000 | $832,750 |
| Pueblo County | $87,700 | $70,150 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Mesa County | $100,600 | $72,450 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
The Denver metro counties share a HUD median of $144,000 and an FHA limit of $862,500; Boulder is higher, at $150,000 and $879,750; El Paso, around Colorado Springs, at $116,400 and $541,650; Pueblo at $87,700 and the floor. CHFA's income limits follow the same geography with their own figures; the calculator marks them to confirm. Because both kinds of help are a share of the loan, a buyer in Boulder or Douglas County draws more dollars than one in Pueblo, but covers about the same share of the purchase. What changes is how much of the closing costs is left, since those do not scale with the price in the same way.
Your Colorado county
Help you may get in El Paso County
$16,598
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 86% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $83,800 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $15,050 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
Denver, worked through
| Program | Result | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Second Mortgage Loan | Check with the agency | $20,072 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table |
| CHFA Down Payment Assistance Grant | Check with the agency | $15,054 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table |
With the grant, $3,146 of the down payment remains, plus closing costs. With the second, the down payment is covered and $1,872 goes to closing costs, but $20,072 is owed on the day you sell. In El Paso County at $430,000, the grant would be $12,449 and the second $16,598.
Choosing and applying in Colorado
A buyer who has saved part of the down payment and wants nothing owed later should take the grant. A buyer with little saved can take the second and plan to repay it from the sale. Either way the $1,000 investment and the homebuyer course come first, and the help is reserved by a CHFA participating lender with the first mortgage. Denver, Boulder and other cities run their own programs, often with lower income limits, which some lenders layer on top. Ask the lender which CHFA first mortgage it recommends for your file, since FirstStep, SmartStep and Preferred do not carry the same help: only the second mortgage works with FirstStep.