Illinois down payment assistance with IHDA
Choose your Illinois county, income and price: the four IHDA Access options side by side, their amount and monthly cost, and the cash left.
Help you may get in Cook County
$15,000
IHDA Access Home: deferred loan, repaid when you sell or refinance. 0 programs likely fit, 4 to check.
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 82% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $87,500 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $11,200 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
| Monthly payment, no help | $2,138 |
| Monthly payment, with the help | $2,138 |
| FHA limit · conforming limit | $541,287 · $832,750 |
Programs read on the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IHDA Access Home | Check with the agency | $15,000 | Deferred loan, repaid when you sell or refinance | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Repayable | Check with the agency | $10,000 | Monthly-payment loan, 10 years at 0% | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Deferred | Check with the agency | $7,500 | Deferred loan, repaid when you sell or refinance | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Forgivable | Check with the agency | $6,000 | Forgivable loan, 10 years | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: 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 Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) offers four second loans with its first mortgages, each a share of the price with a dollar cap. Access Home pays 6% of the price up to $15,000, interest-free and deferred for the life of the mortgage, to first-time buyers, veterans and buyers in targeted areas. The other three are open to repeat buyers too: Access Forgivable pays 4% up to $6,000, forgiven monthly over ten years; Access Deferred pays 5% up to $7,500, repaid on sale or refinance; Access Repayable pays 10% up to $10,000, repaid monthly over ten years at 0%. All need a 640 credit score, a homebuyer course and a contribution of $1,000 or 1% of the price, whichever is greater. IHDA's county limits apply to reservations from July 1, 2026. In Cook County, a household of three earning $90,000 buying at $320,000 could draw $15,000 from Access Home, more than the $11,200 FHA minimum.
IHDA's four Access options
| Program | Amount | Repayment (agency wording) | First-time only | Min. credit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IHDA Access Home | 6% of the purchase price up to $15,000 | interest-free loan, deferred for the life of the mortgage; repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off the mortgage | yes | 640 | open |
| IHDA Access Forgivable | 4% of the purchase price up to $6,000 | forgiven monthly over 10 years | no | 640 | open |
| IHDA Access Deferred | 5% of the purchase price up to $7,500 | interest-free, deferred for the life of the mortgage; repaid on sale, refinance or payoff | no | 640 | open |
| IHDA Access Repayable | 10% of the purchase price up to $10,000 | interest-free loan repaid monthly over 10 years | no | 640 | open |
The caps are reached at modest prices: $15,000 for Access Home at a $250,000 home, $7,500 for Deferred at $150,000, $6,000 for Forgivable at $150,000, and $10,000 for Repayable at only $100,000. Above those prices the help is a fixed sum, so in the Chicago suburbs it covers a smaller share of the down payment than downstate.
The four options also treat time differently. Access Home and Access Deferred never shrink: whether you sell after two years or twenty, the full sum comes back out of the sale. Access Forgivable fades month by month and is gone after ten years. Access Repayable is paid off by the buyer over the same ten years, so it adds to the monthly budget and to the debt ratio the lender checks, but leaves nothing behind at a sale after that.
Chicago and downstate
| County | HUD median (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (3 people) | FHA limit | Conforming limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| DuPage County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Lake County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Will County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Kane County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| McHenry County | $121,500 | $87,500 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Winnebago County | $89,400 | $64,600 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Madison County | $113,500 | $81,750 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| St. Clair County | $113,500 | $81,750 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Champaign County | $114,300 | $79,850 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Sangamon County | $114,900 | $82,750 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
| Peoria County | $106,100 | $76,450 | $541,287 | $832,750 |
Cook and the collar counties share a HUD median of $121,500; Sangamon, home to Springfield, is at $114,900; Winnebago, around Rockford, at $89,400. Every county sits at the FHA floor of $541,287. IHDA publishes its own income and purchase price limits by county, which we link; the calculator marks them to confirm and shows your income against the HUD median as a guide.
Your Illinois county
Help you may get in Sangamon County
$12,000
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 68% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $82,750 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $7,000 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
Cook County, worked through
| Program | Result | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| IHDA Access Home | Check with the agency | $15,000 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Repayable | Check with the agency | $10,000 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Deferred | Check with the agency | $7,500 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
| IHDA Access Forgivable | Check with the agency | $6,000 | county income limit not transcribed: see the agency table; price limit by county: see the agency table |
The FHA minimum here is $11,200, and the buyer's required contribution of $3,200 counts toward it. Access Home covers the rest and part of the closing costs. In Sangamon County, at $200,000, Access Home is $12,000 against a $7,000 minimum, and Access Repayable at its full $10,000 would add about $83 a month.
Applying in Illinois
IHDA loans are reserved by participating lenders, and the homebuyer course must be done before closing. Ask the lender to price at least two Access options: the first mortgage rate differs from one to the other, and a cheaper second loan can come with a dearer first. Chicago and several counties run their own purchase assistance, which some IHDA lenders combine with Access loans. Keep the reservation date in mind as well, since the county limits that apply are the ones in force on that day.