New Jersey down payment assistance, all 21 counties
Choose your New Jersey county and household: the NJHMFA amount for that county, whether you fit its limits, and the cash left to bring.
Help you may get in Essex County
$22,000
NJHMFA Down Payment Assistance (with the First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage): forgivable loan, 5 years. 1 program likely fit, 1 to check.
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 96% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $96,150 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $15,750 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
| Monthly payment, no help | $3,007 |
| Monthly payment, with the help | $3,007 |
| FHA limit · conforming limit | $1,249,125 · $1,209,750 |
Programs read on the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJHMFA Down Payment Assistance (with the First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage) | Likely fits | $15,000 | Forgivable loan, 5 years | income, price and buyer fit |
| NJHMFA First Generation Down Payment Assistance | Check with the agency | $7,000 | Forgivable loan, 5 years | extra condition the calculator cannot check |
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
New Jersey sets its help by county, and the amount is fixed rather than a percentage. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) pairs its First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage with a second loan of $15,000 in 12 counties and $10,000 in the other 9, with no interest and no payment, forgiven after 5 years in the home. First-generation buyers, whose parents own no home, add $7,000 on top. The agency's table effective June 17, 2026 caps income for three or more people between $154,790 and $178,020, and the price between $566,355 and $1,306,975. The first mortgage must be FHA, VA or USDA. In Essex County a household of three earning $120,000 and buying at $450,000 gets $15,000, which covers almost all of the $15,750 FHA minimum down payment.
The two NJHMFA loans, in the agency's words
| Program | Amount | Repayment (agency wording) | First-time only | Min. credit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJHMFA Down Payment Assistance (with the First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage) | up to $15,000 or $10,000 depending on the county | no interest, no monthly payments; forgiven if you live in the home as your principal residence for five years from closing and do not refinance or otherwise convey the first mortgage | yes | open | |
| NJHMFA First Generation Down Payment Assistance | $7,000 on top of the NJHMFA DPA, for a total of $17,000 to $22,000 | interest-free, five-year forgivable second loan with no monthly payment | yes | open |
Both are second loans that sit behind the agency's own first mortgage. The fact sheet names FHA, VA and USDA as the first mortgage types, so a buyer who wants a conventional loan falls outside the program: with the same Essex County figures on a conventional loan, the calculator marks the NJHMFA loan as not a fit. Homebuyer education is not named as a condition on the pages we read; lenders often ask for it anyway.
The agency's county table
| County | Income limit, 1-2 people | Income limit, 3+ people | Price limit | Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | $139,100 | $159,965 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Middlesex County | $154,800 | $178,020 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Essex County | $138,400 | $159,160 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Hudson County | $134,600 | $154,790 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Monmouth County | $140,600 | $161,690 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Ocean County | $140,600 | $161,690 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Union County | $138,400 | $159,160 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Camden County | $134,600 | $154,790 | $659,386 | $10,000 |
| Passaic County | $139,100 | $159,965 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Morris County | $138,400 | $159,160 | $1,306,975 | $15,000 |
| Burlington County | $134,600 | $154,790 | $659,386 | $10,000 |
| Mercer County | $139,800 | $160,770 | $566,355 | $15,000 |
| Atlantic County | $134,600 | $154,790 | $764,069 | $10,000 |
| Cumberland County | $134,600 | $154,790 | $566,355 | $10,000 |
The table follows the federal bond rules: 100% of area median income for one or two people and 115% for three or more. Prices fall into three bands: $566,355 in the cheapest counties, $659,386 or $764,069 in South Jersey and the shore, and $1,306,975 in the counties of the New York metro. Higher limits apply in Urban Target Areas, which the calculator does not model; if your town is one, the lender will use them.
Your New Jersey county
Help you may get in Camden County
$17,000
| Your income vs. area median for 3 people | 86% |
| HUD 80% income limit, 3 people | $88,350 |
| Down payment at 3.5% | $11,200 |
| Cash still needed with the help | $0 |
Essex County, line by line
| Program | Result | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJHMFA Down Payment Assistance (with the First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage) | Likely fits | $15,000 | |
| NJHMFA First Generation Down Payment Assistance | Check with the agency | $7,000 | extra condition the calculator cannot check |
Move the same household to Camden County with $95,000 and a $320,000 home and the loan drops to $10,000, while the FHA minimum down payment is $11,200. The smaller amount in the south goes with lower prices, so it still covers most of the down payment; what it rarely covers on top is the closing costs, which the buyer then pays from savings, a gift or a seller credit.
HUD and FHA figures for the same counties
| County | HUD median (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (3 people) | FHA limit | Conforming limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | $139,100 | $97,600 | $1,249,125 | $1,209,750 |
| Essex County | $138,400 | $96,150 | $1,249,125 | $1,209,750 |
| Hudson County | $110,100 | $106,150 | $1,249,125 | $1,209,750 |
| Middlesex County | $154,800 | $103,150 | $1,249,125 | $1,209,750 |
| Camden County | $122,700 | $88,350 | $630,200 | $832,750 |
| Atlantic County | $97,500 | $78,350 | $730,250 | $832,750 |
Essex sits in the New York metro with an FHA limit of $1,249,125; Camden belongs to the Philadelphia metro at $630,200. The agency's own price cap is lower in some counties than the FHA limit, so check the column of the first table before you set a budget.
How to use it in New Jersey
NJHMFA lends only through participating lenders. Ask one for the First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage with the down payment assistance, and say at the start if you are a first-generation buyer, since the extra $7,000 has its own paperwork. Keep in mind the five-year clock: a refinance in year four, even to a lower rate, makes the whole loan due.