Minimum credit score to buy a house: what each loan needs

The minimum credit score to buy a house depends on the loan. The lowest minimum any federal loan rule sets is 500, for a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) with 10% down. At 580 or higher, the FHA down payment can drop to 3.5%. Loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set no minimum, though lenders often add their own.

What is the minimum credit score for each type of loan?

Each loan program sets its own lowest score, and some set none. A lowest score is not a promise: you also need enough income and savings, and a lender willing to approve you.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the federal housing department, sets the score rules for FHA loans in its FHA rulebook. The 500 and 580 levels below are in the version revised August 12, 2026. VA sets no minimum score. USDA sets no minimum either: its automated system weighs your score along with the rest of your application.

A conventional loan is one no government agency insures. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two companies that buy home loans from lenders, set the rules for most of them. Most of their loans are approved by software that weighs your whole credit report. When a person reviews the loan by hand instead, a minimum score applies.

Which score counts? You have three, one from each credit bureau, the companies that keep credit reports. For an FHA loan, the lender uses the middle one, or the lower one if there are only two. If two people buy together, it uses the lower of their two scores. Other loans can count joint scores differently, so ask your lender which score it will use.

Why do lenders ask for more than the program minimum?

A lender can add its own rules on top of a program's, and many do. So a lender that tells you VA loans need 620 is describing its own rule, since VA sets no minimum. Ask another lender.

Buyers with scores from 620 to 680 may have trouble qualifying, depending on the loan and the lender, and usually pay the highest rates. For them, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal agency that protects people who borrow money, says FHA, VA and USDA loans may be a good choice. Buyers below 620 usually have trouble qualifying for a loan, and the CFPB suggests improving your credit before you apply.

State programs set their own lowest scores too. Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Florida's state housing agency, asks for a score of at least 640 for its first-time buyer loan, higher than FHA's 580. Some lower-priced homes for sale also set a minimum score, so read each listing.

What does your score change in dollars?

On an FHA loan, your score decides how big the down payment is. Take a $300,000 home that appraises at $300,000 or more:

Moving from 579 to 580 cuts the cash you need by $19,500. A higher score can also get you a lower interest rate, which lowers your monthly payment.

How do you check your credit reports and scores for free?

A credit report lists your loans and cards and whether you paid on time. A credit score is a number worked out from that report. Check both before you talk to a lender.

1. Get your reports on the free annual credit report website, the only site the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) names for free reports. You can see each of your three reports, from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, once a week for free. You can also call 877-322-8228.
2. Read all three. Each credit bureau may have different information about you.
3. Fix mistakes. Write to the credit bureau and to the business that reported the wrong information, and ask them to correct it.
4. Get a score. Many credit card companies and lenders give their customers a free score. Housing counselors trained by HUD can often give you a free report and score and go over them with you.

Checking your own credit doesn't lower your score. Don't worry if the scores you see differ a little: each bureau and each scoring formula gives a slightly different number.

How can you raise your score before you apply?

You raise your score slowly, by showing a record of paying on time. If you don't plan to buy for six months or more, the CFPB says you may be able to raise your score and get a better rate:

• Pay every bill on time, every month.
• Pay down card balances, so you use a small part of each card's limit.
• Don't close cards you don't use unless they charge a yearly fee.
• Apply only for credit you need, and skip a new car loan or big card purchases before you buy.

Be careful with companies that promise to fix your credit fast for a fee paid up front: the CFPB warns these are often scams. A housing counselor approved by HUD can help for free or at low cost; call 800-569-4287 to find one.

What if you have no credit score?

You can still get some loans with no score. Under HUD's FHA rules, a buyer with no score or a thin credit history can still put down only 3.5%. A person has to review the loan by hand. Lenders can use other records, such as your rent and utility payments, to show you pay on time. Freddie Mac's Home Possible allows buyers with no score too. Ask each lender: "Which records can I use instead of a credit score?"

What should you do first?

1. Pull your reports and fix any mistakes before a lender checks your credit.
2. Ask more than one lender for its minimum score for the loan you want, and compare the FHA, USDA and VA loans side by side. Freddie Mac's Home Possible loan needs only 3% down for buyers who earn up to 80% of the area's middle income.
3. See which homes fit your household with the qualify check, browse homes for sale, or look at lower-priced homes by area.