CHFA income limits decide whether you can use a CHFA loan at all, and they are not one number per county. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority sets an income limit and a sales price limit for each of the nine state planning regions, with a higher pair for targeted census tracts inside some of them, and the income limit depends on whether one or two people, or three or more, are on the loan. The current figures took effect June 22, 2026 and are reproduced below from the CHFA table, with the Time To Own limits that sit underneath them.
How CHFA income limits work
The limits come from the federal rules for mortgage revenue bonds. HUD publishes area median incomes and the Treasury publishes the formulas; CHFA turns them into one income limit and one sales price limit per planning region and updates them about once a year. In June 2026 CHFA also switched from counties to planning regions, so a Shelton buyer now reads the Naugatuck Valley row, not a Fairfield County row.
- Whose income: the applicants on the loan, which CHFA calls the mortgagors. Household size is the number of people who will live in the home.
- What counts: gross income including overtime, bonus, commission, shift differential and rental income, calculated the CHFA bond compliance way, with a three-month look-back for income shifted on purpose.
- Timing: the limit in effect when the application is taken applies, and the lender must use the targeted-area limit when the property sits in an eligible tract.
CHFA income limits for 2026, by planning region
These are the CHFA Make it Yours (Bond) income limits as of June 22, 2026, exactly as published. Find your town, then read the column for your household size. A targeted-tract row applies only when the property is inside an eligible census tract.
| Planning region | Towns | 1 or 2 people | 3 or more people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol | Andover, Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, Bolton, Canton, Columbia, Coventry, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, New Britain, Newington, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southington, Stafford, Suffield, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Willington, Windsor, Windsor Locks | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Capitol, targeted tracts | East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Vernon | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| Greater Bridgeport | Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, Trumbull | $168,720 | $196,840 |
| Greater Bridgeport, targeted tracts | Bridgeport | $168,720 | $196,840 |
| Lower CT River Valley | Chester, Cromwell, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Portland | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Lower CT River Valley | Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Westbrook | $131,300 | $150,995 |
| Lower CT River Valley, targeted tracts | Middletown | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| Naugatuck Valley | Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Bristol, Cheshire, Derby, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Plymouth, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Naugatuck Valley, targeted tracts | Ansonia, Bristol, Waterbury | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| Northeast CT | Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Woodstock | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Northwest Hills | Barkhamsted, Burlington, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Winchester | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Northwest Hills, targeted tracts | Torrington | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| South Central | Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| South Central, targeted tracts | Meriden, New Haven, West Haven | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| Southeastern CT | Bozrah, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Lisbon, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Waterford, Windham | $129,500 | $148,925 |
| Southeastern CT | Colchester, Lebanon | $134,100 | $154,215 |
| Southeastern CT, targeted tracts | Griswold, Groton, New London, Norwich, Windham | $155,400 | $181,300 |
| Western | Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman | $187,755 | $215,920 |
| Western | Bridgewater, New Milford | $164,520 | $191,940 |
| Western | Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, Wilton | $186,515 | $214,490 |
| Western, targeted tracts | Danbury | $188,160 | $219,520 |
| Western, targeted tracts | Norwalk, Stamford | $195,600 | $228,200 |
Applicant income only, by family unit size. Targeted rows apply only to census tracts on the CHFA eligible list, unchanged since January 8, 2024. Source: CHFA Form 064-0308, Make it Yours (Bond) Income Limits and Sales Price Limits, as of June 22, 2026.
CHFA purchase price limits for 2026
CHFA calls these sales price limits. One figure covers existing and new homes, and the appraised value may not exceed it by more than 5%, so a bargain price on a house worth far more can still fall outside the program.
| Planning region | Sales price limit | Targeted tracts in | Targeted-tract limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol | $566,350 | East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Vernon | $692,210 |
| Greater Bridgeport | $750,000 | Bridgeport | $800,000 |
| Lower CT River Valley | $566,350 | Middletown | $692,210 |
| Naugatuck Valley (includes Shelton) | $566,350 | Ansonia, Bristol, Waterbury | $692,210 |
| Northeast CT | $566,350 | None | Not applicable |
| Northwest Hills | $566,350 | Torrington | $692,210 |
| South Central (Milford, Orange, West Haven, New Haven, Hamden) | $566,350 | Meriden, New Haven, West Haven | $692,210 |
| Southeastern CT | $566,350 | Griswold, Groton, New London, Norwich, Windham | $692,210 |
| Western (Danbury to Greenwich) | $750,000 | Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford | $800,000 |
Towns in each region are listed in the income table. Applies to the contract price. Source: CHFA Form 064-0308, Make it Yours (Bond) Income Limits and Sales Price Limits, as of June 22, 2026.
CHFA income limits by county: which planning region you are in
People search for CHFA limits by county, and until June 2026 that is how CHFA published them. Now the table is by planning region, and the two do not line up neatly:
- New Haven County: Milford, Orange, West Haven, New Haven, Hamden, Branford, East Haven, North Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, Guilford, Madison, Bethany, Woodbridge and North Branford are South Central. Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, Oxford, Southbury, Middlebury, Waterbury, Wolcott, Prospect and Cheshire are Naugatuck Valley.
- Fairfield County: Bridgeport, Stratford, Fairfield, Trumbull, Monroe and Easton are Greater Bridgeport, with the higher limits. Shelton is Naugatuck Valley, with the lower ones. Danbury and the lower county from Greenwich to Wilton are Western.
- Hartford County is nearly all Capitol, Middlesex County is Lower CT River Valley, and the rest map mostly to Southeastern CT, Northeast CT and Northwest Hills; confirm on the CHFA resource map.
Targeted areas: higher limits and no first-time rule
A targeted area is a census tract the federal government designates as one that would benefit from more homeownership. Inside one, four things change: the first-time buyer requirement is waived (you still may not own another property at closing), the income limit is the higher targeted figure, the sales price limit is higher, and the rate comes down by a quarter of a percent. Only some tracts in each listed town qualify; the lender runs the address through the FFIEC geocoder and matches the tract number to the CHFA list. A household of three earning more than the regular South Central limit but under the targeted figure can still use CHFA on a house in an eligible New Haven or West Haven tract, so a few blocks can change the answer.
CHFA income guidelines: how your income is counted
Two incomes show up on a CHFA file. Qualifying income is what an underwriter uses to approve the loan under Fannie, Freddie or FHA rules; it is conservative, and variable pay is averaged or excluded. Compliance income is what CHFA checks against the limit; it is inclusive, and it counts overtime, bonus, commission and second jobs for the applicants. You can be under the limit for qualifying and over it for compliance, so I calculate both at pre-approval. Time To Own, the forgivable down payment assistance, uses a third set of numbers: AMI tiers by planning region that decide how much assistance you get.
| Planning region | 100% of AMI | 80% of AMI |
|---|---|---|
| Capitol | $129,200 | $103,360 |
| Greater Bridgeport | $156,800 | $125,440 |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley | $129,200 | $103,360 |
| Naugatuck Valley | $114,000 | $91,200 |
| Northeastern CT | $126,500 | $101,200 |
| Northwest Hills | $124,500 | $99,600 |
| South Central CT | $123,200 | $98,560 |
| Southeastern CT | $111,900 | $89,520 |
| Western CT | $156,800 | $125,440 |
At or below 80%: Time To Own up to $25,000. Above 80% through 100%: up to $18,750. Above 100%: not available. Source: CHFA Time To Own Program Area Median Income Limits, as of June 13, 2026.
Over the CHFA limit? What to look at next
If compliance income lands over the line, you have options. CHFA Next Move with Deferred DPA is separate from the bond program: first-time and repeat buyers up to 120% of area median income, no sales price limit, a 620 credit score, and a zero-interest deferred second mortgage of 3% to 3.5% of the loan amount. A plain FHA loan has no income limit and 3.5% down, and a conventional loan at 3% to 5% down has none either. If the problem is price, a targeted tract or a town across the line in Greater Bridgeport can put the same budget back inside the program. Send me the town and your gross income and I will tell you which row you are in; the rest of the rules are on the CHFA loans page.
Is this the right loan for you?
- 01
A buyer who needs a straight answer on whether their household is under the CHFA limit before they start looking.
- 02
A Shelton or Milford buyer confused about why their county does not match the CHFA region.
- 03
A buyer with overtime or bonus income who was told they qualify but has not had the CHFA compliance calculation run.
- 04
Someone looking at a targeted tract in New Haven, West Haven or Bridgeport where the higher limits open the program back up.
A recent example
Checking the limits for a Shelton condo
A buyer in Shelton came to me after another lender told her she was over the Fairfield County CHFA limit. I pulled the June 2026 CHFA table. Shelton is in the Naugatuck Valley planning region, not Greater Bridgeport, which actually meant a lower income limit, not a higher one. Her base pay alone was under it, but with overtime her CHFA compliance income was close. We documented the overtime properly, ran the three-month look-back, and she came in under the one or two person figure with room to spare. The condo was well under the Naugatuck Valley price limit, and she closed with a CHFA HFA Advantage loan and a DAP second.
How I shop this loan
Limits are where CHFA files die, and they usually die late, at the CHFA compliance review, after you are under contract. So I front-load it. At pre-approval I calculate your CHFA compliance income, not just the number the automated underwriting system uses, and place you against the planning region table with the right household size. If you are near the line I show you which dollars put you there and whether a targeted tract nearby changes the answer. Then I pick the lender: every CHFA participating lender delivers the same published rate, so I compare how carefully their compliance desk reads an income file, how fast they turn a CHFA submission, and what they charge. If CHFA is not the fit, I price FHA and conventional the same day. Rates change daily; the limits change about once a year, and I update this table when they do.
The questions I get most
01What are the CHFA income limits?
02What are the CHFA income limits for 2026?
03Are CHFA income limits by county or by town?
04What is the CHFA purchase price limit?
05Does CHFA use household income or borrower income?
06What if my income is over the CHFA limit?
Ask about this
Ask AJ about CHFA
Two minutes. I read every request myself and call back within one business hour.
Keep reading
- CHFA Loans in ConnecticutCHFA loans are 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages at a below-market rate for first-time and moderate-income buyers in Connecticut, available only through CHFA participating lenders and the brokers they sponsor.
- CHFA Down Payment Assistance: Who Qualifies and How MuchCHFA down payment assistance is a second mortgage behind a CHFA first mortgage: Time To Own is zero-interest and forgiven over ten years, up to $25,000, and DAP is a repayable loan up to $15,000.
- Connecticut mortgage broker: home
Written by
AJ Doerr
Loan Officer, NMLS #2051311. Mortgage broker in Milford, Connecticut, licensed in Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts. Updated October 2026. About AJ.