Minimum Credit Score for a Mortgage: 2026 Loan Guide

The minimum credit score to get a mortgage in 2026 ranges from 500 for an FHA loan up to 640 for the best USDA and VA pricing (Mortgage Research Network) — but qualifying and getting a good rate are two different things. As a loan officer, I see borrowers obsess over "making the minimum" when the score that unlocks the cheapest loan is often 100 points higher.

How much credit do you need for each loan type?

The score you need depends entirely on which loan program you use. Government-backed loans accept lower scores, while conventional loans are stricter — but each has its own quirks you should know before you apply.

FHA: The Federal Housing Administration accepts a minimum score of 500, but that minimum only works with a 10% down payment. Borrowers with a score of 580 or higher can use the standard 3.5% down payment that makes FHA so popular with first-time buyers (Mortgage Research Network).

Conventional: Fannie Mae's manual underwriting floor is 620 — plan around that number when you apply (its Desktop Underwriter system, which most lenders use, no longer applies a fixed minimum and instead evaluates risk directly from your credit report). In practice, most lenders still want to see at least 620 on a conventional loan (Fannie Mae).

VA and USDA: Neither the VA nor the USDA sets a hard minimum — that decision is left to individual lenders. The 640 score is the common line for computer-generated auto-approval: it's the threshold for the USDA's Guaranteed Underwriting System and for manual underwriting on many VA loans (Rocket Mortgage). Many lenders will go lower, with scores of 580–620 routinely accepted.

Why a higher score means a lower rate

Getting approved and getting the best rate are two different goals. The minimum score gets you in the door, but every 20-point drop below 740 raises the loan-level price adjustment — the fee Fannie Mae charges based on your credit score and down payment (Fannie Mae LLPA Matrix). That cost lands in your rate or your closing costs.

On a conventional purchase with a 75–80% loan-to-value ratio, a borrower at 720–739 pays a 1.25% adjustment, while the same loan at 740–759 drops to 0.875% — a meaningful gap that a difference of a few points can create. Push to 760 or higher and the adjustment falls to 0.625%, which is why I tell buyers to hold off on locking a rate until their score clears that tier.

The bottom line for homebuyers

Your first move is to check your actual mortgage FICO score. Lenders pull a three-bureau merged report scored on Equifax Beacon 5.0, Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model V2, and TransUnion FICO Classic 04 (Fannie Mae) — three older models that frequently score lower than the consumer score in your banking app.

If your score lands in a specific range, here's the practical path: 500–579 means FHA with a 10% down payment. 580+ opens FHA with 3.5% down. At 620, conventional and USDA become realistic with a lender willing to look at your full file. At 639 and below, you have a real choice to weigh — take FHA now at 3.5% down with mortgage insurance, or spend a few months repairing credit to reach conventional and avoid that insurance altogether. Above 740, you're past the pricing tiers that matter most, and the goal becomes protecting the score until closing.

Every borrower's situation differs, so a quote from a loan officer beats a generic rule. I'm happy to look at your actual numbers and tell you which loan — and which score target — unlocks the best deal for your budget.