What it takes to qualify for WHEDA assistance
Program and regulatory figures verified October 4, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Five tests, and they are applied in a specific order. Failing any one of them moves you to a different program rather than ending the conversation.
In what order do the tests apply?
First the first mortgage, because without it there is no second. Then income, which decides which assistance program is open. Then purchase price. Then, for Capital Access only, the property location. Occupancy and lien position apply throughout.
What credit score do I need?
620 for WHEDA Advantage Conventional and 640 for Advantage FHA. Those are the first-mortgage minimums and they carry through to the assistance, since the second rides behind the first. A borrower between 620 and 639 is conventional-only at WHEDA.
How is income tested?
Against your county's published limit, using the table that matches the program. Easy Close uses the WHEDA Advantage household compliance limits with one-to-two and three-or-more columns. Capital Access uses its own lower table broken out by household size from one to eight. Both tables by county.
What property rules apply?
Easy Close carries no property restriction and works statewide. Capital Access requires the home to be in a high housing needs area, which is the restriction that most often decides between the two programs for a borrower who passes both income tests. What a high housing needs area is.
What structural rules apply to the assistance itself?
- Must be in second lien position behind the WHEDA first mortgage.
- Maximum combined loan to value, including an existing community second, is 105%.
- WHEDA assistance is not counted as the borrower's own funds toward a required minimum contribution.
- Easy Close and Capital Access cannot be combined.
- Capital Access is purchase only and not assumable.
Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements for WHEDA down payment assistance?
You must qualify for a WHEDA Advantage first mortgage with a minimum 620 credit score on conventional or 640 on FHA, have household income under your county's published limit for the program you are using, and buy under the purchase price limit of $566,364 for a one-unit home in a non-target area. Capital Access additionally requires the property to be in a high housing needs area.Can I get WHEDA assistance without a WHEDA first mortgage?
No. Both Easy Close and Capital Access are second mortgages that must sit behind a WHEDA Advantage first mortgage in second lien position. They are not standalone products.Do I have to be a first-time buyer for WHEDA assistance?
WHEDA's published purchase price limits are framed for the First-Time Home Buyer, MCC and VALOR programs, and WHEDA's program page does not state a first-time requirement on the Advantage first mortgages themselves. Because the answer turns on which program and limits apply to your file, confirm it against your specific scenario rather than assuming either way.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. WHEDA program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against WHEDA's published documents. Easy Close down payment assistance is an amortizing second mortgage with a monthly payment, not a grant. Capital Access is a deferred second mortgage repayable when the first mortgage is paid off or refinanced. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.