Current FHA cash-out guidelines, updated from one source.
Nothing in the cards is a rate or a payment, and in Texas the leverage card reads a little differently: the homestead cap applies to the whole loan including the financed upfront premium, so the base loan sits a touch lower than the card’s figure alone suggests. The calculator applies the Texas cap.
Of the adjusted value on a principal residence; 80% combined with any lien that stays
80% of the adjusted value is where HUD stops the base loan, with 80% as the combined ceiling if a second lien is resubordinated. For a home owned less than a year, the adjusted value is the lower of the appraisal and the price paid plus documented improvements; after a year, it is the appraisal.
Owned and occupied as the principal residence before the case number is assigned
twelve months is the occupancy clock, measured to the case number date rather than the closing date, with inheritance as the single exception. HUD pairs it with a payment-history rule: no payment on the property in the prior year made outside the month it was due.
Plus an annual premium, charged monthly, for eleven years at cash-out leverage
1.75% upfront, financed on top of the capped base loan, and 0.50% annually on a standard thirty-year cash-out, charged monthly for eleven years: that is the price of HUD’s insurance of the lender’s risk. The premium schedule below carries every leverage band and loan tier.
Ratios of 31/43 by reference, higher with compensating factors
A 580 decision score clears HUD’s full-financing line, 500 is the absolute floor, and 580 is what the wholesale programs expect. Ratios run 31/43 by reference and up to 40/50 with two compensating factors; accounts paid through the closing come out of the ratio.
| Base loan | Leverage | Annual premium | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard base loan amounts | at or below 90% LTV — the cash-out band | 0.50% | 11 years |
| Standard base loan amounts | above 90% to 95% LTV — purchase and rate-and-term leverage, not cash-out | 0.50% | mortgage term |
| Standard base loan amounts | above 95% LTV — purchase and rate-and-term leverage, not cash-out | 0.55% | mortgage term |
| Larger base loan amounts | at or below 90% LTV — the cash-out band | 0.70% | 11 years |
| Larger base loan amounts | above 90% to 95% LTV — purchase and rate-and-term leverage, not cash-out | 0.70% | mortgage term |
| Larger base loan amounts | above 95% LTV — purchase and rate-and-term leverage, not cash-out | 0.75% | mortgage term |
The line-of-credit alternative: on a primary residence Lendmire’s HELOC program reaches 90% combined loan-to-value behind the existing first mortgage, with no FHA premium attached. For a stronger credit profile the conventional cash-out matches this leverage with no premium at it and one wholesale lane goes higher; eligible veterans can reach the full value, funding fee included, through VA cash-out. Every route is priced on the same numbers before anything is recommended.
FHA cash-out snapshot as of October 1, 2026 · base loan sized on the appraised value, upfront premium financed above it · FHA county mortgage limits apply, confirmed by a Lendmire loan officer and never printed here · taking cash out raises the balance and may extend the payoff · Lendmire is a broker, never the lender.
This page states program parameters only. Every figure comes from Lendmire’s guideline source, built on HUD’s published handbook and a wholesale product sheet, is current as of the date shown, and may change. Approval depends on the FHA appraisal, the automated finding, full underwriting, and the selected lender’s overlays; cash-out proceeds increase the balance secured by the home. Lendmire LLC, NMLS #2371349, licensed mortgage broker in sixteen states. Not legal, tax, or investment advice.
What an FHA cash-out refinance is — and how the file is qualified.
Here is the program in the order it matters: the loan and the disbursement, the occupancy and payment-history rules, the insurance and its span, and the choice between FHA and its alternatives for a San Antonio home.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s FHA cash-out refinance program, or the statewide guide at FHA Cash-Out Refinance in Texas; the rules are HUD’s, in Handbook 4000.1.
One new FHA loan, cash at closing
HUD treats any refinance that returns more than a token amount of cash, or that pays off a lien taken after the purchase, as a cash-out; the rate-and-term refinance is the other path and reaches higher leverage because it returns nothing. One FHA Roster appraisal, one case number, one closing, one rescission period, and then the money.
The occupancy rule and the payment history
The rule exists to keep the insured cash-out a homeowner’s tool rather than an investor’s: a year in the house as the principal residence, proven by the deed and by records at the address, and a year of payments made within the month due. A San Antonio owner who can show all three before the case number is requested clears the gate.
Mortgage insurance, upfront and monthly
Treat the schedule beneath the snapshot as the insurance price list: one rate for standard base loans, a higher rate for larger ones, and a duration fixed by the starting leverage. The upfront premium sits on top of the capped base loan, so the total borrowed on a San Antonio home exceeds the cap by exactly that share, and the payment carries the monthly premium for the stated years.
FHA cash-out or the alternatives
Same equity, three instruments: the FHA cash-out with its premiums and its forgiving standard; the conventional cash-out with no premium at this leverage and a stricter standard; the line of credit that adds a second lien instead of replacing the first. Lendmire prices all three for a San Antonio home on the same value, balance, and cash before recommending one.
Applied to a San Antonio home, the formula runs top to bottom: cap times value gives the base ceiling, the payoff comes off, the cash request is tested against the remainder, the upfront premium is stacked on the base, the total is amortized over the term, and the monthly premium and escrows are added before the ratio is checked.
Where San Antonio’s equity sits — and how FHA cash-out fits.
Three Census measures tell the San Antonio equity story: the owner-household count, which is the pool of possible borrowers; the median home value, which sets how much a cap can release; and the median income, which sets the payment a typical household carries.
Citywide figures provide general market context, not an appraisal or an income calculation. Citywide medians sit above some homes and below others; the appraisal and the balance on one house decide what an FHA cash-out on it can do.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct San Antonio neighborhoods, distinct FHA files.
San Antonio is not one housing stock, and HUD’s rules meet each kind differently: the age of a home shapes the appraisal’s condition review, the type decides eligibility, and the purchase date decides whether the occupancy year has passed. The cards below take the kinds one at a time.
Long-held close-in homes
A close-in San Antonio house with years of occupancy behind it clears HUD’s twelve-month rule without effort and carries a small balance against a grown value; the one item to prepare for is the appraisal’s inspection against HUD’s minimum property requirements. About 48% of San Antonio’s households rent — roughly 265,201 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Condominiums in approved projects
Attached housing makes up much of San Antonio, and an FHA cash-out on a unit begins with the building: HUD must have approved the project, or the unit must clear single-unit approval, before anyone talks about value. Older associations with an approval on file need no further project review; new or investor-heavy projects need the review first. Median household income in San Antonio sits near $65,056 on the latest Census estimate.
Newer infill and recent purchases
Recent San Antonio infill was bought at recent prices with small down payments, so a cash-out on it meets two limits at once: the year of ownership and occupancy and a balance that leaves little room under the cap. The review tells an owner whether to proceed now or wait. The median owner-occupied home value in San Antonio runs near $235,700 on the latest Census estimate.
Two- to four-unit homes, owner-occupied
The older duplexes and small multi-unit buildings of San Antonio qualify for an FHA cash-out when the owner lives in one unit: the cap is the same as for a house, the other units’ rent counts under HUD’s rules, and the appraisal carries a rent schedule. On a San Antonio home at the median value, an FHA cash-out refinance at the program cap finances up to $189,000 before the financed upfront premium — the existing balance comes off the top, and the rest is the cash available before closing costs.
Homes bought with FHA years ago
Plenty of San Antonio owners bought with FHA at the program’s minimum investment and have built equity since. For the ones whose credit still fits HUD better than the conventional programs, the FHA cash-out is the natural next loan, with the premium continuing under the new schedule. San Antonio counts a population near 1.48M within the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX area.
High-value homes near the limit
On a high-value San Antonio home the binding ceiling is often the county limit rather than the cap, and the premium tier steps up with the base loan. The limit is confirmed at the review, never printed here, and a loan that must exceed it is written elsewhere. Roughly 289,380 San Antonio households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 52% of all households, the pool an FHA cash-out refinance draws on.
The equity differs by block in San Antonio; the FHA rules do not. The appraisal and the old balance decide the cash on each house, and HUD decides everything else identically.
Four ways San Antonio homeowners put equity to work with FHA.
Consolidation, repairs, a second lien in repayment, a large expense, a change of loan structure, a business: the purposes below are how San Antonio owners use the FHA cash-out, and each carries its own note for the file.
Renovate or repair the home
Renovation money arrives in one disbursement after rescission and is carried on the mortgage at a fixed payment. Today’s value is the one the cap applies to, not the finished value, and HUD’s minimum property requirements can put a few items ahead of the cash on an older San Antonio house.
Consolidate higher-cost debt into one insured payment
A consolidation file is the FHA cash-out at its most common: first mortgage, second lien, and unsecured debt paid at the table, one payment with the premium inside it afterward. The ratio is measured on what survives the closing, which is why many San Antonio files qualify more easily than the credit report suggests, and the home now secures what was unsecured.
Capitalize a business or an investment
Working capital drawn from a San Antonio home arrives as one disbursement after rescission and is repaid on the mortgage, premium included, regardless of how the venture performs. Underwriting reads the owner’s personal income and credit, not the business plan, and HUD’s standard is often the one a self-employed file clears.
Fund a large expense or a reserve
Borrowing to hold a reserve means paying the premium and the interest on money that may sit unused, which is where a line drawn only when needed often wins. For a San Antonio owner whose credit fits HUD but not the line program, the FHA cash-out is the instrument that is open, and the review says so plainly.
Estimate the cash, the premium, and the new payment on a San Antonio home before requesting a quote.
The calculator follows HUD’s arithmetic for a San Antonio home: cap times value for the base ceiling, payoff subtracted, cash request tested against the remainder, upfront premium stacked on the base, the total amortized over the term at the rate shown, the monthly premium and the escrows added, and the payment measured against income and other debts.
San Antonio FHA cash-out estimate
The defaults describe a typical San Antonio home, not yours; overwrite the value, the balance, and the cash.
Editable benchmark: 7.28% as of October 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an FHA cash-out refinance quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $235,000 home value near San Antonio’s median owner-occupied value, a $129,000 current balance, the FHA cap on a principal residence with the upfront premium financed, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Texas (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
An illustration, not a Loan Estimate, an approval, a quote, or a commitment to lend. The rate shown is the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, used as a market reference; an FHA cash-out is priced by the lender at lock, and this is not an FHA cash-out refinance quote. HUD’s cap limits the base loan; the upfront premium is financed above it; the monthly premium for the first year follows the snapshot’s schedule. Cash available means the base loan the cap permits less the balances retired, before closing costs, which this calculator leaves out. The line figure applies the line program’s combined loan-to-value ceiling to the same value and balance. Taxes and insurance are estimates you can edit. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. On a Texas homestead the state constitution caps the whole loan, financed premium included, at the FHA figure and adds a waiting period, a prescribed closing location, and a fee cap.
Same equity, three ways to borrow it.
Three routes to equity in a San Antonio home, compared on what actually decides the choice: how far each reaches, what credit standard it applies, what happens to the existing first mortgage, and what each adds in insurance or fees.
FHA cash-out, conventional cash-out, or a HELOC.
This is the cash-out for the file that needs forgiveness on the score, the ratio, or a recent credit event. The premium is real and the occupancy rule is strict, but the leverage equals the conventional cap and the proceeds are unrestricted. For a San Antonio owner, that is the trade in one sentence.
Where the score is solid, the conventional cash-out wins on cost: nothing added to the balance for insurance, nothing added to the payment for it, and a wholesale lane above the agency cap for the strongest files. Lendmire prices it beside the FHA route on the same value, balance, and cash for every San Antonio review. See Lendmire’s conventional cash-out refinance program.
Keep the first mortgage, add a line. For a San Antonio owner with a low-cost first lien and a modest or staged need, the line usually reaches the cash for less than any refinance; for an owner whose first mortgage should go, or whose credit fits HUD better than the line program, the FHA cash-out fits. See Lendmire’s home equity line of credit.
Choose FHA when the score, a credit event, or the ratio keeps the file out of the conventional programs and the home has been the principal residence for a year; choose conventional when the file clears its floor, because the premium is avoided; choose the line when the first mortgage should stay and the need is modest or staged. Veterans: see the VA cash-out program.
What to prepare for a San Antonio scenario review.
The documents are the ordinary refinance set plus two that HUD’s rules add, the occupancy evidence and the year of mortgage history; here is what a San Antonio FHA cash-out review draws on.
A general guide to preparing, not a complete checklist: the selected lender may ask for more, depending on the transaction, the property, the automated finding, and the income picture. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
HUD’s program is easy to summarize and exacting in its particulars. These are the file-level details that most often move a San Antonio FHA cash-out between application and closing.
Use these checks to keep the San Antonio file clean and fundable.
Occupancy, premium, value: confirm the first against the deed and the mortgage history, price the second against the conventional alternative, and plan the third conservatively for the San Antonio home.
- Know the Texas rules: A waiting period, a prescribed closing location, a fee cap, and one such loan a year.
- Price the premium: The upfront premium is financed on top of the capped base loan; the monthly premium runs eleven years.
- Confirm the occupancy clock: Twelve months as the principal residence before the case number; inheritance is the exception.
Texas homestead rules shape every FHA cash-out
No other state in Lendmire’s footprint adds these conditions to an owner-occupied cash-out, and they govern timing and cost rather than eligibility: the cap counts the premium, the waiting period is fixed, the closing location is prescribed, and the fees are limited. A Texas owner should expect the state’s timeline, and the calculator on this page applies the Texas cap.
The premium rides on the loan and inside the payment
Two premiums insure the loan: the upfront one is stacked on the base loan, so the total borrowed exceeds HUD’s cap by that share, and the annual one is collected with every payment for eleven years at cash-out leverage. Together they are the real cost of the insured route on a San Antonio home, and the calculator shows both so the conventional comparison is made on the full figure.
Twelve months owned and occupied, with a clean payment history
Ownership and occupancy are counted together: the home must have been the borrower’s principal residence for the twelve months before the case number, shown by the deed and by records at the address, and every mortgage payment in that year must have been made within the month it was due. A San Antonio owner who rented the home out during that year waits.
The FHA appraisal values the home and checks its condition
An FHA Roster appraiser sets the value from comparable sales and also inspects the San Antonio home against HUD’s minimum property requirements: peeling paint on an older house, a roof at the end of its life, a missing handrail, a safety defect, or a system that does not work can become required repairs before closing. The value sets the cap; the condition can set the calendar.
Closing costs and the premium come out of the loan
Weigh the costs against the purpose. A San Antonio owner after a modest sum may pay more to close an insured refinance than a line of credit would cost to open, and the line carries no premium; a larger sum spreads the same costs over more cash. The loan estimate itemizes everything after application and the closing disclosure finalizes it before signing.
From a San Antonio scenario review to cash at closing.
The FHA cash-out, step by step, with what each stage settles.
Scenario review
Bring the value, the balance, the cash wanted, the occupancy history, the score, and the income. A Lendmire loan officer applies HUD’s cap, finds the base ceiling and the cash after payoff and costs, adds the premiums, prices the conventional cash-out and the line of credit on the same numbers, and puts the terms in writing before anything is ordered.
Application and case number
The application records income, assets, debts, the property, and the occupancy; the lender requests the FHA case number, which fixes the date the twelve-month rule and the payment history are measured against, and runs the automated system. The finding lists the documentation and confirms the ratios with the closing payoffs removed.
FHA appraisal and underwriting
The FHA Roster appraiser values the home and reports its condition against HUD’s minimum property requirements. If the value holds and no repairs are required, the loan is sized as reviewed; otherwise it is resized or the repairs are scheduled. Underwriting then verifies income, assets, the occupancy history, the payment history, and the payoffs.
Closing, rescission, and funding
Sign, wait, receive. The closing disclosure is reviewed and signed, the settlement agent holds the package through the rescission window, and at disbursement the old liens are paid and released and the proceeds are wired to the San Antonio owner, who now has one insured loan where there may have been three.
A brokerage built around equity lending.
Lendmire is a mortgage brokerage licensed for consumer lending in sixteen states. On an FHA cash-out that means three things: the file is placed across several wholesale programs rather than one, the conventional cash-out and the line of credit are priced on the same numbers before the insured route is chosen, and the terms are in writing before a case number is requested.
Every route, one review
No owner is steered toward the one product a lender happens to offer. Each route is run on the same value, balance, and cash, each is costed to open and to carry, and the one the numbers favor for the San Antonio home is the one recommended. The owner chooses with the figures in hand, not with a pitch.
Placed across wholesale programs
Wholesale lenders differ on their FHA floors and their cost tiers, and the differences at a given score are real on a cash-out. Lendmire sends the San Antonio file to the program whose overlays fit it, which is rarely where a single lender’s rate sheet would have placed it.
Terms in writing, before any fee
Written terms come first and fees come after: the San Antonio owner sees the base loan, the premiums, the cash after costs, the payment, and the ratios on a conservative value before the appraisal is ordered, so a plan that cannot close never costs an appraisal fee.
Trusted by homeowners & families alike.
San Antonio FHA cash-out refinance FAQs
Before you apply in San Antonio: how much, how soon, what the premium costs, and when the conventional route or a line of credit is the better instrument.
What is an FHA cash-out refinance, and who is it for?
For a San Antonio homeowner, it is the insured route to equity: a new FHA first mortgage pays off the old loan and returns the difference, HUD caps the leverage and sets the occupancy rule, and two premiums pay for a credit review that credits reserves, residual income, and a clean year of payments rather than the score alone.
How much cash can I take out with an FHA refinance?
Always less than the equity: the cap stops the base loan short of full value, and the payoff and costs come out before the cash. A home owned for years with a small balance can release a substantial sum; a San Antonio home bought recently with HUD’s minimum investment may release little until the value rises or the balance falls.
How long do I need to have lived in my home before an FHA cash-out?
A year of ownership and occupancy before the case number, proven by the deed and by records at the address, with a clean mortgage record for that year. A non-occupant co-borrower cannot be added to help the file qualify.
What does FHA mortgage insurance cost on a cash-out, and how long does it last?
Two charges insure the loan: an upfront share of the base loan, financed into the balance at closing, and a monthly share of the balance that lasts eleven years, the span HUD assigns to a loan starting at or under the ninety percent band. The snapshot table carries the exact rates by leverage and loan tier for a San Antonio home.
What credit score do I need for an FHA cash-out refinance?
The decision score is the lowest of the middle scores among the borrowers; HUD’s floor and the full-financing line are in the snapshot, and the wholesale programs set a starting point above the floor. Beyond that, the score decides the cost tier, and the ratios and compensating factors decide the rest for a San Antonio file.
What is different about the FHA appraisal?
Expect two findings from the FHA Roster appraiser: the San Antonio home’s value, which sets the base loan, and its condition against HUD’s minimum property requirements, which can add required repairs or a repair escrow before closing. Plan the cash on a conservative value and fix the obvious items first.
Should I use an FHA cash-out or a conventional cash-out?
If the conventional program accepts the file, take it: same leverage, no premium at that leverage, and a wholesale lane above the agency cap for a strong score. If it declines on the score, the ratio, or a recent credit event, the FHA cash-out is the open route, and its premium is the price. A San Antonio review prices both.
Are there restrictions on what I can use the cash for?
HUD does not restrict the use. The lender cares about the file: cap, occupancy, value, score, ratios. The owner should care that the home now secures the money, whatever it buys.
Would a HELOC be better than an FHA cash-out?
Line when the first mortgage should stay; refinance when it should go. The line is cheaper to open, reprices only the draw, and carries no premium; the FHA refinance gives a fixed payment and a larger lump sum but reprices the whole balance and adds the premiums.
What debt-to-income ratios does an FHA cash-out allow?
Tiered, not fixed. The reference pair applies with no compensating factors, higher pairs with one or two, and an automated approval follows its own finding. A San Antonio review lists which payoffs to run through the closing so the ratio is measured on what survives.
From a San Antonio scenario review to cash after rescission.
Enter your San Antonio figures above, then ask for a review; the cap, the occupancy rule, the premiums, and the cost tier are checked against HUD’s handbook and the wholesale overlays, and what comes back is a written set of terms, not an estimate.
This guide covers San Antonio — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see FHA Cash-Out Refinance in Texas, part of Lendmire’s FHA cash-out refinance program.
Nearby markets in Texas: Austin · Houston · Fort Worth · Dallas · El Paso
Related programs: Cash-Out Refinance · FHA Loans · HELOC