Current down payment assistance guidelines, updated from one source.
The current program figures below are hydrated from Lendmire’s down payment assistance standards source at each visit, so the options shown for Tacoma, WA are the options in force.
Of the purchase price
Measured on the purchase price or the appraised value, whichever is lower; the largest option covers the down payment and reaches closing costs, and the smaller options cover the 3.5% FHA minimum.
Covers the whole FHA down payment
The FHA minimum down payment is 3.5%, and this option covers all of it with no interest and no monthly payment; it is forgiven after 36 on-time payments on your first mortgage.
On every option offered here
Every option offered in Washington is open regardless of income, so there is no ceiling to stay under; the file is placed on the price, the credit score, and the home.
Credit score to start
This is the lowest score that opens an option here — the forgivable second liens; the repayable options start a little higher, so a stronger score opens more choices.
| Option | Assistance | What you repay | Credit · mortgage · units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgivable second lien — three-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 36 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Forgivable second lien — five-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 60 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Repayable second lien — thirty-year amortization, ten-year balloon | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Closing-cost repayable second lien | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–2 units |
| Refinance-cost second lien (repayable) | 1% to 3.5% of the balance | Second lien, repaid | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–4 units |
Current down payment assistance snapshot · updated September 7, 2026 · five options offered in Washington · no option requires a first-time buyer · no option combines with another assistance program · owner-occupied primary residences only.
Nothing on this page is a Loan Estimate, an approval, a quote, or a commitment to lend. Down payment assistance eligibility, amounts, and terms depend on the first-lien program, the option, the property, the buyer’s credit and category, and full underwriting through select wholesale lenders licensed in sixteen states; the calculator’s rate is an editable benchmark and its payment an estimate. Lendmire is a mortgage broker and is never the lender, and is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of FHA, VA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government.
What down payment assistance is — and how the options differ.
The first-time home buyer programs in Tacoma, WA answer the most common reason a qualified buyer does not close — the cash to close — with assistance measured on the price and shaped to the buyer’s situation.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s down payment assistance program, or the statewide guide at Down Payment Assistance in Washington.
Assistance covers the FHA down payment
In Tacoma, WA, the assistance attaches to the first lien at closing and covers the buyer’s required investment; on the larger option, what remains after the minimum investment goes toward closing costs.
Four shapes: grant, forgivable, repayable, refinance
For a Tacoma buyer the choice is about cost to carry. The forgivable options cost nothing if the first lien stays current through the forgiveness period; the repayable option is a second loan with its own disclosure and a balloon that reaches closing costs.
Credit floors, mortgage programs, and unit counts
A Tacoma file is placed by three things — the credit tier, the first-lien program, and the property — and the options table on this page shows the floor, the first liens, and the unit limit for every option offered in Washington.
Eligibility without a first-time-buyer rule
No option requires a first-time buyer, and no option carries an income limit beyond the first lien’s own rules; a Tacoma buyer who has owned before qualifies on credit, first lien, and property alone.
Enter a price, choose an option, and add your own cash. The calculator sizes the minimum investment, splits the assistance between the down payment and closing costs, and estimates the FHA payment with mortgage insurance, taxes, insurance, and dues.
Where Tacoma’s first-time and moderate-income buyers shop — and how the assistance fits.
Census housing and income data describe who buys in Tacoma, WA and what it costs to get in; a lender reads those figures as context for the first lien, not as underwriting inputs.
Citywide figures provide general market context, not an appraisal or an income calculation. Value and income rarely move at the same pace; the market figures below show how far Tacoma’s prices have moved against its incomes, and the calculator shows what that means for the minimum investment.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Tacoma submarkets, distinct property rules.
Where a Tacoma home sits changes which option can attach and what the property review asks; the submarkets below are the map most assistance files are read against.
Two-to-four-unit homes, owner-occupied
The small multi-unit stock in Tacoma is a path to a first home that also earns rent; the assistance pairs with the first lien on the building, up to the option’s unit limit. About 44% of Tacoma’s households rent — roughly 41,140 renter households, the pool the program exists for.
Condominiums close to work
In Tacoma, a condominium near the job is the first home many buyers can reach; the program pairs with it as long as the project clears FHA review, and the assistance covers the minimum investment the same way it would on a house. Tacoma counts a population near 223K within the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area.
Townhomes and attached homes
Attached homes and townhomes in Tacoma sit at price points where the minimum investment is smaller in dollars but no easier to save; the assistance closes that gap, and the association’s documents are reviewed with the file. Median household income in Tacoma sits near $85,884 on the latest Census estimate.
Older neighborhoods and renovation loans
Renovation purchases in Tacoma qualify for the assistance on the price before repairs, which lets a buyer take on a home that needs work without also finding the minimum investment. Median gross rent in Tacoma is about $1,676 a month — the payment many renters already carry.
New construction and infill
New construction in Tacoma works with the program; the appraisal and the builder’s timeline set the pace, and the assistance closes with the first lien like any other purchase. The median owner-occupied home value in Tacoma runs near $479,600 on the latest Census estimate.
Manufactured homes on owned land
For Tacoma buyers looking at manufactured housing, the assistance is available on owned land, with single-width homes reaching only the option that accepts them. On a home at Tacoma’s median value, the FHA minimum investment comes to about $16,800 — the figure the assistance is built to cover.
These are patterns, not promises: each Tacoma purchase is underwritten on its own appraisal, its own credit, and its own option.
Four ways Tacoma buyers put down payment assistance to work.
From a first home to a small multi-unit building to an FHA refinance, down payment assistance in Tacoma, WA solves a specific set of problems.
Buy a first home with the down payment covered
A Tacoma buyer with the income for the payment but not the cash to close uses the assistance to cover the FHA minimum investment, some forgiven in as little as three years, and keeps savings for the move.
Pair the assistance with a USDA or HUD-184 mortgage
Where the first lien is USDA or HUD-184, the second-lien assistance options carry the file in Tacoma, forgivable or repayable by the buyer’s choice and credit.
Cover the costs of an FHA refinance
The refinance-cost option in Tacoma, WA is for an existing FHA loan, not a streamline, and not a loan that already carries assistance; it is sized on the lesser of balance or value.
Cover closing costs too on the larger option
A Tacoma buyer who needs more than the minimum investment uses the repayable option that covers down payment, closing costs, and prepaid items, including costs paid outside closing.
Size the assistance on a Tacoma price before requesting a quote.
The calculator does what a loan officer’s first pass does for a Tacoma file — sizes the minimum investment, applies the option, builds the FHA loan with mortgage insurance, and estimates the payment — using the current program figures and an editable benchmark rate.
Tacoma FHA payment with assistance
Starting assumptions reflect Tacoma’s home values; change any field and the loan, the mortgage insurance, and the payment are recalculated.
Editable benchmark: 6.71% as of September 3, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an FHA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $480,000 price near Tacoma’s median owner-occupied home value (kept where an FHA first lien is realistic), the strongest assistance option offered in Washington applied against the FHA minimum investment, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Washington (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not an FHA loan quote; your rate is set by the lender at lock. FHA mortgage insurance follows HUD’s published schedule for the term, leverage and loan size entered; taxes, insurance and dues are editable estimates; closing costs are not included; a repayable second lien adds its own payment, which is not shown here. Consumer mortgage lending licensed in sixteen states. Lendmire is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of FHA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government.
Same buyer, four very different closings.
The right structure for a Tacoma, WA buyer depends on savings, credit, the first lien, and whether the help needs to reach closing costs.
Assistance on a government loan, saving the minimum, or a gift.
Covers the FHA minimum investment as a percentage of the price — some forgiven in as little as three years — with forgivable and repayable second-lien shapes, credit floors in the low six hundreds, and no first-time-buyer rule; the larger option reaches closing costs and prepaids.
The buyer brings the minimum investment from savings, a retirement withdrawal, or seasoned funds; no second lien, no eligibility category, no homebuyer education requirement, and no assistance to carry. For the first lien itself, see Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
Where the property is USDA-eligible or the buyer qualifies for HUD-184, the second-lien options carry the Tacoma file, and the closing costs are what the assistance covers. For the USDA first lien, see the USDA loan program.
Assistance fits the buyer short of cash to close; the plain purchase fits the buyer with savings; the USDA and HUD-184 pairing fits eligible properties and borrowers; a documented gift fits when family can help — Lendmire places the Tacoma, WA file where it reads best.
What to prepare for a Tacoma scenario review.
The documents a lender reads first on an assistance file.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the mortgage, the assistance option, the property, and the eligibility category. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
Beyond the credit tier and the first lien, a handful of details decide which option a Tacoma buyer can use — or whether the assistance attaches at all.
Use these checks to keep the Tacoma file clean and fundable.
A clean Tacoma file starts with the option chosen, the first lien matched to the property, and the homebuyer education course completed where it is required.
- Know the option: read the second lien as the loan it is.
- Understand the clock: keep the first lien current through the forgiveness period.
- Do not stack: choose one assistance program.
The option decides what you owe afterward
A forgivable second lien costs nothing if the first lien stays current through the forgiveness period; a repayable second lien is a loan with a balloon that reaches closing costs. A Tacoma buyer chooses by cost to carry first and by amount second.
The forgiveness clock on the forgivable options
The clock starts at closing and runs with the first lien’s payments; a Tacoma buyer who plans to sell or refinance inside the period should expect the second lien to be paid at that point, since it is not resubordinated.
No stacking with other assistance
A Tacoma buyer eligible for a local or employer program chooses between it and these options; they do not stack, so the comparison is made program against program before the contract is signed.
The mortgage and the county loan limit
A Tacoma buyer near the county loan limit should settle the first lien’s size first; a high-balance first lien narrows the options to the repayable ones, and the choice of USDA or HUD-184 narrows them further.
Blended scores for two-borrower files
On the second-lien options, two occupying borrowers can qualify on the average of their representative scores when the higher earner has the higher score; the loan must carry an automated approval, and every borrower still needs a score.
From a Tacoma pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place.
Four steps take a Tacoma, WA assistance file from a first read to funding; the first one is the one most buyers skip.
Pick the option
Every Tacoma file starts with the option and the first lien; the category, the education course, and the property rules are then settled around them, in that order.
Get the mortgage approved
Lendmire packages the Tacoma file for the first lien first, because the assistance follows its approval; the option’s floor and the first lien’s rules both have to clear.
Clear the property
The property side of a Tacoma, WA file is where the option can change: unit count, project approval, and the loan limit are confirmed before the closing is scheduled.
Close both loans together
Final underwriting reads the whole Tacoma, WA file against the first lien’s rules and the option’s; the loan funds with the assistance in place and the second lien, where there is one, recorded behind it.
A brokerage that pairs the assistance to the loan.
Pairing the right assistance to the right first lien for a Tacoma buyer means knowing which option the credit opens, which the property allows, and what each costs to carry — before the contract is signed.
The option, matched to the buyer
A Tacoma scenario is placed on the right option first — the credit tier, the first lien, and the category — and the rest of the file is then built to fit it, before anything is ordered.
The mortgage, matched to the property
FHA, USDA, or HUD-184 is chosen with the Tacoma property — its address, its unit count, its type — so the assistance option that pairs with it is the one that attaches.
The right wholesale program
Not every wholesale lender carries down payment assistance, and the ones that do differ on shape, floors, and states; Lendmire knows which is which.
Trusted by first-time buyers & families alike.
Tacoma down payment assistance FAQs
Straight answers for Tacoma buyers weighing down payment assistance; the mortgage approval and the option’s rules decide every actual figure.
Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer?
No option requires it. First-time status is not a rule of the program in Washington; the options open on the credit tier, the first-lien program, and the property.
Is there an income limit?
There is no income limit on the forgivable or repayable options; the first lien’s rules are the only income test a Tacoma buyer meets.
What first-time home buyer programs are available in Tacoma?
Three shapes paired with a government first lien: forgivable second liens with no interest and no payment, released after an on-time payment period; a repayable second lien with a balloon that also reaches closing costs and prepaids; and a refinance-cost option for an existing FHA loan. The options table on this page shows what is offered in Washington.
Do I have to pay the assistance back?
For a Tacoma buyer, a forgivable second lien — it costs nothing to carry as long as the first lien stays current through the period; the options table on this page shows what each option costs to carry.
What credit score do I need?
A Tacoma buyer’s credit tier decides which options are open — the options table on this page shows the floor for every option offered in Washington.
Can the assistance cover closing costs too?
Closing-cost coverage lives on the repayable second lien; on a USDA first lien, which needs no down payment, the second-lien options cover closing costs and prepaids instead.
What property types are eligible?
Most primary-residence property types, with the condominium’s approval, the manufactured home’s width and title, and the unit count deciding which option attaches.
Can I combine this with another assistance program?
The options do not stack with each other or with local, state, or employer programs; a Tacoma buyer eligible for more than one chooses the one that fits best.
What does Lendmire do on a Tacoma first-time home buyer file?
Matches the option to the buyer and the first lien to the property, then runs both through approval and closing; Lendmire brokers the loan through its wholesale network and is never the lender.
Can I buy a duplex or a fourplex with assistance?
Owner-occupied small multi-unit homes qualify, with the unit count deciding the option; a Tacoma buyer living in one unit of a fourplex uses the option that reaches four.
The down payment is the hurdle. Let us clear it.
No credit pull, no commitment: an initial review places your Tacoma purchase on the right option and tells you what to gather.
This guide covers Tacoma — for the statewide options, categories, and property rules, see Down Payment Assistance in Washington, part of Lendmire’s down payment assistance program.
Also in Washington: Port Orchard · Silverdale · Bellevue · Lacey · FHA Loans · USDA Loans