One Purchase Price Cap, Every Illinois County
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
In most states the purchase price cap is a county-by-county puzzle. In Illinois it is one number, repeated on every row, and it is roughly twice the typical home value.
The caps
| Scenario | One unit | Two units |
|---|---|---|
| Non-targeted, general programs | $666,354 | $825,145 |
| Non-targeted, IHDAccess Home | $566,354 | $725,146 |
| Targeted, general programs | $792,211 | $986,289 |
| Targeted, IHDAccess Home | $692,211 | $886,289 |
The striking part is what is missing. There is no county variation. IHDA's limit sheet lists the county groups down the left, exactly as it does for income, and then prints the same purchase price figure on every one of them.
Why this test almost never decides anything
Set the cap against the market. Chicago is the most expensive metro in Illinois with a typical value of $357,265 as of August 2026. That leaves $309,089 of headroom under the $666,354 cap.
| Metro | Typical value, Aug 2026 | Headroom under $666,354 |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $357,265 | $309,089 |
| Bloomington | $261,173 | Well clear |
| Champaign | $239,660 | Well clear |
| Springfield | $200,021 | Well clear |
| Peoria | $174,841 | Well clear |
A buyer would need to be shopping at roughly twice their metro's typical value before the cap entered the conversation. It happens, in parts of the North Shore and DuPage, but it is not the ordinary case.
The one place the cap does bite
IHDAccess Home lowers the ceiling by exactly $100,000, to $566,354. A buyer at $600,000 in a non-targeted area is inside the general cap and outside AccessHome. That is the same pattern as the income ladders: the largest assistance carries the tightest tests on every axis.
The conforming limit, for completeness
Illinois is uniform here too. Per the FHFA conforming loan limits, all 102 counties sit at the 2026 national baseline of $832,750 for one unit and $1,066,250 for two. Not one Illinois county is designated high-cost. Chicago's typical value leaves $475,485 of room under it.
So on both the program cap and the agency limit, the property side of an Illinois file is quiet. The action is on the income ladders and the household rules.
How the purchase price itself is determined, including acquisition cost where a buyer already owns the land, sits in IHDA's guide; ask us if that is your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the purchase price limit for IHDA in Illinois?
$666,354 for a non-targeted one-unit home and $825,145 for two units, effective 7-1-2026. Under IHDAccess Home the caps are $566,354 and $725,146. In targeted areas they rise to $792,211 and $986,289 for the general programs and $692,211 and $886,289 under IHDAccess Home. These figures are identical in every Illinois county.
Does the IHDA purchase price limit vary by county in Illinois?
No. IHDA's limit sheet lists county groups for income but prints the same purchase price figure on every county row. A buyer in Cook County and a buyer in Pope County face the same $666,354 non-targeted one-unit cap. This differs from the income limit, which ranges from $157,640 in most counties to $190,120 in Kendall.
Is the IHDA price cap a real constraint for Illinois buyers?
Rarely. Chicago is the most expensive Illinois metro with a typical home value of $357,265 in August 2026, which sits $309,089 below the $666,354 cap. Most Illinois metros run between $100,000 and $260,000. A buyer would generally need to be purchasing at about twice their metro's typical value before the purchase price limit affected eligibility.
What is the conforming loan limit in Illinois for 2026?
$832,750 for one unit and $1,066,250 for two units, in all 102 Illinois counties. Not one Illinois county carries a high-cost designation above the national baseline for 2026. Chicago's typical home value of $357,265 leaves $475,485 of headroom under the one-unit limit.
Does IHDAccess Home have a lower purchase price limit?
Yes, exactly $100,000 lower. The non-targeted one-unit cap under IHDAccess Home is $566,354 against $666,354 for IHDAccess Repayable, Deferred and Forgivable. For two units it is $725,146 against $825,145. In targeted areas the AccessHome one-unit cap is $692,211 against $792,211.
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. IHDA program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and change; figures here carry the date we verified them and IHDA's own disclaimer applies, that funding and availability are subject to change and are not guaranteed until a complete reservation is placed. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.