Mortgage credit score requirements vary significantly by loan type and lender.
Some programs publish clear score-based eligibility rules, while others focus on automated underwriting or leave the minimum score to the lender.
The credit score you need can change depending on whether you’re applying for a conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo or home equity loan. And depending on the program, a score that falls below one lender’s cutoff does not necessarily mean the underlying loan program has the same cutoff.
Your credit score can also affect your rate and pricing, even when it isn’t what determines whether you qualify.
Credit Score Requirements By Mortgage Loan Type
| Loan type |
Program-level credit score rule |
Lender or underwriting considerations |
Pricing considerations |
| Conventional |
No single universal minimum for automated conforming underwriting. Fannie Mae DU and Freddie Mac LPA Accept loans do not require a minimum loan-level score. Manual underwriting has separate requirements. 620 is a common benchmark for lenders. |
Lenders may add their own minimums. Eligibility also depends on the full automated or manual underwriting result. |
Credit score can affect risk-based pricing along with LTV, occupancy, loan purpose and other factors. |
| FHA |
580 or higher for maximum financing. Scores from 500 to 579 are limited to 90% LTV. Scores below 500 are not eligible for FHA-insured financing under the standard score rules. |
Lenders can impose higher minimum scores. Manual-underwriting rules may apply in some cases. |
A stronger score can affect the lender’s pricing and approval decision even above FHA’s program threshold. |
| VA |
VA does not set a minimum credit score. |
The lender evaluates creditworthiness and may set its own score requirement. |
Credit score can still affect the rate and terms a lender offers. |
| USDA |
USDA does not publish a program-wide minimum credit score for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. 640 is widely used by lenders. |
GUS determines the underwriting recommendation. Refer and manually underwritten files have separate credit-validation requirements. Lenders may add overlays. |
The lender may use credit score in pricing and risk assessment even when USDA does not set a fixed minimum. |
| Jumbo |
No official minimum. Requirements are set by the lender or investor, and you'll generally need a higher credit score to qualify, often around 660 to 680 depending on the lender. |
Score requirements can interact with LTV, reserves, property type and loan size. |
Investor pricing may vary materially by credit profile. |
| HELOC / home equity loan |
No federal program minimum. Requirements are lender- and investor-specific. |
Credit score is considered with CLTV, income, debt obligations and property factors. |
Stronger credit can affect available terms, but there is no universal pricing score. |
How Lenders Actually Use Your Credit Score
You don’t have just one credit score. Different scoring models, credit bureaus and dates can produce different numbers. The CFPB explains that a mortgage score can differ from a score you see for another type of credit or through a consumer service.
Mortgage lenders commonly request credit information from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. When three usable scores are available for one borrower, mortgage underwriting often uses the middle score rather than the highest or lowest. When two usable scores are available, the lower score may be used. The exact method depends on the investor, program and underwriting system.
Fannie Mae can use different credit scores for different purposes. One score may determine pricing, while manually underwritten loans with multiple borrowers can use an average median score for eligibility. Fannie Mae’s score-selection rules show why a co-borrower’s lower score can still matter even when another borrower has much stronger credit.
Your credit score is only one part of underwriting. A lender may evaluate payment history, outstanding debts, income, assets, reserves, debt-to-income ratio, loan-to-value ratio and the property itself. Automated underwriting systems combine multiple risk factors, so two borrowers with the same score can receive different underwriting results.
You can request a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. It's the only site authorized by federal law to provide free credit reports.
Conventional Loan Credit Score Requirements
Conventional mortgages no longer have one universal credit score minimum.
Requirements depend on whether the loan is being underwritten to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac standards, whether automated underwriting is used and whether the lender adds an overlay.
Under Fannie Mae’s current Selling Guide, Desktop Underwriter loan casefiles do not have a minimum credit score requirement. DU evaluates the borrower’s creditworthiness as part of its broader risk assessment. Fannie Mae does set minimums for standard manually underwritten loans: 620 for fixed-rate loans and 640 for adjustable-rate mortgages, assuming the loan meets Fannie Mae’s other requirements.
Freddie Mac similarly states that a minimum Indicator Score is not required for mortgages receiving an Accept risk class through Loan Product Advisor. Manually underwritten Freddie Mac loans have separate product- and transaction-specific requirements. So 620 shouldn’t be treated as the universal minimum for a conventional loan anymore.
Even when an automated system does not impose a fixed minimum, lenders can use overlays that require a particular score. A lower score can also affect pricing. Fannie Mae assesses loan-level price adjustments using the representative credit score along with other loan characteristics. Freddie Mac also uses credit-based pricing adjustments. A higher score may improve pricing, but there is no single score that guarantees the lowest available rate because loan purpose, LTV, occupancy and other pricing factors also matter.
FHA Loan Credit Score Requirements
FHA loans have the clearest program-level credit score thresholds. Your credit score also affects how much down payment is required for an FHA loan.
Under FHA policy, a borrower with a Minimum Decision Credit Score of 580 or higher can be eligible for maximum FHA financing. A borrower with a score from 500 through 579 is limited to a maximum 90% LTV under the standard score rules. A borrower with a score below 500 is not eligible for FHA-insured financing under those rules.
For an FHA purchase, maximum financing generally means 96.5% maximum LTV, which means a 3.5% minimum required down payment in most standard FHA loans. A score from 500 through 579 therefore generally means at least 10% equity or down payment is required because the maximum LTV is 90%.
Those are FHA program rules, but lenders can add additional requirements. An FHA-approved lender can establish a higher minimum score in what's called an overlay. The lender also considers the full credit history, debt ratios, income, assets and the underwriting recommendation. Having no usable credit score isn’t the same as having a score below 500. FHA has separate manual-underwriting rules for some borrowers without traditional credit.
VA Loan Credit Score Requirements
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not set a minimum credit score for VA-guaranteed home loans. VA states that lenders still determine whether a borrower meets their credit, income and other approval standards.
That means a lender can require a minimum score even though VA itself does not. The number is a lender requirement, not a VA program minimum. Another lender can use a different cutoff or evaluate the same credit profile differently within VA guidelines.
VA underwriting focuses on your overall ability to repay, not just the number attached to your credit file.
A lower score can still make approval more difficult if the credit report shows recent late payments, unresolved obligations or other adverse history. You also aren’t automatically disqualified just because you don’t have a traditional credit history. VA guidelines allow lenders to consider alternative credit in some cases.
USDA Loan Credit Score Requirements
USDA Rural Development doesn't have a single program-wide minimum credit score for its Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, but many lenders use 640 as a minimum credit score for USDA loans.
That's not a universal requirement, so exact minimums can vary by lender.
Current USDA credit guidance says the Guaranteed Underwriting System, or GUS, determines the acceptable credit score used for its underwriting recommendation. For GUS Accept or Accept with Full Documentation files, USDA does not require separate credit-score validation. Refer, Refer with Caution and manually underwritten files follow additional validation rules.
For manually underwritten USDA guaranteed loans, the lender generally selects the middle of three scores, the lower of two scores or a single reported score. Certain manually underwritten or Refer files also require at least one borrower whose income or assets are used to qualify to have a validated credit history. Nontraditional credit rules can provide another path in some cases.
A lender or investor can still impose a minimum score as an overlay. So a borrower may encounter a lender that requires a particular score even though USDA itself does not publish that number as the program minimum. USDA eligibility also depends on household income, eligible property location, repayment ability and the broader credit review.
Jumbo Loan Credit Score Requirements
Jumbo loans are not governed by a single credit score rule. The lender or investor that purchases or holds the loan sets the underwriting standard, which means there is no universal jumbo minimum credit score.
Jumbo loans usually come with tighter underwriting because lenders and investors are taking on more risk with a larger loan balance. Many lenders require credit scores of 660 or higher to qualify for a jumbo loan.
But a good credit score alone isn't all you need to qualify for a jumbo loan. A lender will usually evaluate the score together with the loan-to-value ratio, loan amount, property type, occupancy, your debt-to-income ratio and the amount of verified reserves.
That goes for all mortgage types, but it's especially important around jumbo loans.
HELOC And Home Equity Loan Credit Score Requirements
HELOCs and home equity loans don't have a federal minimum credit score.
Instead, HELOC credit score requirements and home equity loan credit score requirements vary by lender. Both of those loans are secured by the equity in your home, so a lender evaluates credit score together with combined loan-to-value ratio, income, debt obligations, property value and the requested credit line or loan amount.
The two loans work differently: A HELOC is an open-end revolving line of credit, while a home equity loan is generally a closed-end installment loan. The products can therefore have different underwriting and pricing rules even at the same lender. A score that qualifies for one product does not automatically establish eligibility for the other.
What If Your Credit Score Is Below The Minimum?
Having a low credit score isn't automatically disqualifying, especially since credit score requirements vary by lender and program. But it can limit your options and affect pricing.
First, you need to check whether the credit score requirement you are being quoted is a program rule or a lender overlay. FHA has specific federal credit score minimums, while the VA and USDA don't set the same kind of programwide minimum score, even though a lender can add one.
Conventional loans are different, too. An automated approval may not have a fixed minimum score even though a manually underwritten loan does.
Changing loan types can affect your required down payment, mortgage insurance or guarantee fees, property rules, income limits and underwriting standards.
If you don’t have a usable traditional credit score, FHA, VA and USDA rules may still allow lenders to evaluate nontraditional credit. That is different from having a low numeric score. Nontraditional underwriting can require documentation of payment history through items such as rent or other recurring obligations, depending on the program.
How To Improve Your Credit Before Applying
There is no guaranteed way to raise a credit score by a specific number of points on a fixed schedule. The most useful steps focus on the information that feeds the scoring models and on avoiding new problems while you are preparing for a mortgage.
Start by reviewing your credit reports for inaccurate information. The CFPB recommends checking your reports, disputing errors and understanding the scores a lender may use. Checking your own credit does not lower your score.
Pay every obligation on time. Payment history is an important part of credit scoring, and new late payments can be especially disruptive when you are preparing to apply for a mortgage. If an account is already past due, bringing it current can stop additional late payments from accumulating.
Reduce revolving balances when possible. Credit scoring models consider how much of your available revolving credit you are using. Lower balances can improve that part of the credit profile, but there is no single utilization percentage that guarantees mortgage approval or a particular score.
Avoid opening multiple new accounts shortly before applying unless there is a clear need. New hard inquiries and new accounts can affect your score and can also create new monthly obligations that change your debt-to-income ratio. Closing older accounts can also change your available credit and credit history, so it is better to evaluate the effect before making large changes solely to influence a score.
You don’t necessarily need a perfect score. You need a score and overall credit profile that work for the loan you’re trying to get.
The Bottom Line
Mortgage credit score requirements vary substantially by loan type. FHA publishes specific thresholds tied to maximum financing. VA and USDA do not set a programwide minimum score, while conventional automated underwriting can allow eligible loans without a fixed minimum loan-level score. Jumbo, HELOC and home equity requirements are lender- or investor-specific. And regardless of loan type, your lender can set a higher minimum than the program itself. Your score matters, but lenders also look at your income, debts, down payment, equity and the rest of your financial picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Credit Score Do You Need To Buy A House?
There is no single credit score required to buy a house, and requirements vary by loan type. FHA has formal score thresholds, while VA and USDA do not set a programwide minimum. Conventional requirements depend on the underwriting method and investor, and jumbo requirements are lender-specific. A lender can also impose a higher score requirement than the underlying program.
Is 620 The Minimum Credit Score For A Mortgage?
No. A 620 score is not a universal mortgage minimum. Fannie Mae currently requires 620 for standard manually underwritten fixed-rate loans, but Fannie Mae's automated underwriting does not have a minimum credit score requirement. Freddie Mac automated underwriting mortgages also do not require a minimum Indicator Score. VA and USDA do not set programwide minimum scores, while FHA permits lower scores under its published rules.
Can You Get An FHA Loan With A 500 Credit Score?
FHA policy allows borrowers with a Minimum Decision Credit Score from 500 through 579 to be eligible for FHA-insured financing at a maximum 90% LTV under the standard score rules. A lender can impose a higher minimum score, and the borrower must satisfy all other underwriting requirements.
Does VA Require A 620 Credit Score?
No. VA does not set a minimum credit score for a VA-guaranteed loan. A lender can establish its own minimum score or other credit standards, so a 620 requirement may be a lender overlay rather than a VA rule.
Does USDA Require A 640 Credit Score?
No. Current USDA guaranteed-loan guidance does not establish 640 as a programwide minimum credit score. GUS determines the underwriting recommendation, and manually underwritten or Refer files follow separate credit-validation rules. Individual lenders or investors can still require a minimum score.
Which Credit Score Do Mortgage Lenders Use?
Mortgage lenders may receive scores from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and use an investor-specific method to select the score used for underwriting or pricing. When three usable scores are available for one borrower, the middle score is commonly used. The score used for a mortgage can differ from a score shown by a credit card issuer or consumer credit app because the scoring model and underlying data may differ.
Can A Co-Borrower’s Lower Credit Score Affect The Mortgage?
Yes. The exact effect depends on the loan program and underwriting method. For example, Fannie Mae uses the representative credit score for pricing and has separate rules for determining eligibility on certain manually underwritten loans with multiple borrowers. A lower co-borrower score can therefore affect pricing or the underwriting result even when another borrower has stronger credit.
Does A Higher Credit Score Mean A Lower Mortgage Rate?
A higher score can improve the pricing available to a borrower, but it does not determine the mortgage rate by itself. The CFPB notes that credit score can affect both mortgage eligibility and the rate offered. LTV, loan type, loan purpose, occupancy, market conditions and lender pricing also affect the final rate and fees.
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