How Much Down Payment Assistance Can You Get in Maryland?
Maryland is unusual: instead of one fixed amount, you pick from a menu, and you can layer outside help on top. Here is exactly how much down payment assistance you can get, and how to choose.
The menu, not a single number
Ask most states how much down payment help you can get and there is one answer. Maryland gives you a menu. Through the Maryland Mortgage Program you choose 3%, 4%, or 5% of your first mortgage, a flat $6,000, or 6% if your income is at or below 50% of the area median through HomeStart. On a $350,000 loan, 5% is $17,500; the flat $6,000 is a smaller, fixed alternative. Every option is a zero-percent deferred second with no monthly payment, repaid when you sell, refinance, transfer, or pay off the first mortgage.
Layering with Partner Match
Here is where Maryland gets generous. If you qualify for approved outside down payment help, an employer benefit, a county or city program, a community fund, the Maryland Mortgage Program’s Partner Match can add matching funds on top. Stacked up, the total down payment assistance can reach as high as 15% of the purchase price. That is far beyond what most single programs offer, and it is exactly the kind of layering that makes an expensive purchase in Montgomery or Anne Arundel County possible. See the Partner Match page.
How to choose your amount
More is not automatically better. A larger DPA is a larger deferred second to repay later, and the first-mortgage rate can differ across the options. Start with your actual cash to close and take the smallest amount that covers it, unless you are stretching, in which case size up to 5%, the 6% HomeStart, or a Partner Match. We run the numbers so you take the right amount, not just the biggest. Compare them on our DPA options page.
Common questions
How much down payment assistance can you get in Maryland?
You choose from a menu: 3%, 4%, or 5% of the first mortgage, a flat $6,000, or 6% through HomeStart (for households at/below 50% of AMI). With Partner Match layering approved outside help, total DPA can reach up to 15% of the purchase price. All are 0% deferred seconds.
What is the maximum down payment assistance in Maryland?
Layered with Partner Match, total down payment assistance can reach up to 15% of the purchase price. On its own, the largest single option is 6% (HomeStart, for households at/below 50% of AMI), then 5% of the loan.
Should I take the most Maryland down payment assistance I can?
Not necessarily. A larger DPA is a larger deferred second to repay, and the first-mortgage rate can differ across options. Take the smallest amount that covers your cash to close, unless you are stretching, then size up. A lender runs the numbers with you.
Ready to see your options?
Tell us your county, credit range, and price target, and we’ll map your Maryland path in a no-pressure 20-minute call. No obligation.