1,401,176 HECM reverse mortgages insured by FHA since 1989.
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Reverse mortgage question
The most you can get from a HECM is called your principal limit. It's based on three things: the age of the youngest borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse, your home's value up to the HECM lending limit, and the expected interest rate. Older ages and lower rates mean more money. Any mortgage you still owe is paid off first, and HUD limits how much you can take in the first year. The quickest way to see your number is our calculator.
The most a lender can make available to you on a reverse mortgage is called the principal limit. Think of it as the size of your pie. Everything else, paying off your old mortgage, closing costs, cash, a line of credit, comes out of that pie.
There's no single answer to "how much," because it depends on your numbers. But it's not a mystery either. Here's exactly what goes into it.
On a HECM, the FHA-insured reverse mortgage, HUD figures your principal limit from three things:
Your credit score doesn't set the amount. Your income doesn't either, though both are reviewed as part of the financial assessment.
Your principal limit isn't all cash in your pocket. A few things come off the top:
What's left is yours to take as a lump sum, monthly payments, a line of credit, or a mix.
HUD generally limits how much you can take in the first year. You can take the greater of 60 percent of your principal limit, or enough to pay off your mortgage and other required costs plus a little more. After the first year, the rest becomes available on an adjustable loan.
This limit catches people by surprise, especially on a fixed-rate HECM, where any money above the first-year limit is simply left on the table. See Fixed-Rate Reverse Mortgages.
If your home is worth well above the HECM limit, a proprietary (jumbo) reverse mortgage may give you access to more. Those programs use their own lending percentages and maximums. We compare programs including Mutual of Omaha Secure Equity, Finance of America HomeSafe, Longbridge Platinum, Smartfi Choice, Nationwide Equities EquityPower, and MCM Holdings MCM Edge, and availability varies by state. See Proprietary (Jumbo) Reverse Mortgages.
Use our reverse mortgage calculator. Enter your ZIP code, home value, what you owe, and your age, and you'll see an estimate for a HECM and jumbo options side by side. It's an estimate, not an offer. Your actual numbers depend on your appraisal, underwriting, and the rates on the day your loan is priced.
If you'd rather talk it through, call us at 530-888-6000 or start your reverse mortgage review.
Whatever the number turns out to be, remember the obligations that come with it. There are no required monthly mortgage payments. You must continue to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance, maintain the home, and meet the other loan terms.
ZYNG Mortgage, Inc., NMLS #76801. A reverse mortgage has no required monthly mortgage payments and uses your home's equity. Fees, mortgage insurance and other costs can be added to the loan balance, and the balance grows over time as interest is added, so your equity typically decreases. When the loan becomes due, the home may need to be sold, or the loan repaid from other funds. Interest is not tax-deductible until it is paid, in part or in full. You keep title to your home and must keep paying property taxes, homeowners insurance and upkeep, and meet the other loan terms; not doing so can make the loan due and could lead to foreclosure.
This material is not from HUD or FHA and was not approved by HUD or a government agency.
HECM count at the top of this page: HUD data through September 2026 (source, opens in a new tab).
