Austin & Travis County Down Payment Assistance
Austin is the priciest major Texas metro, which is exactly why down payment assistance matters here. The Austin area also carries Texas's highest TDHCA income limits. Here is how TDHCA and TSAHC work across Travis and Williamson counties.
How DPA works in the Austin area
Austin sits at the top of the Texas price ladder, and the program limits reflect it. The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell) gets the state’s highest TDHCA income limit, $134,400 for a couple and $154,560 for a larger household, and the highest price cap, $598,019 in non-targeted areas. That is deliberate: Austin prices needed higher ceilings for the programs to reach real buyers. Both TDHCA and TSAHC operate here, with 2% to 5% assistance as a zero-percent second.
Where the cap fits around Austin
The high cap still gets tested in central Austin, but the metro has room. Round Rock, Pflugerville, Hutto, and Leander in Williamson County carry a deep supply under the cap, as do Manor and Del Valle east of the city, Buda and Kyle in Hays County, and Bastrop to the southeast. The central and west Austin neighborhoods, and much of the tech corridor along the 45 toll, run past the cap. For a first-time Austin buyer, the assistance plus a fringe-metro home is often what makes the math work.
A note for Austin tech workers
Plenty of Austin buyers assume assistance programs are only for lower incomes. The $134,400 to $154,560 TDHCA limit here is high enough that many dual-income tech households still qualify, and TSAHC’s limits run higher still. If one of you recently started a job in the corridor, we can usually count that income once it is documented. Because My Choice Texas Home has no first-time requirement, a couple selling a first condo to move up in Round Rock can still use the assistance.
TDHCA income and purchase-price limits vary by county/MSA and are current per the TDHCA limits page; TSAHC limits are on tsahc.org. Figures change; confirm your county before relying on one. See our eligibility page.
Common questions
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Austin?
The TDHCA Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA income limit (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell) is $134,400 for a 1-2 person household and $154,560 for 3 or more, the highest in Texas. TSAHC limits are higher and set separately.
What is the maximum home price for TDHCA in Austin?
The TDHCA maximum purchase price in the Austin MSA is $598,019 in non-targeted areas and $730,912 in targeted areas, the highest of any Texas metro.
Can Austin tech workers qualify for down payment assistance?
Often yes. Austin's TDHCA income limit ($134,400 / $154,560) is the highest in Texas, and TSAHC's limits run higher, so many dual-income households qualify. My Choice Texas Home also has no first-time-buyer requirement.
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