Texas VA Loan Limits 2026
Full entitlement: no loan limit. Partial entitlement: $832,750 statewide. Plus how the Texas Veterans Land Board program differs.
2026 Texas VA loan limits depend on the veteran's entitlement status. Borrowers with full VA entitlement (no active VA loan and no past VA loan in default) have no loan limit — the VA guaranty applies to any loan amount the borrower qualifies for. Borrowers with partial entitlement use the 2026 county conforming loan limit, which is $832,750 statewide across all 254 Texas counties. Texas VLB: the state-administered Texas Veterans Land Board home loan program raised its maximum loan amount to $832,750 for 2026, matching the federal conforming limit. Why it matters: full-entitlement VA borrowers can purchase or refinance up to whatever the lender will underwrite, with zero down on any loan size.
Key facts
- No loan limit for full-entitlement VA borrowers (Department of Veterans Affairs, post Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019)
- $832,750 — partial-entitlement limit, statewide in Texas (matches the 2026 FHFA conforming limit; no Texas county uses a higher limit)
- $832,750 — Texas VLB home loan maximum, raised in January 2026 to match the conforming limit
- Funding fee waived for veterans receiving VA disability compensation, surviving spouses receiving DIC, and Purple Heart recipients (Isakson-Roe Act of 2020, Pub.L. 116-315)
- Texas 50(a)(6) restrictions effectively prevent VA cash-out refinances in Texas — VA purchase, rate-and-term refi, and IRRRL streamline are all available
- VA entitlement is reusable — can be restored after a prior VA loan is paid off or after a sale
Federal VA vs Texas VLB at a glance
The two programs serve overlapping populations but operate differently. Some borrowers qualify for and use both.
| Feature | Federal VA Loan | Texas VLB Home Loan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 loan limit | None (full entitlement); $832,750 statewide TX (partial entitlement) | $832,750 |
| Down payment | $0 with full entitlement | $0 with combined VA guaranty |
| PMI / MI | None | None |
| Funding fee | Required, waived for disability-rated veterans, surviving spouses (DIC), Purple Heart recipients | VLB-specific fees apply; check current program disclosures |
| Guarantor / funder | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (federal) | Texas General Land Office, funded by Texas general obligation bonds |
| Property types | Primary residence; single-family, VA-approved condos, up to 4 units owner-occupied | Primary residence in Texas; specific eligibility requirements |
| Cash-out refinance in Texas | Effectively unavailable (federal program rules conflict with Texas 50(a)(6)) | Subject to Texas 50(a)(6) restrictions |
| Citizenship / service requirement | Active duty, veterans, National Guard, Reserves, certain surviving spouses | Same plus Texas residency for VLB-specific benefits |
Background and context
VA loan limits were effectively removed for full-entitlement borrowers by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (Pub.L. 116-23). Before that, the VA used county-level limits the same way conventional and FHA loans do. After the law, full-entitlement borrowers have no statutory cap — the guaranty scales with the loan amount as long as the borrower qualifies and the lender approves.
Partial entitlement is the exception. If a borrower has an active VA loan (using up some of the entitlement) or had a prior VA loan that went into default, the VA caps its guaranty at 25% of the county conforming loan limit. In Texas for 2026 that's $832,750 statewide, since every Texas county uses the baseline conforming limit and no county is in a high-cost area.
The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) is a separate program. Run by the Texas General Land Office, the VLB offers below-market-rate home loans funded by state general obligation bonds. The maximum loan amount was raised to $832,750 in January 2026, matching the federal conforming limit. The VLB and federal VA can be combined on some files — the VA guaranty is layered on top of the VLB loan — though the eligibility and underwriting overlap is a separate conversation per file.
The funding fee is the biggest variable on a VA file. It's a one-time charge calculated as a percentage of the loan amount, varies by first-use or subsequent-use, by service status (regular military vs reserves/guard), and by down payment percentage. The Isakson-Roe Act of 2020 (Pub.L. 116-315) expanded the funding-fee exemption to include all veterans receiving any level of VA disability compensation, surviving spouses receiving DIC, and Purple Heart recipients. On a file where the borrower's disability rating triggers the exemption, the funding-fee savings often exceed $5,000 outright.
Texas-specific quirk worth knowing: the Texas Constitution's Section 50(a)(6) home equity restrictions effectively prevent VA cash-out refinances in Texas. The federal VA cash-out program's underwriting and disclosure requirements can't be reconciled with Texas's 80% LTV cap, 12-day cooling-off period, and 2% lender-fee cap. Conventional 50(a)(6) cash-out is available; VA cash-out generally isn't. See the Texas 50(a)(6) page for details.
Sources & methodology
All figures verified against primary sources as of May 11, 2026. This page is reviewed quarterly and after any federal or state announcement that changes the underlying figures.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — VA Loan Limits
- VA Lender Handbook M26-7 (entitlement calculations, funding fee schedule)
- Texas General Land Office — Veterans Home Loans (VLB program)
- Texas GLO press release — VLB raises home loan maximum to $832,750 (January 2026)
- Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 — Pub.L. 116-23 (removed VA loan limits for full-entitlement borrowers)
- Isakson-Roe Act of 2020 — Pub.L. 116-315 (expanded VA funding fee waivers)
- FHFA 2026 Conforming Loan Limit announcement (used as the partial-entitlement reference)
Questions I get about Texas VA limits
What is VA full entitlement?
Full VA entitlement means the borrower has never used a VA loan, or has fully restored entitlement after paying off or selling a prior VA-loan property. Borrowers with full entitlement have no loan limit — the VA guaranty applies regardless of the loan amount, subject to lender underwriting and the borrower's ability to repay.
What is VA partial entitlement?
Partial entitlement means the borrower has an active VA loan or a prior VA-loan default. For partial-entitlement borrowers, the VA guaranty is capped at 25% of the county conforming loan limit. In Texas for 2026 that's $832,750 statewide, since all 254 Texas counties use the baseline conforming limit.
Can I use my VA loan more than once?
Yes. VA entitlement is reusable. After a prior VA loan is paid off and the property is sold (or you refinance into a non-VA product), entitlement can be restored. In some cases, two VA loans can be active simultaneously using remaining entitlement.
What's the difference between federal VA and Texas VLB?
Federal VA loans are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and have no loan limit for full-entitlement borrowers. Texas VLB (Texas Veterans Land Board, administered by the General Land Office) is a separate state-administered program with its own loan limit ($832,750 for 2026) and below-market interest rates funded by Texas general obligation bonds. Borrowers can layer the two programs in some cases.
Do I have to pay the VA funding fee?
Most VA borrowers pay a one-time funding fee that varies by service status, down payment, and whether it's a first or subsequent use. The funding fee is fully waived for veterans receiving any level of VA disability compensation, surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and Purple Heart recipients. The Isakson-Roe Act of 2020 (Pub.L. 116-315) expanded the exemption to active-duty Purple Heart recipients.
Can I get a VA jumbo loan in Texas?
Yes for full-entitlement borrowers. Because full entitlement has no loan limit, a VA loan above the conforming limit ($832,750 in Texas) is still backed by the VA guaranty. Lenders may have their own internal caps and underwriting requirements for very large VA loans, but the program itself doesn't impose a ceiling.
Does Texas have any state-specific VA loan rules?
The biggest one is that Texas's constitutional 50(a)(6) home equity restrictions effectively prevent VA cash-out refinances in Texas. Federal VA cash-out program requirements can't be reconciled with the Texas Constitution's 80% LTV cap, 12-day waiting period, and 2% fee cap, so VA cash-out is generally not available in Texas. VA purchase loans, VA rate-and-term refinances, and VA IRRRL streamline refinances are all available.
Can a surviving spouse use VA entitlement?
Yes, in defined circumstances. Surviving spouses of veterans who died in service, from a service-connected disability, or who were rated totally disabled at the time of death are generally eligible. The spouse must not have remarried (with certain exceptions). The VA issues the surviving spouse a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) reflecting their entitlement.
How do I check my VA entitlement?
Request a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) through VA.gov, by mail using VA Form 26-1880, or through any VA-approved lender (most lenders can pull the COE electronically via WebLGY). The COE shows your basic entitlement, bonus entitlement, and any prior usage. I pull the COE on every VA file at the start.
VA file? Let's pull the COE and run the numbers.
Send me your scenario. I'll calculate your entitlement, check your funding fee exemption status, and tell you exactly what you qualify for.