California Down Payment Assistance
Dream For All can cover up to 20% of your purchase price — as much as $150,000 — for your down payment and closing costs, as a shared-appreciation loan paired with a CalHFA first mortgage. Here is how it works, who qualifies in 2026, and how to be first in line for the next round.
Most buyers stall on one thing: the down payment. Dream For All attacks exactly that. Instead of a grant, CalHFA lends you up to 20% of the purchase price (capped at $150,000) as a silent second with no monthly payment. You pair it with a CalHFA Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. On a $700,000 California home, 20% is $140,000 — potentially your entire down payment covered.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buyer type | First-generation homebuyer (you and your parents have not owned a U.S. home) |
| Occupancy | Primary residence only |
| Education | CalHFA-approved homebuyer education required |
| Income limit | Varies by county — ~$148k Del Norte, ~$168k Los Angeles, ~$309k Santa Clara (2026) |
| First mortgage | CalHFA Dream For All Conventional loan |
| Assistance | Up to 20% of price, max $150,000, for down payment / closing costs |
Timing (as of September 2026): the 2026 round's application portal closed March 16, 2026, and CalHFA has been issuing that round's vouchers. Demand far exceeds funding, so rounds open briefly and fill fast. CalHFA has indicated applications will reopen in a future window. See our updates: Dream For All 2026 update and what happened and the next round.
Dream For All is not free money and it is not a traditional second mortgage with monthly payments. You make no monthly payment on the assistance. When you sell, transfer title, or pay off the first mortgage, you repay the original assistance amount plus a share of the home's appreciation. The share depends on your income tier. Before you commit, we run the repayment math with you so there are no surprises.
Vouchers are awarded in a narrow window and gone quickly. The buyers who win are the ones already fully pre-approved with documents ready. That is the single most valuable thing you can do today. We'll pre-approve you, confirm your county income limit and first-generation status, line up your homebuyer education, and have your file ready to submit the moment the portal reopens.
See also our CalHFA down payment assistance 2026 guide and first-time buyer loans.
Dream For All is a California down payment assistance program run by CalHFA. It provides a shared-appreciation second loan — up to 20% of the purchase price (capped at $150,000) — toward your down payment and closing costs, paired with a CalHFA Dream For All Conventional first mortgage. You repay the original amount plus a share of the home's appreciation when you sell, transfer, or pay off the first mortgage.
Up to 20% of the purchase price for down payment and/or closing costs, not to exceed $150,000. On many California purchases this can cover the entire down payment.
You must be a first-generation homebuyer, occupy the home as your primary residence, complete homebuyer education, and have income within CalHFA's Dream For All limit for your county. Those limits vary widely — roughly $148,000 in Del Norte County, about $168,000 in Los Angeles County, and up to about $309,000 in Santa Clara County. Confirm your county's current limit with us or CalHFA.
The 2026 voucher round's application portal closed on March 16, 2026, and CalHFA has been processing that round's vouchers. CalHFA has announced applications are expected to reopen in a future round. The best move is to get fully pre-approved now so you're ready the day the next window opens — call us and we'll prepare your file.
When you sell the home, transfer title, or pay off the first mortgage, you repay the original assistance amount plus an agreed share of how much the home appreciated. The exact share depends on your income tier; we'll walk you through the numbers before you commit.
Dream For All targets first-generation homebuyers (you, and generally your parents, have not owned a home in the U.S.). This is different from a standard first-time-buyer program. We can confirm whether you meet the first-generation definition.
We'll pre-approve you now, confirm eligibility, and hold your file ready to submit the moment the next round opens. Free, no credit pull to start.