Down Payment Assistance in Wisconsin, Explained Properly
Program and regulatory figures verified October 4, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Wisconsin's assistance is real money and genuinely useful. The way it gets described almost everywhere hides the one decision that matters, and that decision is made for you by your income.
Why is this a fork and not a menu?
WHEDA publishes two down payment assistance programs and most guidance lists them side by side as options a buyer picks between on preference. The Capital Access Advantage Product Matrix is blunter than that: Capital Access cannot be used in tandem with WHEDA Easy Close DPA. You get one. And in practice your household income picks it before you do.
| Easy Close DPA | Capital Access DPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | $1,000 minimum, up to 6% of the lesser of purchase price or appraised value | Flat $7,500 |
| Structure | Amortizing second, fully amortized over 10 years | Deferred, zero interest |
| Monthly payment | Yes — and it counts in your debt ratio | None until payoff or refinance |
| Income table | WHEDA Advantage household compliance limits | Separate, much lower limits by household size |
| Where | Anywhere in Wisconsin | Only in a high housing needs area |
| Loan purpose | Down payment, closing costs, prepaids | Purchase only |
The full comparison, with the income tables side by side.
How far apart are the two income limits?
Far enough to decide the question for most households. Easy Close rides the WHEDA Advantage compliance limits, published per county with a one-to-two person column and a three-or-more column. Capital Access has its own table, published by household size from one to eight people, and it sits materially lower at every county.
| Dane County, eff. 6/13/2026 | Easy Close | Capital Access |
|---|---|---|
| Household of 1 | $135,300 | $74,800 |
| Household of 2 | $135,300 | $85,450 |
| Household of 4 | $155,595 | $106,800 |
A Dane County family of four earning $120,000 is comfortably inside Easy Close and over the Capital Access limit by a wide margin. Nothing about their preference enters into it. Your county's numbers.
Does Easy Close really add a payment?
Yes, and this is the detail that surprises people at closing. Easy Close is a second mortgage fully amortized over ten years at the same rate as your WHEDA Advantage first mortgage. WHEDA's Advantage Conventional Underwriting Guide, last updated 03/11/2026, lists eligible community seconds assistance including Easy Close inside the monthly housing expense section. That means the payment is part of your debt ratio from day one.
It is still a good deal. It is simply not free money, and a borrower who budgets as though it were has mis-planned their first ten years. What that looks like month to month.
Why do WHEDA's own numbers disagree with each other?
Because the comparison sheet still linked from wheda.com has not been revised in five years. Its footer reads Updated 5/19/2021, and it describes Capital Access as the greater of $3,050 or 3% of the purchase price on conventional and 3.5% on FHA. The current Capital Access Advantage Product Matrix and WHEDA's live program page both state a flat $7,500.
If you have been quoted a Capital Access figure as a percentage of your price, it came from the old sheet. The two documents, side by side.
What are the price and loan limits?
Purchase price limits took effect 6/13/2026. Loan limits are separate and were set earlier.
| Limit | Non-target | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price, 1 unit | $566,364 | $692,222 |
| Purchase price, 2–4 unit | $725,146 | $886,290 |
Every one of Wisconsin's 72 counties sits at the $832,750 conventional baseline, with none above it. On FHA, only Pierce and St. Croix counties are higher — $552,000 against $541,287 everywhere else — because both sit inside the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro. Why those two counties are different.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use both WHEDA down payment assistance programs together?
No. The Capital Access Advantage Product Matrix states that Capital Access cannot be used in tandem with WHEDA Easy Close DPA. A borrower takes one or the other. In practice household income usually decides which, because the two programs run on separate income tables and the Capital Access limits are materially lower.How much down payment assistance can I get in Wisconsin?
Easy Close provides a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of 6% of the lesser of the purchase price or the appraised value. Capital Access provides a flat $7,500. Both are second mortgages behind a WHEDA Advantage first mortgage, and both are capped by a 105% maximum combined loan to value.Does Wisconsin down payment assistance have to be repaid?
Both are loans, not grants. Easy Close is fully amortized over ten years at the first mortgage rate, so it is repaid through a monthly payment. Capital Access is deferred at zero interest with no monthly payment, and becomes due when the first mortgage is paid in full or refinanced.What credit score do I need for a WHEDA loan?
The minimum is 620 for WHEDA Advantage Conventional and 640 for WHEDA Advantage FHA. The FHA program requires a 3.5% minimum borrower investment, which down payment assistance may satisfy. WHEDA down payment assistance funds do not count as the borrower's own funds toward any required minimum contribution.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. WHEDA program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against WHEDA's published documents. Easy Close down payment assistance is an amortizing second mortgage with a monthly payment, not a grant. Capital Access is a deferred second mortgage repayable when the first mortgage is paid off or refinanced. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.