FHA Loans in Missouri: One Loan Limit From Kansas City to Springfield

Drive Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City, then I-44 down to Springfield, and the FHA loan limit never changes. It is $541,287 for a one-unit home in every one of Missouri's 115 counties and county equivalents. That comes from the 2026 limits HUD published in Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, which apply to FHA loans whose case numbers were assigned on or after January 1, 2026.

An FHA loan in Missouri can be up to $541,287 on a one-unit home in any county. The median home in the Kansas City and Springfield markets costs far less than that, so the limit is rarely what decides a Missouri file. The cash you bring does, and Missouri's constitution bars new transfer taxes while state law leaves title-service and closing fees uncapped.

I'm Jeff Moran, NMLS #483943, licensed to originate in Missouri through C2 Financial Corporation, and I have been in the mortgage business since 1996. The Missouri page covers the closing rules, and the FHA explainer covers how the program works everywhere.

What is the FHA loan limit in Missouri?

It depends on the number of units, and it is the lowest limit FHA sets anywhere in the country, which HUD calls the floor. Missouri has no county above it.

Units	2026 FHA limit in every Missouri county
One	$541,287
Two	$693,050
Three	$837,700
Four	$1,041,125

The larger figures matter if you plan to live in one unit of a two- to four-unit property. HUD's Handbook 4000.1 says FHA's single-family programs are for one- to four-family properties that you will occupy as your principal residence.

The Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS reported a median sales price of $332,000 for new and existing homes combined in September 2026, across Heartland MLS counties on both the Missouri and Kansas sides. The Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS reported a Greater Springfield median of $289,500 for September 2026. My Kansas City page and Springfield page have the details. A client buying at either median is nowhere near the limit.

How much cash does an FHA purchase take in Missouri?

HUD's Handbook 4000.1 calls the cash you put in the minimum required investment. The minimum is 3.5 percent of the home's adjusted value, which is the lesser of the price (less any seller payments the handbook treats as price cuts) or the appraised value. A client with a credit score of 580 or higher can borrow the maximum, which is 96.5 percent of that value. A score between 500 and 579 limits the loan to 90 percent.

The table below shows a $300,000 purchase.

Example: a $300,000 purchase
Minimum required investment, 3.5%	$10,500
Base loan amount	$289,500
Upfront mortgage insurance premium, 1.75% of the base loan	$5,066
Loan after financing that premium	$294,566

The handbook sets the upfront premium at 1.75 percent of the base loan, and you can finance it into the loan or pay it in cash. A monthly premium follows, and the Loan Estimate shows your actual dollars for both.

The handbook also says closing costs, prepaid items and other fees may not be applied toward the minimum required investment. So the $10,500 above is separate from your closing costs, and Missouri is where those get interesting.

What makes Missouri's closing costs different?

Missouri's constitution, in article X, section 25, bars new taxes on the transfer of real estate, and Missouri doesn't charge a general state transfer or mortgage-recording tax. The government side of the closing is mostly ordinary recording charges.

Missouri's own disclosure form then draws a line. Title premium and closing-protection charges follow filed rates, and title-service, closing and other fees are not capped by state law. On an FHA file, where the minimum investment is already spoken for, those uncapped fees are the part you can still compare. Please ask two or three providers for their settlement and title-service charges as separate lines.

Missouri does not require an attorney to close. Section 381.022 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri lets a title insurer, title agency or unaffiliated title agent act as the closing agent. FHA adds a check of its own: the lender confirms that nobody involved in the transaction, including the closing agent and the title company, is on HUD's exclusion list.

Can the seller pay my FHA closing costs in Missouri?

Up to a point, yes. The handbook lets sellers, agents, builders and other interested parties contribute up to 6 percent of the sales price toward your closing costs, prepaid items, discount points and the upfront premium. On the $300,000 example that ceiling is $18,000. Anything above 6 percent is what the handbook calls an inducement to purchase, meaning FHA treats it as a price cut and lowers the value it lends against. None of these credits can be used for the minimum required investment.

No Missouri statute or regulator assigns the owner's title policy to the buyer or the seller, and I found no statewide custom that does, so the purchase contract decides who pays it. That makes it one more line you can ask for in the offer, and I can run the version with and without it before you write the contract.

Buying an FHA home near the Kansas City state line

The loan limit does not change. All 105 Kansas counties are also at the $541,287 floor, so an FHA client crossing State Line Road keeps the same ceiling. The closing rules do change: Kansas requires title agents in counties of 10,000 or more people to file their closing and escrow charges, and Missouri does not cap them. Please confirm which state the home is in before you compare two estimates, and the Kansas page has the details.

Where to start

When you're ready, you can see rates and the payment for a home in your price range, with Missouri closing costs included, and you choose the option that works best for you. Which loan fits puts FHA next to conventional and VA, and how to get pre-approved explains what I will ask for.

Nothing here is a loan approval, a denial, or a commitment to lend, and final approval depends on the property, the appraisal and full underwriting. Limits and premiums are revised periodically, so please confirm current figures with me.

Common questions

What is the FHA loan limit in Missouri for 2026?

Every Missouri county is at the national floor for a one-unit home, and the two-, three- and four-unit limits are also the national floor figures. The limit does not vary between St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and the rural counties. It applies to FHA loans whose case numbers were assigned on or after January 1, 2026.

How much do I need down for an FHA loan in Missouri?

HUD's Handbook 4000.1 requires at least 3.5 percent of the home's value, which is the lesser of the price or the appraised value. A credit score of 580 or higher qualifies for the maximum loan, and closing costs are in addition to that cash.

Can a gift or a seller credit cover my FHA down payment in Missouri?

A gift from an acceptable donor can, with a signed gift letter and a documented transfer. A seller credit cannot, because interested party contributions may not be used for the minimum required investment. Seller credits can go toward closing costs, prepaid items, points and the upfront premium.

Do I need an attorney to close an FHA loan in Missouri?

No attorney is required. Missouri law lets a title insurer, title agency or unaffiliated title agent serve as the closing agent, and an attorney can advise you if you choose to hire one.

Is the FHA limit different in Kansas City, Kansas?

No. All of Kansas is also at the national floor, so the limit is the same on both sides of the state line. The closing rules differ, so please confirm which state the home is in before you compare costs.