Two Calculators, and the Second One Is the Point
Program and regulatory figures verified September 26, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Most assistance calculators tell you how much you get. In Missouri the number that changes decisions is how much you would hand back.
The two
- Assistance and exit calculator — what 4% comes to at your purchase price, and the balance still repayable in every year of the ten-year term.
- Income limit check — your area, household size and program against MHDC's table.
Why the exit column exists
Because "forgiven over 10 years" is the standard description and it is wrong. MHDC forgives nothing for five years, then 1/60 a month across years five to ten.
Seeing that as a table rather than a sentence changes how people decide. A buyer who expects to move in four years reads a row that says they repay everything, and either accepts it deliberately or chooses differently. Both outcomes are better than finding out at the closing table on the sale. The full explanation.
One thing to get right about the 4%
MHDC's assistance is 4% of the total mortgage amount, not of the purchase price. So it scales with what you borrow. Putting more of your own money down reduces the loan, which reduces the assistance.
That is the reverse of the intuition most people bring, and it is why the calculator asks for a down payment percentage rather than just a price.
What a calculator cannot tell you
Which program you are on. First Place or Next Step changes the income column and the price cap, and the answer depends on ownership history, veteran status and income. The two programs.
Your qualifying income. MHDC requires an income calculation worksheet covering all household members with documentation no older than 30 days at closing, and self-employment, overtime and bonus income are all calculated to a guideline rather than added up off a pay stub.
Whether the file works. Credit at 640 or 660, the ratio grid, flood zone, property type, reserves. None of that is arithmetic on a web page.
What is not here
No payment calculator and no rate figures. We publish neither anywhere on this site. A payment estimate without a locked rate and a real file behind it is a guess wearing a number's clothes, and people plan around it.
That includes the Non-DPA comparison. MHDC's manuals publish a rate spread between the assistance and non-assistance options; we will run it against your file and tell you the answer, but we will not post a rate here. Ask.
Frequently asked questions
How much MHDC down payment assistance will I get?
4% of the total mortgage amount, not of the purchase price, so it scales with what you borrow rather than with what the house costs. A larger down payment of your own reduces the loan and therefore reduces the assistance. MHDC down payment assistance is a forgivable second loan, not a grant.
What should I calculate first for MHDC?
Two things, in this order: whether your household fits the income limit for your area and program, because that is what actually decides Missouri files; and what you would still owe if you sold or refinanced early, because nothing is forgiven for the first five years. The purchase price cap almost never binds in Missouri, so it is the least useful thing to check.
Is there a Missouri mortgage payment calculator on this site?
No, deliberately. We publish no rate, APRs or payment figures anywhere on this site, because a payment estimate without a locked rate and a real file behind it is a guess presented as a number, and people plan around it. Ask us for a quote on your actual scenario and the assumptions will be written down alongside it.
Do these calculators store my information?
No. Both run entirely in your browser: nothing is transmitted and nothing is saved. They are arithmetic tools for checking a scenario against published MHDC figures, not applications, and they cannot tell you whether a file is approvable.
Why does the assistance calculator ask for a down payment percentage?
Because MHDC's assistance is 4% of the total mortgage amount rather than of the purchase price. The size of your own down payment changes the loan amount, which changes the assistance figure. That is the reverse of what most people assume, and it means putting more down reduces the help you receive.
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. MHDC program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Missouri Housing Development Commission and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against MHDC's published documents. MHDC down payment assistance is a forgivable second loan, not a grant, and selling or refinancing inside ten years can require repaying all or part of it. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.