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Effective July 6, 2026

SONYMA income limits, county by county.

Every SONYMA income and purchase price limit for all 62 New York counties — Achieving the Dream, Low Interest Rate, and DPAL PLUS — by household size and target-area status. Look up your county below.

The short answer

SONYMA income limits are set by county and household size. In Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie counties, the limit is $98,480 for a 1–2 person household under Achieving the Dream and $123,100 under the Low Interest Rate Program. For a household of three or more, those rise to $113,250 and $141,565.

The purchase price limit for a one-family home is $566,350 in a non-target area and $692,210 in a target area — the same across every SONYMA region except the downstate high-cost counties, where it is $1,306,970 and $1,597,410.

DPAL PLUS — the down payment grant of up to $30,000 — carries its own, much lower limit: $70,680 for a 1–2 person Capital Region household. You can qualify for the loan and still be over the limit for the bigger grant.

Limits shown are for reservations accepted July 6, 2026 and until further notice. Source: NYS Homes and Community Renewal / SONYMA. Subject to change.
Look it up

Find your county's limits

Pick your county, your household size, and whether the home sits in a SONYMA target area. Household size counts every person living in the home, children included, regardless of age.

Achieving the Dream
max household income
Lowest SONYMA rate. Gateway to DPAL PLUS.
Low Interest Rate Program
max household income
Higher caps, 3% down, standard DPAL.
DPAL PLUS grant
max household income
Up to $30,000 down payment assistance.
Purchase price limits — Albany County, non-target
1 family, new or existing
2 family, existing
3 family, existing
4 family, existing

Income means gross annual household income before taxes for everyone on the loan — not the qualifying income a lender uses for your debt-to-income ratio. New two-family homes are permitted in target areas only. Not sure whether an address is in a target area? Ask Brian — it takes about a minute to check.

Read the fine print

Three things that trip buyers up

Gross, not qualifying

SONYMA counts gross annual household income before taxes and deductions. Your lender's qualifying income — the number behind your debt-to-income ratio — is calculated differently and is often lower.

That gap is why a borrower can sail through DTI and still be over the SONYMA limit.

The grant limit is lower

Passing the loan's income limit does not mean you pass DPAL PLUS. The $30,000 grant is capped at roughly 80% of area median income — about $28,000 lower than the Achieving the Dream limit in the Capital Region.

Standard DPAL, up to $15,000 or 3%, follows the loan's limits instead.

Target areas change everything

A target area raises the income limit by about 20% and the purchase price limit by about 22% — and it waives the first-time buyer requirement entirely.

Target areas are specific census tracts, not whole towns. Two houses on the same street can land differently.

All 62 counties

Full SONYMA income limit tables

Maximum gross annual household income by county, program, and household size. Effective for reservations accepted July 6, 2026 and until further notice.

SONYMA Region VI — Capital Region

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Albany$98,480$113,250$123,100$141,565$70,680$81,280
Montgomery$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Rensselaer$98,480$113,250$123,100$141,565$70,680$81,280
Saratoga$98,480$113,250$123,100$141,565$70,680$81,280
Schenectady$98,480$113,250$123,100$141,565$70,680$81,280
Schoharie$98,480$113,250$123,100$141,565$70,680$81,280

SONYMA Region VII — Mohawk Valley & North Country

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Clinton$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Essex$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Franklin$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Fulton$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Hamilton$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Herkimer$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Jefferson$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Lewis$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Oneida$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
St. Lawrence$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Warren$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Washington$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580

SONYMA Region V — Mid-Hudson

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Columbia$93,440$107,450$116,800$134,320$63,120$72,580
Dutchess$100,720$115,820$125,900$144,785$68,880$79,210
Greene$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Orange$100,720$115,820$125,900$144,785$68,880$79,210
Putnam$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Sullivan$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Ulster$93,840$107,910$117,300$134,895$67,020$77,070

SONYMA Region I — Buffalo

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Cattaraugus$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Chautauqua$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Erie$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Niagara$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580

SONYMA Region II — Rochester

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Genesee$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Livingston$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Monroe$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Ontario$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Orleans$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Seneca$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Wayne$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Wyoming$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Yates$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580

SONYMA Region III — Syracuse

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Cayuga$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Cortland$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Madison$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Onondaga$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Oswego$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580

SONYMA Region IV — Binghamton & Southern Tier

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Allegany$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Broome$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Chemung$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Chenango$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Delaware$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Otsego$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Schuyler$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Steuben$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Tioga$89,520$102,940$111,900$128,685$63,120$72,580
Tompkins$94,400$108,560$118,000$135,700$66,120$76,030

SONYMA Region VIII — Downstate

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Rockland$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Westchester$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$112,460$131,200

SONYMA Region IX — Long Island

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Nassau$157,720$184,010$197,160$230,020$112,460$131,200
Suffolk$157,720$184,010$197,160$230,020$112,460$131,200

SONYMA Region X — New York City

CountyAchieving the Dream
1–2 person
Achieving the Dream
3+ person
Low Interest Rate
1–2 person
Low Interest Rate
3+ person
DPAL PLUS
1–2 person
DPAL PLUS
3+ person
Bronx$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Kings (Brooklyn)$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
New York (Manhattan)$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Queens$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Richmond (Staten Island)$162,810$189,950$203,520$237,440$111,810$130,450
Price caps

SONYMA purchase price limits

Purchase price limits are the same in every SONYMA region except the downstate high-cost counties: Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and the five New York City boroughs.

Standard counties — Regions I–VII

Property typeNon-target areaTarget area
1 family, new or existing$566,350$692,210
2 family, existing (new in target areas only)$725,140$886,280
3 family, existing$876,490$1,071,270
4 family, existing$1,089,340$1,331,410

Downstate high-cost — Regions VIII–X & Putnam

Property typeNon-target areaTarget area
1 family, new or existing$1,306,970$1,597,410
2 family, existing (new in target areas only)$1,673,440$2,045,320
3 family, existing$2,022,730$2,472,220
4 family, existing$2,513,890$3,072,530
Good to know

Questions, answered

What are the SONYMA income limits in Albany County?+
For reservations accepted on or after July 6, 2026, the SONYMA income limit in Albany County is $98,480 for a 1–2 person household under Achieving the Dream and $123,100 under the Low Interest Rate Program. For households of three or more people, the limits are $113,250 and $141,565. Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie counties use the same limits.
What is the SONYMA purchase price limit in the Capital Region?+
In every SONYMA region outside the downstate high-cost counties, the purchase price limit for an existing or new one-family home is $566,350 in a non-target area and $692,210 in a target area. A two-family home is limited to $725,140 non-target and $886,280 target.
Does household size change my SONYMA income limit?+
Yes. SONYMA uses two brackets: 1–2 person households and 3-or-more person households. Household size counts every person living in the home including children, regardless of age — so a married couple with a toddler uses the 3+ person limit, which is roughly 15% higher.
What is a SONYMA target area and why does it raise the limit?+
Target areas are census tracts the State of New York has designated as economically distressed. Buying in one raises your income limit by about 20% and your purchase price limit by about 22%, and it also waives the first-time buyer requirement entirely.
Are DPAL PLUS income limits different from the loan's income limits?+
Yes, and this trips people up. DPAL PLUS — the down payment assistance grant of up to $30,000 — has its own, much lower income limits based on 80% of area median income. In Albany County that's $70,680 for a 1–2 person household, versus the $98,480 Achieving the Dream loan limit. You can qualify for the loan and still be over the limit for the larger grant.
Is income measured before or after taxes?+
SONYMA uses gross annual household income — before taxes and deductions — for every adult who will be on the loan, plus certain other household income. It is not the same as the qualifying income a lender uses for your debt-to-income ratio, which is why a borrower can pass DTI and still fail the SONYMA limit.
How often do SONYMA limits change?+
SONYMA updates income and purchase price limits periodically as HUD area median income figures and safe harbor limits are revised — historically once or twice a year. The figures on this page are effective for reservations accepted July 6, 2026 and until further notice.