FHA Equity Calc method
How we research
How the math works
Before anything is published on FHA Equity Calc, the rule or definition it describes is traced back to the agency or investor that wrote it. HUD's FHA rules and the CFPB's Loan Estimate explainers anchor every line of the calculator, and they are rechecked first.
Last reviewed against the primary sources listed below.
Where questions come from
We start with the wording real readers use, collected from free public search suggestions, and keep only questions that fit this site's subject.
Sources we rely on
Pages cite these primary sources, among others. Each guide lists the exact sources it used at the bottom of the page.
- HUD Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1
- HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05: Reduction of FHA annual mortgage insurance premium rates
- HUD FHA Resource Center: answers to common questions
- CFPB: What is a loan-to-value ratio and how does it relate to my costs?
- CFPB: What is mortgage insurance and how does it work?
- CFPB: What is a home equity line of credit (HELOC)?
- CFPB: Loan Estimate explainer
- CFPB: How should I use lender credits and points (also called discount points)?
How a page is checked
- Each factual statement is matched to a primary source.
- Plain-language wording is compared back to the source so meaning is not lost.
- A page shows a new review date only after it has been rechecked.
Pages written this way
- Which home value FHA uses for a cash-out refinance
- What an FHA cash-out refinance must pay off
- Is the FHA upfront MIP included in the cash-out limit?
- FHA cash-out closing costs: paid from proceeds or out of pocket
- Monthly cost after an FHA cash-out refinance
- How to read an FHA cash-out estimate
- What a low appraisal does to your FHA cash-out estimate
- How to compare two FHA cash-out scenarios side by side
About the FHA Equity Calc calculator
The FHA Equity Calc calculator runs in your browser on the numbers or answers you enter. Nothing is prefilled, stored or sent.
HUD and consumer sources
- HUD Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1
- HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05: Reduction of FHA annual mortgage insurance premium rates
- HUD FHA Resource Center: answers to common questions
- CFPB: What is a loan-to-value ratio and how does it relate to my costs?
- CFPB: What is mortgage insurance and how does it work?
- CFPB: What is a home equity line of credit (HELOC)?
- CFPB: Loan Estimate explainer
- CFPB: How should I use lender credits and points (also called discount points)?