Nevada's down payment assistance in 2026 runs mainly through two state agencies. The Nevada Housing Division's Home Is Possible program pays up to 4% of the total loan amount for first-time buyers or up to 5% on its repeat-buyer track, and Nevada Rural Housing serves rural addresses with its Launchpad and Rural Rocks $20K programs. The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco's WISH grant adds a 4-to-1 savings match for first-time buyers at or below 80% of area median income. Most state assistance is a second mortgage you repay rather than a grant, and the larger assistance options carry a higher first-mortgage rate. On a $400,000 FHA purchase, the 3.5% minimum down payment is $14,000; Home Is Possible's 4% first-time option on the roughly $392,755 total loan is about $15,710, enough for the down payment and part of the closing costs. For the wider picture, including how assistance fits each loan type, see our statewide down payment assistance guide.
Home Is Possible (HIP) — Nevada Housing Division
Home Is Possible is run by the Nevada Housing Division and has two tracks. The first-time track pays up to 4% of the total loan amount for the down payment and closing costs, for buyers who have not owned a home in the past three years, within county income and price limits. The repeat-buyer track pays up to 5% with no first-time rule, income up to $165,000 and a price up to $832,750; you may own one other property outside Nevada at closing. On both tracks the assistance is a no-interest, no-payment, non-forgivable second mortgage on a 30-year note, so it is repaid, not forgiven. Both require a 640 credit score (660 for manufactured homes), a homebuyer education course for every borrower, a participating lender and owner occupancy, and both work with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans. More assistance costs rate: the Division's rate sheet as of October 12, 2026 priced first-time FHA, VA and USDA loans at 6.875% with 2% assistance and 7.125% with 4%, and repeat-buyer government loans at 7.675% with 3% and 7.875% with 5%. Government loans allow a 50% debt-to-income ratio with a 680+ score and 45% below 680.
Home Is Possible for Heroes, Teachers and Essential Workers
Home Is Possible for Heroes is not an assistance program. On the Division's rate sheet as of October 12, 2026 it is a first-mortgage option for VA and USDA loans only, with no down payment assistance attached and no current rate shown (N/A), a 640 minimum score, income up to $165,000 and a price up to $832,750. There is no 620-score or 5% grant version. Assistance for people in public-service jobs comes from two other Division programs. Worker Advantage pays $20,000 as a no-interest, no-payment, non-forgivable 30-year second mortgage to buyers in listed health care, education, public safety and construction jobs (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, teachers and building trades among them); it needs six months of Nevada residency, household income up to 150% of area median ($147,300 in Clark County), a price up to $832,750 and a 640 score, and it is not open to anyone who has used Home Is Possible before. Its program page now redirects to the Home Is Possible homepage and it was not on the Division's October 21, 2026 rate sheet, so confirm current availability with a participating lender. HIP for Teachers pays $7,500, forgiven over five years if you stay in the home, to licensed full-time K–12 public school classroom teachers, and the Division lists it as available through December 31, 2026, although its October 12, 2026 rate sheet shows no rate for it (N/A), so confirm with a lender. Veterans can use either Home Is Possible track with a VA loan.
Home At Last and Launchpad — Nevada Rural Housing
Nevada Rural Housing no longer pays assistance through Home At Last: its rates page for October 12, 2026 lists every Home At Last option as "0% - No DPA", an unassisted loan for buyers who already have their down payment. Its assistance now comes from Launchpad (3% or 5% of the loan amount, income up to $165,000, no first-time rule), Launchpad for First-Time Homebuyers (2% or 4%, county income and price limits) and Rural Rocks $20K ($20,000 per buyer and income up to 150% of area median, from a one-time $4,000,000 state allocation, enough for 200 loans, available since December 1, 2025 until it is used up, per its administrator's guidelines). Rural Rocks and Home At Last accept a 620 score through the agency's servicer The Money Source (TMS); through its other servicer, U.S. Bank, every program requires 640. Launchpad assistance is a no-interest deferred second mortgage that is never forgiven and is repaid when you sell, refinance, move out or reach the end of the 30-year term; Rural Rocks is forgiven only at the end of 30 years. "Rural" is a real limit. For Launchpad, the agency excludes the city limits of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Reno and the unincorporated townships of Enterprise, Paradise, Spring Valley and Sunrise Manor, so check any Clark or Washoe County address on its HALMap.org eligibility tool. The agency's mortgage credit certificate program paused on January 1, 2026 and is not taking new reservations.
WISH — Workforce Initiative Subsidy for Homeownership
WISH is run by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, whose district covers Arizona, California and Nevada, and is delivered only through participating member financial institutions such as banks and credit unions. The 2026 program has $13 million and pays 4-to-1 matching grants up to $32,837 per buyer toward the down payment and closing costs. To qualify you must be a first-time homebuyer at or below 80% of area median income, finish homebuyer counseling, contribute your own savings, gift funds or sweat equity, and open escrow within one year of enrolling. A WISH-assisted home carries a retention period; selling or refinancing during it can trigger repayment. The bank says WISH can complement other local, state and federal programs, but funds are limited, so ask a participating member early.
HUD HOME Funds — Clark County and City of Las Vegas
HUD HOME Investment Partnerships Program money reaches local governments as formula grants, and each jurisdiction decides whether any of it goes to homebuyers. Clark County's FY2026–2027 Annual Action Plan states that Clark County and North Las Vegas do not currently operate or fund homebuyer assistance programs with HOME funds. The county's Welcome Home Community Land Trust, for low- to moderate-income first-time buyers, expects to open homebuyer applications in fall 2026. I could not find an open City of Las Vegas down payment program on October 12, 2026; the city's 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan lists down payment help as a need, not a funded program. Ask the city's Department of Neighborhood Services, or your own city's housing office if you are buying elsewhere in the valley, before counting on local money.
Employer and Occupation-Based DPA Programs
The documented occupation-based programs in Nevada are the state's own: Worker Advantage ($20,000 for listed health care, education, public safety and construction jobs, while its funds last; confirm current availability with a participating lender) and HIP for Teachers ($7,500 for full-time K–12 public school classroom teachers, through December 31, 2026). Some private employers offer housing benefits, but I have not verified a current down payment program at any specific Las Vegas employer, so ask your benefits department and get the amount, repayment terms and any stay-on-the-job requirement in writing. Employer money generally has to be accepted by your lender and by whichever state program you use.
Stacking Programs — How to Combine Multiple DPA Sources
Stacking is narrower than many guides suggest. Home Is Possible and Nevada Rural Housing each tie their assistance to their own 30-year first mortgage, so a purchase uses one agency's program, and Worker Advantage is closed to anyone who has used Home Is Possible before. WISH is the main layer that can sit on top: the bank says its grants can complement other local, state and federal programs, subject to its first-time and 80%-of-median income rules. Your participating lender confirms what combines on your file before you write an offer. For lender matching, see our mortgage pre-approval guide.
Income and Price Limits (Clark County, 2026)
Under the Nevada Housing Division's first-time buyer limits, active since June 15, 2026, a Clark County household of one or two people can earn up to $105,500 and a household of three or more up to $121,325, on a price up to $566,354; certain areas of the county allow higher income. The first-time conventional option is limited to 80% of area median income and a $570,000 price. The repeat-buyer track uses one statewide cap, $165,000 of income and an $832,750 price, and Worker Advantage allows up to $147,300 in Clark County. Nevada Rural Housing's first-time Launchpad uses the same Clark County figures, with higher limits in qualified census tracts. Your loan type can be tighter still: the Division's homebuyer FAQ lists Clark County's one-unit FHA limit at $541,287.
How to Apply — The 7-Step Process
Step 1: Complete homebuyer education. The Nevada Housing Division offers a free online Freddie Mac course, and every borrower needs a certificate. Step 2: Get pre-approved with a participating lender. The Division's Find a HIP Lender tool lists them. Step 3: Choose the assistance level. Weigh the larger amount against the higher rate that comes with it. Step 4: Find your home with a buyer's agent who knows the program's price and occupancy rules. Step 5: Make an offer that states the financing plainly. Step 6: Reserve and underwrite the assistance. Your lender reserves it and underwrites it with your first mortgage; ask for its turn time before you agree to a closing date. Step 7: Close with the assistance applied at settlement and recorded as a second mortgage. For the full step-by-step with Las Vegas price context, see the first-time buyer guide, and for zero-down options outside the metros, our USDA loan guide.
What is Home Is Possible (HIP) in Nevada?
Home Is Possible is the Nevada Housing Division's statewide down payment assistance program. It pays up to 4% of the total loan amount for first-time buyers, or up to 5% on its repeat-buyer track, as a no-interest, no-payment, non-forgivable 30-year second mortgage. It works with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans through participating Nevada lenders.
Who qualifies for Home Is Possible?
You need a 640 credit score (660 for manufactured homes), a homebuyer education course, a participating lender and a home you will live in. The first-time track requires no home owned in the past three years and county limits (in Clark County, $105,500 of income for one or two people, $121,325 for three or more, and a $566,354 price, active since June 15, 2026). The repeat-buyer track has no first-time rule, an income cap of $165,000 and a price cap of $832,750.
What is Home At Last in Nevada?
Home At Last is Nevada Rural Housing's flagship loan, and as of October 12, 2026 it carries no down payment assistance; the agency lists it as an unassisted option for buyers who already have their funds. Its assistance now comes through Launchpad (2% to 5%) and Rural Rocks $20K, which serve rural addresses only. Launchpad excludes the city limits of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Reno and the unincorporated townships of Enterprise, Paradise, Spring Valley and Sunrise Manor.
Can I stack multiple Nevada DPA programs?
Only partly. Home Is Possible and Nevada Rural Housing each pair assistance with their own first mortgage, so you use one agency's program per purchase, and Worker Advantage excludes past Home Is Possible users. WISH, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco's 4-to-1 savings match of up to $32,837, can complement other programs for first-time buyers at or below 80% of area median income. Your lender confirms what combines.
Does Nevada DPA work with VA loans?
Yes. Both Home Is Possible tracks and Worker Advantage accept VA loans, and the Nevada Housing Division points VA borrowers who want to keep cash after closing to its repeat-buyer track. According to the VA, a VA purchase loan needs no down payment when the price is not above the appraised value, so assistance mostly goes toward closing costs. HIP for Heroes is a VA- and USDA-only first-mortgage rate with no assistance attached.
How long does DPA add to a Las Vegas closing timeline?
No published figure exists. Both state agencies work through participating lenders, who check eligibility and apply the assistance to your loan, and Nevada Rural Housing says there is no separate application and its programs do not slow a closing. Finish the homebuyer course before you shop and ask your lender for its assistance turn time before you agree to a closing date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common Nevada down payment assistance program?
Do I have to be a first-time buyer to qualify for Nevada DPA?
What credit score do I need for Nevada down payment assistance?
How much assistance can I get?
Is Nevada DPA a loan or a grant?
Can I use Nevada DPA with an FHA loan?
How long does the DPA application process take?
Can I combine Nevada DPA with a VA loan?
About Chris Nevada
Chris Nevada leads Nevada Real Estate Group — Nevada's #1 real estate team. Licensed in Nevada (S.181401) operating under LPT Realty, LLC. Program terms on this page were checked against each program's own pages on October 12, 2026 and change often; confirm current terms with a participating lender. Call (702) 637-1759 or email info@nevadagroup.com. NREG · 8945 W Russell Rd, Suite 170, Las Vegas, NV 89148.