U.S. Mortgage Index

Down-payment assistance

Also called DPA

Definition

Down-payment assistance is help from a government or nonprofit program that can reduce the cash a buyer must bring to a home purchase. Official consumer material also calls these down-payment programs or grants. It is not the down payment itself.

In plain English

Some buyers receive extra funds to help with the money due at purchase. That help is down-payment assistance. The help may be a grant, a forgivable loan, or another local structure. The down payment is the buyer’s own cash toward the price. Assistance is a source of some of that cash.

Technical definition

CFPB’s key-terms heading for down-payment programs or grants is PRIMARY. It describes assistance from a government or nonprofit that may be an outright grant or may require repayment.

Why it matters

Shoppers mix down payment, assistance, and silent-second structures. The page names the assistance idea without turning every local program into a national rule.

Sources reviewed

Important note

Program rules and repayment terms vary. This page does not publish a national assistance menu.