Calculate your full FHA mortgage payment including the upfront mortgage insurance premium and monthly MIP that conventional calculators leave out.
FHA loans require two separate insurance charges: an Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) of 1.75% of the loan, typically financed into the loan, plus an annual MIP charged monthly, usually 0.15%-0.75% of the loan depending on term and LTV.
Total financed amount = Base loan + (Base loan × 1.75% UFMIP)
Monthly MIP is calculated on the base loan amount, not the financed total including UFMIP.
FHA allows down payments as low as 3.5% with credit scores from 580, and 10% down with scores from 500 — far more accessible than most conventional programs. The tradeoff is MIP, which in many cases lasts for the life of the loan rather than being removable at 80% LTV like conventional PMI.
On a small down payment, FHA MIP is often cheaper than conventional PMI in the early years, since conventional PMI rates rise sharply for low credit scores. But because FHA MIP frequently does not cancel, a long-term hold can make conventional cheaper overall once you cross 80% LTV. Refinancing out of FHA into conventional once you reach sufficient equity is a common strategy.
Compare against conventional financing with the PMI Calculator, or see full closing costs in the Closing Cost Calculator.