Is Virginia Down Payment Assistance a Grant? (2026)
Partly. Virginia Housing offers true grants you never repay, and a larger second mortgage you do. Knowing which is which is the whole game. Here is the straight answer.
The straight answer
Virginia is one of the states where the answer is genuinely yes, for part of the program. The Down Payment Assistance Grant and the Closing Cost Assistance Grant are true grants. There is no second loan recorded, no monthly payment, and nothing to pay back, ever. That is different from many states, where the down payment second is always a loan you repay or that forgives over years. Virginia’s grants are simply money toward your purchase.
What is not a grant
The one piece that is not a grant is the Plus Second Mortgage. It is a larger amount of help, useful when a grant is not enough, especially in high-cost Northern Virginia, but it is a second loan you repay over time. So when someone says "Virginia down payment assistance," the honest answer is: the grants are free money, and the Plus Second is a repayable loan. You pick the one, or the mix, that fits. Compare them on our grant vs. Plus Second page.
The one catch on the grants
Because the grants are the most generous help, money you never repay, they carry lower income limits than Virginia Housing’s loan programs. So a higher-earning household might be over the grant limit but still qualify for the Plus Second or the loan itself. It is worth checking both. If a grant fits your income, it is usually the first choice; if not, the grants page explains the alternatives.
Common questions
Is Virginia down payment assistance a grant?
Partly. Virginia Housing's DPA Grant (down payment) and CCA Grant (closing costs) are true grants you never repay, with no second loan and no monthly payment. The Plus Second Mortgage is a larger, repayable second, not a grant. You choose the one, or the combination, that fits.
Do you repay the Virginia Housing grant?
No. The DPA Grant and CCA Grant are true grants, never repaid, with nothing recorded as a second mortgage and no monthly payment. Only the separate Plus Second Mortgage is repaid over time.
Why do the Virginia grants have lower income limits?
Because a grant is the most generous help, money you never repay, Virginia Housing sets lower income limits on the grant programs than on the loan programs. A higher-earning household may be over the grant limit but still qualify for the Plus Second Mortgage or the loan.
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