How the 203(k) refinance worksheet works
The refinance worksheet builds a basis and applies the LTV factor. First it sums your existing-debt ceiling: your current payoff plus the financeable rehabilitation total (greater of $350 or 1.5% of the financeable rehabilitation subtotal is part of that total) plus your financeable closing costs and prepaids. Your basis is the lesser of that sum and the after-improved value. Your base mortgage is the basis times 97.75%, capped at the county forward limit, with financed UFMIP added on top.
How a refinance differs from a purchase
Both paths multiply a basis by an LTV factor, so the shape is the same. What differs is how the basis is built and which factor applies. A purchase basis is the lesser of your acquisition cost or 110% of the after-improved value, at a 96.5% factor. A refinance basis is the lesser of your existing-debt sum or the after-improved value, at a 97.75% factor. The existing-debt sum is a face-value ceiling: you cannot finance more than what you actually owe and pay, but the LTV factor still applies to the basis.
Standard versus Limited 203(k)
The Standard 203(k) handles structural and major work and requires at least $5,000 in rehabilitation, with a HUD consultant. The Limited 203(k) covers non-structural repairs up to $75,000 in total work and needs no consultant. The calculator flags a Limited scenario that runs over the cap or a Standard one below the minimum, so you land on the right path.
What the result does not include
A 203(k) rate-and-term refinance returns no more than $500 cash to the borrower, and it is for owner-occupied primary residences only. The contingency reserve is your input, because the FHA reserve is determined by the scope and the age and condition of the home rather than a fixed percentage. Eligible junior liens, a discount-point line, and an upfront MIP refund are optional inputs that default to zero. For a home owned fewer than 12 months, an adjusted as-is value rule can apply that this estimate does not model. Confirm the reserve, the county limit, and your seasoning for your file.
How to use this calculator
Pick Standard or Limited and your ownership history. Enter your existing payoff, the after-improved value, and each rehabilitation line. Add your financeable closing costs, any optional liens, points, or MIP refund, and your county limit. The result shows your financeable rehab total, your existing-debt sum and the after-improved value, which one is the governing basis, the base loan after the 97.75% factor and the county cap, the financed UFMIP, your MIP LTV, and your estimated cash to close. Nothing here is a rate, a quote, or an approval.
Sources
- HUD-92700 203(k) Maximum Mortgage Worksheet (Section D, refinance) / live FHA Connection 203k Calculator / HUD Handbook 4000.1 rate-and-term refinance rules (203(k) refinance maximum-mortgage rules, verified 2026-06-16)
- HUD Handbook 4000.1 (UFMIP 1.75%, 2026)
- HUD county FHA loan limit lookup (floor $541,287, ceiling $1,249,125)
Related
FHA 203(k) purchase calculator, Budgeting a renovation loan, Conventional renovation capacity calculator, FHA 203(k) Renovation, and Renovation loans.