Broward’s Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC): The Tax Discount That Is Not Down Payment Money
Nelson Paredes · REALTOR® · One Stop Realty Center Inc
Updated October 20, 2026
A tax discount
Status to be confirmed — last checked October 12, 2026. We could not confirm that the program is still issuing new certificates. Check the official source before you spend time or money.
It is not money for the down payment or the closing costs: it arrives afterward, in your federal taxes. There is no fixed amount, because it depends on your case.
The figures and requirements come from the official program page, checked on October 12, 2026. The status above comes from the last time we read it, with its date.
- How much: not money for the down payment: each year you pay less in taxes, because they take 10% to 50% of the interest on your loan off your tax bill (up to $2,000 a year if that percentage is above 20%).
- How it works: It is a discount on the federal taxes you pay, and you keep it for as long as you live in the home. If you sell within 9 years, depending on your income you may have to give back part of it.
- Who: first-time buyers (not required if you are a veteran or buy in a federal priority area) purchasing anywhere in Broward County a home priced up to $679,324, with household income within the cap in the table below.
- How to apply: through a lender on the county’s list. The steps are further down.
The program is run by Housing Finance Authority of Broward County. This is how the discount works:
It is a discount on the federal taxes you pay, and you keep it for as long as you live in the home. If you sell within 9 years, depending on your income you may have to give back part of it.
It does not arrive the day you buy: its value arrives afterward, in your taxes. That is why it does not lower what you need for the down payment or for the costs on the day you sign, and in Umbralio we show it apart from the programs that give money. How much it really saves you depends on the interest you pay and on your taxes: no one can give you a figure without seeing your case.
It is for first-time buyers who buy anywhere in Broward County. How the program counts “first-time buyer” is in the list further down.
The income cap depends on how many people live in your household:
People in your household The most your household can earn per year 1 $126,800 2 $126,800 3 $145,820 4 $145,820 5 $145,820 6 or more $145,820 The home can cost up to $679,324. That cap is not yet updated in the county’s FAQ: confirm it before you count on it.
This is what is still to be confirmed, or what the program asks for and we do not ask in the assistance finder:
- It has to be your first home in 3 years; this is not required in priority areas or for veterans.
- You have to take a homebuyer course.
- You have to move in and live in the home within the next 60 days.
- Your lender has to be one of the 7 on the county list.
- The county’s FAQ (updated August 17, 2026) gives the new limits: $126,800 for 1 or 2 people and $145,820 for 3 or more. The program guide (January 2026) still shows the old ones ($122,400 and $140,761), and the maximum home price is not updated in the FAQ yet.
- In priority areas the limits are higher: your household can earn up to $152,160 (1 or 2 people) or $177,520 (3 or more), and the home can cost up to $830,284 according to the January 2026 guide.
- 1Check that this is what suits youThis discount does not replace a program that gives money to close. Compare it with the other programs in Miami-Dade and Broward, using your own data, before you start gathering papers.See which programs could fit
- 2Confirm what is still to be confirmedRead the official page and ask the program about whatever is still open in the list above, especially the maximum home price and the income caps.
- 3Talk to a lender on the county’s listThe program asks that your lender be one of those on its list, and the published list is for 2026 only. Before you look for a home, confirm that yours is still on it.
- 4Prepare what the program asks forThe homebuyer course and moving into the home on time are in the list above. Its list of requirements overrides any summary, including this one.
Yes, it can be combined with the county purchase assistance and the housing fund. It cannot be combined with some state loans (the ones paid for with bonds), or with veterans loans of that same kind.
In the assistance finder you can compare this discount with the programs that give money in Miami-Dade and Broward, using your own numbers. The Assistance Tracker shows each program’s status with the date we checked it. This guide explains the terms, but it does not replace the program’s review of your case.
Does the MCC give me money for the down payment? No. It is not money for the down payment: each year you pay less in taxes, because they take 10% to 50% of the interest on your loan off your tax bill (up to $2,000 a year if that percentage is above 20%).
How much will I save? It depends on your case. It is in “How much it provides and how it is repaid”: the discount comes from the interest you pay and from your taxes. Without your figures, no one can give you an honest number.
Who can apply? First-time buyers (not required if you are a veteran or buy in a federal priority area) purchasing in Broward County, within the income and price caps in this guide. In priority areas the caps are different: they are in the list under “Who can apply”.
Can it be combined with other assistance? Yes, it can be combined with the county purchase assistance and the housing fund. It cannot be combined with some state loans (the ones paid for with bonds), or with veterans loans of that same kind.
What happens if I sell the home soon? It is a discount on the federal taxes you pay, and you keep it for as long as you live in the home. If you sell within 9 years, depending on your income you may have to give back part of it.
Figures and requirements checked on October 12, 2026 against the county’s official program page. Public program terms can change without notice: always confirm with Housing Finance Authority of Broward County before applying. This guide orients you, it does not advise you.
