How to use this HELOC requirements calculator
- Home: what your home is worth, everything you owe on it (mortgage, second mortgage, any HELOC balance), the state and how you use the home.
- Credit: your credit score range and the line amount you want.
- Income (optional): gross monthly income and monthly debt payments, for a debt-to-income estimate. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
- Results: how many of the 15 lenders publish rules your numbers meet; the list below the calculator shows each lender A-Z with the reason and a link to every rule.
The rules come from each lender's own website, read on October 7, 2026. Lenders are listed alphabetically, never ranked, and this page carries no sponsored links. The full table of the terms they publish, with quotes, is on our HELOC lender terms page.
The CLTV limit: how much of your home you can borrow against
The CFPB describes a HELOC's limit as generally a percentage of your home's appraised value minus what you owe on your mortgage. Lenders write that percentage as a maximum combined loan-to-value ratio (CLTV): everything owed on the home, the new line included, divided by its value.
Largest line = home value × CLTV cap − everything you owe on the home
Example: $450,000 home, $250,000 owed: at 80%, $110,000; at 85%, $132,500; at 90%, $155,000
7 of the 15 lenders publish a cap: Bank of America 85% (generally), Chase 80% (typically), Citizens 85% (labeled "Max Loan to Value"; shown for RI), Huntington Bank 89.99%, KeyBank 80% (owner-occupied homes), PNC Bank 79.90% to 89.90% (generally; labeled "Maximum LTVs") and Spring EQ 90%. Citizens and PNC Bank label their number a maximum loan-to-value (LTV) without saying whether it counts your mortgage; the calculator compares it with your CLTV. TD Bank says its maximum CLTV is based on creditworthiness, property type, occupancy, lien position and loan amount, without a number. Navy Federal Credit Union says "Borrow up to 95% of your home's equity": a share of your equity, not a cap on everything owed on the home, so the calculator does not use it. The others publish no general cap.
Credit score minimums
5 lenders publish a minimum: Spring EQ 640 ("as low as"), Bank of America 660, U.S. Bank 660, Chase 680 and Citizens 680 (shown for RI). The calculator compares your range with each one: a range wholly at or above the minimum meets it, one wholly below misses it, and one that straddles it is a "can't tell". Ranges start and end at the published minimums, so a straddle is rare. The other 10 lenders publish no minimum.
Texas rules
The Texas Constitution (article XVI, section 50(a)(6)(B) and (t)(5)) limits a home equity line on a homestead, together with all other debt on it, to 80% of the home's fair market value, and section 50(t)(2) requires each advance to be at least $4,000. The calculator applies 80% to a house or condo you live in, whatever cap a lender publishes elsewhere. For a lender that publishes no cap, this limit can only rule a line out: staying under it does not count as meeting a rule the lender set.
Bank of America (typically 80%), Huntington Bank, PNC Bank and Regions Bank publish Texas terms (80%). PNC Bank lends in Texas only on a primary residence. Not offered in Texas: BMO, Chase, Citizens and Navy Federal Credit Union. Figure does not offer its variable-rate line there.
Debt-to-income: checked by lenders, not published
Regulation Z's ability-to-repay rule (12 CFR 1026.43) does not apply to a home equity line of credit, so each lender sets its own limit. None of the 15 lenders publishes a maximum debt-to-income ratio on the pages we read, although several say they look at it. The calculator shows your ratio (monthly debt payments ÷ gross monthly income) before and after the line's interest-only payment, without grading it.
What this check cannot see
- Your full application. Income, debts, credit history and the lender's own appraisal decide the answer, and the appraised value may differ from the value you enter.
- Rules lenders do not publish. For example, Citizens says its lines are not available for homes currently for sale, and Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, TD Bank and U.S. Bank publish no list of states. Regions Bank lends only in states where it has a branch and does not list them, so it is always a "can't tell".
- Terms shown for one location. Citizens shows some figures for one state until you enter a ZIP code; the calculator marks them "can't tell" for other states.
- Changes after you open the line. Federal rules let a lender freeze or reduce a HELOC if your home's value falls significantly below its appraised value or your finances change for the worse (12 CFR 1026.40(f)(3)(vi); see also the CFPB and its HELOC booklet).
Chase, for example, names its key HELOC requirements as a good-to-excellent credit score, stable income, enough available home equity and a low debt-to-income ratio.
Lenders not in the comparison
- PenFed Credit Union: its page shows terms only after a browser script runs; our HELOC terms page lists them from a copy rendered in Chrome, but this check reads only pages saved as published.
- Wells Fargo: we found no current HELOC on its website (not confirmed).
- Third Federal Savings & Loan: its website blocked our download.
- Flagstar Bank: its website blocked our download.
Bank of America, BMO, Chase, Citizens, Fifth Third Bank, Figure, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC Bank, Regions Bank, Spring EQ, TD Bank, Truist and U.S. Bank are compared. Ask any lender for its current requirements before you apply.
HELOC requirements questions people ask
What disqualifies you from getting a HELOC?
Missing any rule the lender sets. Among the 15 lenders we checked, the published rules are about equity, credit, the line amount and the home: 7 cap the loans on the home, the new line included, at 79.90% to 90% of its value (Citizens and PNC Bank label theirs a loan-to-value limit); 5 publish a minimum credit score from 640 to 680; 10 publish a minimum line (plus Huntington Bank only for North Carolina) and 8 a hard maximum; and some lend only in certain states or on certain homes (Chase: single-family homes only, and not in Texas). U.S. Bank adds that it looks at your debt-to-income ratio and income history, and Huntington that approval depends on an acceptable appraisal and title search.
Sources: U.S. Bank: Home equity line of credit, Huntington: Home equity lines of credit, Chase: Home equity line of credit
How difficult is it to qualify for a HELOC?
It depends on your equity, your credit and the lender. With the numbers this calculator starts with (a $450,000 home, $250,000 owed and a $75,000 line, a CLTV of 72.22%) and a 720-759 score in California, 13 of the 15 lenders publish rules those numbers meet, 1 publishes one they miss, and for 1 we can't tell from what they publish. Meeting them is not approval: Truist says your credit score is only one of the factors in underwriting, along with sufficient equity and an allowable debt-to-income ratio, and that an approved home valuation is always required.
Can I get a HELOC with a 500 credit score?
Not from any lender here that publishes a minimum. The published minimums are 640 at Spring EQ; 660 at Bank of America and U.S. Bank; 680 at Chase and Citizens (shown for RI); Spring EQ's is an "as low as" figure. The other 10 lenders do not publish a minimum score, so their answer is unknown until you ask them.
Sources: Bank of America: credit score, Chase: credit score, Citizens: credit score, Spring EQ: credit score, U.S. Bank: credit score
What is a good LTV for a HELOC?
For a HELOC, lenders look at the combined loan-to-value ratio (CLTV): everything owed on the home, the new line included, divided by its value. The lower it is, the more caps it fits. The published caps run from 79.90% (PNC Bank, low end of its range) to 90% (Spring EQ), so a CLTV of 79.90% or less fits every one of them; Citizens and PNC Bank call theirs a maximum loan-to-value. In Texas, a homestead's loans may not exceed 80% of its fair market value.
Sources: Bank of America: CLTV cap, Chase: CLTV cap, Citizens: CLTV cap, Huntington Bank: CLTV cap, KeyBank: CLTV cap, PNC Bank: CLTV cap, Spring EQ: CLTV cap, Texas Constitution, Article XVI, Section 50
Can I get a HELOC with less than 20% equity?
At some lenders, outside Texas. Less than 20% equity means a CLTV above 80%. Published caps above 80%: Bank of America 85% (generally); Citizens 85% (labeled "Max Loan to Value"; shown for RI); Huntington Bank 89.99%; PNC Bank 79.90% to 89.90% (generally; labeled "Maximum LTVs"); Spring EQ 90%. Chase (typically) and KeyBank stop at 80%. In Texas, the state constitution limits a home equity line on a homestead, plus all other debt on it, to 80% of the home's fair market value, so you need at least 20% equity there.
Sources: Bank of America: CLTV cap, Citizens: CLTV cap, Huntington Bank: CLTV cap, PNC Bank: CLTV cap, Spring EQ: CLTV cap, Texas Constitution, Article XVI, Section 50(a)(6)(B) and (t)(5)
How much would a $50,000 HELOC cost per month?
At 8% (the prime rate of 7% on October 2, 2026 plus 1 point, an example), paying only interest on the full $50,000 costs $333 a month during the draw period ($50,000 x 8% / 12). Repaid over 20 years after that, it would be $418 a month. HELOC rates are usually variable, so both can change. This calculator adds the interest-only payment on your line to your debt-to-income ratio.
Sources: CFPB: Home equity loan vs. HELOC, FRED: Bank Prime Loan Rate
Sources
- CFPB: What is a home equity line of credit (HELOC)?
- CFPB: Home equity loan vs. HELOC - variable rates
- CFPB: What you should know about home equity lines of credit - how the credit limit is set
- 12 CFR 1026.40: home equity plans (Regulation Z) - when a lender may freeze or reduce a line
- 12 CFR 1026.43: ability to repay (Regulation Z) - does not apply to HELOCs
- Texas Constitution, Article XVI, Section 50 (home equity lending) - 80% homestead limit
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED): Bank Prime Loan Rate - example rate
- Bank of America: HELOC terms - states, Texas terms, minimum line, maximum line
- Bank of America: HELOC terms - CLTV cap, credit score
- BMO: HELOC terms - states
- Chase: HELOC terms - states, CLTV cap, minimum line, maximum line, property
- Chase: HELOC terms - credit score
- Citizens: HELOC terms - states, minimum line
- Citizens: HELOC terms - CLTV cap, credit score, maximum line
- Fifth Third Bank: HELOC terms - minimum line, maximum line
- Figure: HELOC terms - states, minimum line
- Huntington Bank: HELOC terms - CLTV cap, Texas terms, minimum line
- KeyBank: HELOC terms - CLTV cap, minimum line, maximum line
- Navy Federal Credit Union: HELOC terms - states, minimum line, maximum line
- PNC Bank: HELOC terms - states, CLTV cap, Texas terms
- Regions Bank: HELOC terms - states, Texas terms, minimum line, maximum line, property
- Spring EQ: HELOC terms - states, CLTV cap, credit score, minimum line, maximum line
- TD Bank: HELOC terms - minimum line, maximum line
- Truist: HELOC terms - states, minimum line, maximum line, property
- U.S. Bank: HELOC terms - credit score
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