How much can a reverse mortgage lend to a person aged 70?

At age 70, today's rate and HUD's table allow a borrowing limit equal to 38.6% of your home's value. For a $450,000 home, that comes to $173,700. After the upfront fees, about $155,200 is left when there is no mortgage to pay off.

On a HECM loan for a home worth $200,000, what can a lender charge as a percentage?

Setting up the loan costs a lender fee called the origination fee, which can go as high as 2% of the first $200,000. That adds up to $4,000. This fee never goes above $6,000 on any HECM.

What is the calculation for a reverse mortgage?

Use your home's value as the starting point. If it exceeds the limit, use the $1,249,125 cap instead. Use the age of the youngest borrower and the interest rate to apply HUD's factor to the amount. After that, take away the fees and the mortgage you still owe, if any.

What problems come with a HECM loan?

Because you make no monthly payments, interest and a yearly insurance charge of 0.5% increase what you owe. Each month the balance grows, leaving less of the home's value for your family or for you. Property taxes, insurance on the home and repairs are bills you must keep paying. If you stop, the lender can ask that the whole loan be paid back.

HECM Calculator: How Much a Reverse Mortgage Pays You

At each age, what could a paid-off $450,000 home give you?

The HUD factor tells you how much of the value of your home you can borrow. It goes up as you get older, since the loan is expected to last fewer years. The rate in these rows is adjustable, so it can change over time. What the US government pays to borrow over 10 years, the current Treasury rate (4.98% today), is the base. Lenders add a typical 1.750% on top, and that add-on is called the margin. In HUD's table, the total is rounded to 6.625%. The amounts deducted are 2% for government mortgage insurance, a capped lender fee and $3,500 for other closing costs. Review the PLF table factors.

Youngest borrower	HUD factor	Most you can borrow	Left after fees	Can take in year one
62	0.328	$147,600	$129,100	$70,060
65	0.349	$157,050	$138,550	$75,730
68	0.373	$167,850	$149,350	$82,210
70	0.386	$173,700	$155,200	$85,720
72	0.388	$174,600	$156,100	$86,260
75	0.415	$186,750	$168,250	$93,550
80	0.461	$207,450	$188,950	$105,970
85	0.525	$236,250	$217,750	$123,250
90	0.598	$269,100	$250,600	$142,960

How we work out the number

Our HECM calculator works through the same steps a housing counselor uses on paper. In plain words, here is how it works.

The value of your home counts, but only up to a cap. For 2026, that cap is $1,249,125. The value lenders use is called the maximum claim amount.
The most you can borrow is a share of that value. The share depends on your age and the interest rate, and HUD, the US housing department, sets it. That result is called the principal limit.
Next, fees are taken out. The fees consist of the lender's origination fee, subject to a legal cap, 2% for government mortgage insurance and other closing costs.
If you still have a mortgage, it is paid off. The new loan pays that off first.
You can use whatever is left. Only part of it can be taken in the first year, and the first-year amount is that part.

Every factor we use appears in the HUD principal limit factor table, and the yearly cap appears on the reverse mortgage limits page. Our free reverse mortgage calculator never asks you for personal information. Anything you type stays on your screen; nothing is stored or transmitted.

A reverse mortgage example

How much money can you get from a reverse mortgage? Picture yourself at 70, with a home worth $450,000 and no mortgage left. You can borrow 38.6% of that value under HUD's table, which comes to $173,700. Fees of $18,500 come out of that, leaving $155,200 for you. Up to $85,720 of it can be taken in the first year.

Reverse mortgages in each state

Every state follows the same HECM rules, but the lenders and free counselors close to you are different. Reverse mortgages in each state shows the number of HECMs each state had, with property tax help for seniors, local lenders and counseling agencies.

The rules behind that number

Pros and cons of a reverse mortgage help you work out if a HECM is right for you.

Questions people often ask

How much can a reverse mortgage lend to a person aged 70?
At age 70, today's rate and HUD's table allow a borrowing limit equal to 38.6% of your home's value. For a $450,000 home, that comes to $173,700. After the upfront fees, about $155,200 is left when there is no mortgage to pay off.
On a HECM loan for a home worth $200,000, what can a lender charge as a percentage?
Setting up the loan costs a lender fee called the origination fee, which can go as high as 2% of the first $200,000. That adds up to $4,000. This fee never goes above $6,000 on any HECM.
What is the calculation for a reverse mortgage?
Use your home's value as the starting point. If it exceeds the limit, use the $1,249,125 cap instead. Use the age of the youngest borrower and the interest rate to apply HUD's factor to the amount. After that, take away the fees and the mortgage you still owe, if any.
What problems come with a HECM loan?
Because you make no monthly payments, interest and a yearly insurance charge of 0.5% increase what you owe. Each month the balance grows, leaving less of the home's value for your family or for you. Property taxes, insurance on the home and repairs are bills you must keep paying. If you stop, the lender can ask that the whole loan be paid back.