Will USDA's Section 504 program pay to fix up my home?

The amounts

USDA lists a grant of up to $10,000 and a loan of up to $40,000 at 1 percent fixed over 20 years. Combined, a household can get up to $50,000.

These figures were current as of October 2026. USDA decides who qualifies and for how much.

Who USDA says qualifies

You own the home, you live in it, it is in a USDA eligible rural area, and you cannot get affordable credit elsewhere. The grant has two more conditions: you must be 62 or older, and your income must be very low for your county.

Parts of Charles County and the outer edges of our area, out past Waldorf toward La Plata, may fall inside USDA's map, but that is USDA's call. Check your address with USDA Rural Development first.

When the contractor is paid

USDA pays the contractor after the final inspection. The work is finished and inspected before money moves, so the scope has to be clear before anyone starts.

What we can do

USDA has not enrolled us as a participating contractor, and we do not file applications. We can come out, walk the house and send a written estimate within 24 to 48 hours that lists each item and its price.

If the hazard is in the bathroom, such as a tub that is hard to step over or no grab bars by the toilet, that is work we do. So is the modernizing the loan covers, like an outdated kitchen or drafty windows and doors. If USDA lets you pick the contractor, we can take the job.

Services this program can pay for

The closest matches here are bathroom remodeling, accessibility and aging-in-place work, kitchen remodeling, windows and doors.

Where this comes from

Section 504 Home Repair Loans and Grants, run by USDA Rural Development. Information current as of October 2026.