New Year, New Pay Rate — and Bigger Loan Limits: Why 2026 Is a Sweet Spot for Pilots

By Jonathan Kulak, Trident Home Loans

Every January, pilots across the industry get an automatic raise. Contractual pay bumps hit the books—usually three to five percent depending on seat and longevity. It’s automatic, predictable, and one of the few things in this industry you can actually plan around.

This year, that pay bump lines up perfectly with another bit of good news: the new conforming loan limits for 2026 are going up again. The 2025 limit was $806,500. The 2026 number should land north of $819,000 once the FHFA releases it, and high-cost markets will likely break the million-dollar mark.

Put those two things together—your January raise and higher loan ceilings—and you get more buying power without having to mess with a jumbo loan. Translation: easier approval, smaller down payment, and less red tape.

That yearly bump in pay can make a real difference when you’re qualifying for a mortgage. Let’s say you’re a captain making $180 an hour, flying 75 hours a month. A 5% raise to $189 adds roughly $675 a month to your gross income. That alone can translate to around $75K–$85K more in buying power under conventional guidelines.

Because we’re W-2 employees with contract-based pay, underwriters love us. There’s no guesswork, no “prove your future income” like self-employed borrowers. They can see your raise in writing and your history of stability—and that makes for a clean, strong file.

Every year the FHFA adjusts conforming loan limits based on national home prices. Staying inside that limit means your loan qualifies for standard Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac terms. Go above it, and you’re in jumbo territory—stricter credit rules, more reserves, and usually higher rates.

With the 2026 limit moving north of $819K, pilots buying in the $850K–$870K range can now stay conventional instead of jumbo. That opens up more options, especially in hot markets like Denver, Tampa, Dallas, and anywhere near a training center or major base.

Here’s the part most people don’t realize: once the new limits are published, lenders can use them on any loan that closes January 1st or later.

So if you go under contract in December and close after New Year’s, you’re good. You’ll still qualify under the 2026 numbers. That’s huge for anyone planning a Q1 move or base

transfer—you can find the house now, skip the January feeding frenzy, and still get all the new benefits.

Our income is steady, contractual, and built to grow. We can show exact pay raises years in advance. And because we already think in terms of procedures, timing, and contingencies, most of us handle the mortgage process like another preflight checklist.

In short: lenders love working with pilots when they understand what they’re looking at.

Game Plan for Early 2026

1. Update your preapproval once your January pay stub hits. 2. Ask your lender when they’ll adopt the new FHFA limits—most do it right away. 3. If you were jumbo last year, have them rerun your numbers—you might fit conventional now. 4. Time your closing date for January or later to capture both your raise and the new limit. 5. Keep an eye on rates. If they dip toward 6%, you’ll be ready to move fast.

Real-Life Example

In 2025, a pilot buying an $860K home with 5% down would’ve needed a jumbo loan because the conforming limit capped at $806,500. With the 2026 limit moving to roughly $819K, that same purchase now fits neatly under conventional guidelines. Add your January raise, and you qualify easier, faster, and probably at a better rate.

You didn’t take on more—it just got simpler.

At Trident, that’s not a slogan—it’s just who we are. Our team’s full of current and former pilots who’ve sat reserve, changed bases, upgraded, and lived the same schedule chaos you’re dealing with.

We get how per diem, training pay, and contract raises work because we’ve been there. You don’t have to explain your bid line or why you’ll make more in January—we already know. And that’s what separates us from the big-box lenders who think “guaranteed hours” means overtime.

Final Approach

Timing matters, and pilots understand timing better than anyone. Between your January raise and the new conforming limits, early 2026 is a perfect setup—more income, more room, less hassle.

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to calm down, this might be your chance to make a move before the market heats back up.

Cheers,

Jon Kulak

Trident Home Loans – Pilots Lending to Pilots

tridenthomeloans.com/jonathan-kulak

This article is part of my ongoing mortgage series for AeroCrew News—helping pilots build smarter financial flight plans.