How Long Is an FHA Appraisal Good For? FHA and VA

How long is an FHA appraisal good for, in short: 180 days from the appraisal's effective date, or up to one year from that date with an appraisal update done before the loan disburses, under Mortgagee Letter 2022-11. A VA notice of value is valid for 6 months. The old 120-day FHA rule and 30-day extension are gone.

More on this topic: Contract to close: process and checklists, every guide in one place.

Plenty of pages still quote the pre-2022 numbers, which matters when a closing slips. Below are the FHA and VA rules from HUD's and VA's own documents, how to count them, what an update needs, the VA Tidewater window, and what a TC tracks. Your lender applies the rules to the loan, so confirm with them.

Key takeaways

• FHA: 180 days from the appraisal report's effective date; day one is the day after the effective date.
• With an appraisal update, the FHA appraisal is valid for one year from the original effective date; the optional 30-day extension was removed in 2022.
• FHA measures validity to the Disbursement Date, and a new case number needs a new appraisal.
• VA: a notice of value is valid for 6 months, and a veteran already under contract can keep processing until that deal closes or ends.
• VA's Tidewater procedure gives 2 business days to send the appraiser sales that support the price when value looks low.

How long is an FHA appraisal good for today?

An FHA appraisal is good for 180 days from the effective date of the appraisal report. HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2022-11 raised it from 120 days for case numbers assigned on or after June 1, 2022, and wrote the change into Handbook 4000.1 (Maximum Age of Mortgage Documents, II.A.1.a.i(A)(1)).

Why do some sites say an FHA appraisal is good for 120 days?

Because 120 days, with a possible 30-day extension and 240 days with an update, was the FHA rule before 2022. The ML replaced all three. If a lender, agent or article quotes 120 days, ask whether they're working from the current Handbook 4000.1.

How do you count the 180 days?

Day one is the day after the appraisal's effective date, under the Handbook's rule for counting days, and the appraisal must still be valid on the Disbursement Date, which is when the loan funds, not the date in the purchase contract. Worked example with made-up dates:

Note the start is the report's effective date, not the day the report was delivered or the lender's order date. Check the date on the report itself.

When can an FHA appraisal update be used?

An update extends validity only if the lender is an intended user of the original appraisal (or has permission from the original client and the appraiser), and only if all of these hold, according to ML 2022-11:

• it's done by an FHA roster appraiser in good standing (a substitute must concur with the original and the lender must document why);
• the property hasn't declined in value;
• the improvements can be seen from the street or a public way, and the exterior shows no deficiencies or significant changes;
• the update is done within one year of the original effective date and before the Disbursement Date.

In a presidentially declared disaster area where a damage inspection finds damage, validity extends to a maximum of one year. Past one year, a new appraisal is required.

How long is a VA appraisal good for?

A VA notice of value (NOV) is valid for 6 months, under Chapter 13 of VA's Lenders Handbook. If the veteran is under contract during that period, processing can continue until that transaction closes or is terminated, and VA may extend validity case by case. VA's sample NOV puts the expiration at six months from the date of appraisal.

What is the VA Tidewater procedure?

The Tidewater procedure is VA's early warning on a low appraisal: before finishing the report, the fee appraiser must tell the requester when the value looks likely to come in below the sale price, and then allow 2 business days for the requester, or parties they contact, to send more sales data. Chapter 10 of the Lenders Handbook asks for each sale's address, price, date of sale, gross living area and the listing where there is one.

If nothing arrives after 2 business days, the appraiser notes that the procedure was followed and completes the report. The process is for market data only, not pressure toward a number. For what happens if value still comes in short, see appraisal gap and low appraisal options.

What should a TC track on an FHA or VA appraisal?

1. The appraisal's effective date as soon as the report arrives, and the FHA 180-day or VA 6-month expiry worked out from it.
2. The contract's appraisal deadline, which is separate from validity.
3. On VA files, who the Tidewater contact is; when the appraiser calls, the listing agent has 2 business days, so have comparable sales ready.
4. If closing slips toward expiry, ask the lender early whether an FHA update or a VA extension is needed.
5. The disbursement date, since FHA validity is measured to it.

Closingbird counts deadlines from acceptance or closing, so appraisal expiry and the Tidewater window, which run from the appraisal or the appraiser's call, are best set as a fixed date on the file. Business days in Closingbird skip weekends and US federal holidays only. See how these dates fit the contract-to-closing timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Is an FHA appraisal good for 120 or 180 days?

180 days from the appraisal's effective date, for case numbers assigned on or after June 1, 2022. The 120-day rule is the older one that Mortgagee Letter 2022-11 replaced.

Can an FHA appraisal be extended?

Yes, with an appraisal update, which makes it valid for one year from the original effective date if the update conditions are met. The optional 30-day extension no longer exists.

Does an FHA appraisal transfer to a new lender?

Not automatically. A lender can order an update only if it's an intended user of the original appraisal or has permission from the original client and the appraiser, and an appraisal can't be reused under a different case number.

How long is a VA appraisal good for?

The notice of value is valid for 6 months. If the veteran is under contract during that time, processing can continue until that deal closes or ends.

How long does the Tidewater process take?

2 business days from when the appraiser contacts the requester, under Chapter 10 of VA's Lenders Handbook. After that the appraiser completes the report.

Run it in Closingbird

Put each appraisal expiry and Tidewater window on the file as a fixed-date deadline, with a morning reminder to whoever owns it. Start a free trial (14-day free trial, no credit card required) or see pricing.

Related reading

• Appraisal gap and low appraisal options
• Contract to closing, week by week
• What happens if you miss a contingency deadline
• Deadline tracking in Closingbird

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Rules and prices change, and many vary by state, so confirm with the source, your state's real estate commission or your broker before you rely on them.

• HUD Mortgagee Letter 2022-11, Revised Appraisal Validity Periods (July 12, 2022; hud.gov returned 403, read from the Internet Archive copy, October 2026)
• VA Lenders Handbook (VA Pamphlet 26-7), Chapter 13, Notices of Value, topics 5 and 7 (revised July 22, 2019; read from the Internet Archive copy of the benefits.va.gov file, October 2026)
• VA Lenders Handbook (VA Pamphlet 26-7), Chapter 10, Appraisal Process, topics 7 and 8, Tidewater procedure (revised March 11, 2019; Internet Archive copy of May 27, 2025)