The FRAME cap is $150,000. The average award is $63,821.
Program and regulatory figures verified October 5, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Florida publishes what it actually pays. The number is less than half the one on every other page, and planning with the wrong one is an expensive mistake.
What Florida reports
The 2025 FRAME Annual Report, published January 2026 by the Florida Department of Health, publishes maximum and average payments by profession. Its own exhibits:
| Profession | Maximum payment | Average payment |
|---|---|---|
| MD and DO | $150,000 | ★ $63,821 |
| Psychiatrist | $146,484 | ★ $64,793 |
| Clinical social worker | $72,084 | $19,149 |
| LPN | $30,046 | $8,426 |
The physician average is about 42% of the cap — a difference of $86,179.
Why the gap exists
Because FRAME pays a percentage of loan principal, not a flat sum. Physicians receive 25% of their loan principal, to a maximum of $150,000, across 4 years of eligibility.
So the cap only binds on a very large balance. At 25%, reaching $150,000 requires a principal of $600,000. A physician carrying $250,000 receives $62,500 — which is almost exactly the published average, and tells you what a typical FRAME recipient's balance looks like.
There is nothing wrong with the programme here. The problem is purely that the ceiling gets quoted as though it were the offer.
The full award table
| License type | Percentage | Cap (all years) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians | 25% | $150,000 | 4 |
| Dentists | 20% | ★ $250,000 | 5 |
| AAPRNs | 25% | $90,000 | 4 |
| Mental health professionals | 25% | $75,000 | 4 |
| PAs and APRNs | 25% | $75,000 | 4 |
| LPNs and RNs | 25% | $45,000 | 4 |
| Dental hygienists | 20% | $37,500 | 5 |
★ Dentists have both the highest cap and the longest eligibility — $250,000 over 5 years, against $150,000 over 4 for physicians. Annual limits are $50,000 for dentists and $7,500 for hygienists.
Dental payments in the reporting period ranged from $433.09 to $50,000, averaging $39,030.36. What that means for a dentist buying in Florida.
Where the awards go
Overwhelmingly to safety-net settings. From the same report: 454 awards at federally qualified health centers, 65 at veterans affairs and military clinics, 43 at county health departments, 35 at rural health clinics, 27 at state and federal correctional institutions and 11 at free clinics.
That distribution is the programme working as designed, and it is also a useful filter: if your practice setting is not on that list, your odds are different from the headline.
What this means for a mortgage
Three things, in order of how often they matter.
Do not underwrite your own plan to the cap. If you were counting on $150,000 of debt relief to make a purchase work, the published average says plan for closer to $63,821.
An award you have not been granted is not income. A lender underwrites documented, stable income, and FRAME's next windows are the 2027 cycle. The cycle dates.
What matters now is how the balance is counted. A physician programme can use your documented income-driven payment where a conventional loan counts 1% of the balance under Fannie Mae B3-6-05. That lever is available today; FRAME is not. The detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average FRAME award for a physician?
$63,821, per the 2025 FRAME Annual Report published January 2026 by the Florida Department of Health. The maximum is $150,000, so the average is about 42% of the cap.Why is the FRAME average so much lower than the cap?
Because FRAME pays 25% of loan principal rather than a flat sum. Reaching the $150,000 cap would require a loan principal of $600,000; a physician carrying $250,000 of principal receives $62,500, which is close to the published average.Can dentists get more FRAME money than physicians?
Yes. Dentists receive 20% of loan principal to a maximum of $250,000 across five years of eligibility, while physicians receive 25% to a maximum of $150,000 across four years. Annual limits are $50,000 for dentists.Where do FRAME awards go?
Mostly to safety-net settings. The 2025 Annual Report records 454 awards at federally qualified health centers, 65 at veterans affairs and military clinics, 43 at county health departments, 35 at rural health clinics, 27 at correctional institutions and 11 at free clinics.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or licensure advice. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees, and overlays are set by the lender and change; Florida FRAME award amounts, eligibility and application cycles change too. Confirm your scenario with us and your program administrator. All loans are subject to borrower and property qualification, including credit and income review.