Fovissste housing credit for public-sector workers

Who is covered

Article 1 of the Ley del ISSSTE says that the law applies to the workers of the Presidency and the federal administration, the two chambers of Congress, the federal judiciary, autonomous bodies and others. Mexico City’s government and the governments of the other states, their legislatures, courts and municipal administrations join only “en aquellos casos en que celebren convenios con el Instituto”. So whether a state or municipal employee is covered depends on whether that state or municipality has an agreement with the ISSSTE, and this differs from one to another.

How the fund works

Article 167 provides that the Institute administers a Housing Fund made up of the contributions that agencies and entities make in favour of the workers. Its purpose is to operate a financing system that lets workers obtain “crédito barato y suficiente”, through loans with mortgage security in the cases the Executive Commission of the Fund decides, and to receive the credit directly “sin intermediarios”.

Article 169, section I, directs the fund’s resources to credits for workers who hold the housing sub-account of their individual account and “tengan depósitos constituidos a su favor por más de dieciocho meses”. The money may be used for:

• buying or building a home;
• repairing, extending or improving a home;
• paying debts incurred for those purposes; and
• buying land for building a home.

Two credits, no more

Article 179 allows a worker to receive credit from the fund “hasta por dos ocasiones”. The second requires the same conditions as the first (more than 18 months of deposits) and proof that the first credit is fully paid off and was paid regularly.

Choosing the home, and pesos or UMA

Under article 178 the worker may choose the new or used home to which the credit is applied, and may choose whether the amount in the contract is defined in UMA or in pesos, under the scheme approved by the Junta Directiva. Article 180 gives the Junta the power to fix the maximum credit amounts, depending among other things on the worker’s ability to pay, and to set the guidelines for UMA credits and peso credits. The UMA for 2026 is MX$117.31 a day, MX$3,566.22 a month and MX$42,794.64 a year, in force from 1 February 2026 according to INEGI; the numbers of UMA a credit may be granted for are not in the law, so I give none. How a UMA-based balance moves over time is explained in UDI and UMA explained.

Article 179 also lists the criteria for allocation: the human right to adequate housing, regional supply and demand, land cost and security, local infrastructure, the sub-account balances and years of contributions, whether the worker already owns a home, and salary or joint household income if the interested persons agree. The operating rules are issued by the Junta Directiva; I did not read them.

What the law leaves to the Fund’s own rules

The statute fixes the framework only: who is covered, the 18-month deposit condition, the two-credit limit and the choice between UMA and pesos. The maximum amounts, the queue for applications and the interest terms are decided by the Junta Directiva and the Executive Commission, in rules I did not read. A reader comparing options should therefore treat any figure quoted by third parties about Fovissste amounts or rates as unconfirmed until the Institute’s current published rules say the same.

Interaction with other housing-credit rules

Article 17 of the LTFCCG exempts credits granted, financed or guaranteed by Fovissste from the articles on debtor and creditor substitution (13, 14 and 15). Article 15 adds that Fovissste cannot be the lender being replaced, but can be the new lender. See switching mortgage lender.

Which professional to consult

Your agency’s human resources office handles the contributions. A real estate lawyer can review the deed and the mortgage. See real estate lawyers and notaries.