It happens, and it usually traces back to the quality of the pre-approval rather than USDA doing anything unusual. A pre-approval is only as good as the work behind it. We've seen plenty of other lenders' pre-approvals fall apart once the file actually hit underwriting, with the borrower finding out after they were already in contract. A USDA file has more places to come apart, because the loan gets reviewed against program income limits and property eligibility on top of the lender's own underwriting, so a thin pre-approval gets exposed faster. A gap like this doesn't automatically void your purchase. In many cases the deal survives, but you may have to bring more money to the table to cover the difference between what you were told and what actually got approved, which is a rough surprise mid-transaction. The deeper issue is how the mortgage got shopped in the first place. Buyers who optimize only for the lowest advertised rate, with no weight on whether the file will be smoothly and professionally underwritten, are exactly where these surprises come from. The fix is a genuinely vetted pre-approval before you write offers. We're glad to confirm the real number with you in the free Roadmap conversation, about 20 minutes where we run your real numbers.