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Section 8 Income Eligibility: How to Check If You Qualify

By KPCB StaffCombined Expertise In The Low Income Housing Space For 10 Years · How we write our guides

income eligibility

To qualify for a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, your household's yearly income generally has to be at or below the "very low income" limit for where you live, which is about 50% of the area's median income. There is no single national limit. HUD sets a separate limit for every county or metro area and every household size, so the number that matters is the one for your area.

You can look up that number for free on HUD's income limits page. Only your local public housing agency (PHA) can decide whether you are eligible.

How the income limits work

HUD publishes income limits each year by family size for the area where each housing authority is located. The limits come in three levels:

Income levelRoughly equal to
Extremely low income30% of area median income, or the federal poverty line if that is higher
Very low income50% of area median income
Low income80% of area median income

Most new voucher holders must be very low income. A family at the low income level (up to about 80%) can qualify only in a few situations, such as when the family is already getting assistance under public housing or another voucher program, or when the housing authority has set a local rule for a specific group.

Extremely low income families get priority by law. Each housing authority must make sure that 75% of the families it admits to the voucher program each year have incomes at or below the extremely low income limit. HUD can approve a lower share in some cases.

How to look up the limit for your area

The current limits are for fiscal year 2026 and took effect May 1, 2026.

  1. Open HUD's FY 2026 income limits lookup tool on HUD User.
  2. Pick your state, then your county or metro area.
  3. Find the column for the number of people in your household.
  4. Compare your household's total yearly income with the "very low income (50%)" row and the "extremely low income" row.

Here is what the FY 2026 limits look like for one area, the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area (which includes Cook County). The area's median family income for FY 2026 is $121,500.

Household sizeExtremely low incomeVery low income (50%)
1 person$25,550$42,550
2 people$29,200$48,600
3 people$32,850$54,700
4 people$36,450$60,750

So a family of three in Cook County with a yearly income of $50,000 would be under the very low income limit for that area. In the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX area, where the FY 2026 very low income limit for three people is $46,800, the same family would be over it. Always check the limit for your own area.

If your housing authority covers more than one income limit area, it must use the highest limit in its area when it first checks your eligibility. When you first lease with your voucher, though, you have to rent in a part of that area where your income is under the limit.

What counts as income

Housing authorities start with your annual income, meaning money your household expects to receive over the next 12 months before taxes. The income limit is compared with this gross figure. Deductions (covered below) lower the income used to set your rent, but they do not change whether you are under the limit to get in.

Annual income includes money received by the head of household, a spouse or co-head, and every other adult in the home who is 18 or older. For children under 18, only unearned income counts, such as benefits paid on a child's behalf.

Income that usually counts:

  • Wages, tips, and pay from self-employment, gig work, or day labor
  • Social Security, SSI, and SSDI
  • Pensions and unemployment benefits
  • Child support and alimony you actually receive (not the amount a court ordered if it is not being paid)
  • Interest, dividends, and other income from savings or investments

If part of your pay or benefits is garnished for things like child support, back taxes, or student loans, the housing authority uses the full amount before the money is taken out.

Some money does not count. Examples from HUD's rules include:

  • SNAP (food stamp) benefits
  • Gifts for birthdays, holidays, or life events such as a wedding or baby shower
  • Food or other items from a food bank
  • Federal and state tax refunds and refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit
  • One-time lump sums, such as lottery winnings or an inheritance (these may count toward your assets instead)
  • Payments you get for caring for a foster child or foster adult
  • Most earned income of a full-time student who is a dependent

If you are not sure about a source of money, list it on your application and let the housing authority decide. Leaving income off can lead to denial, repayment, or losing your voucher later.

For help sorting out disability benefits, see our guide to SSDI vs. SSI.

Savings, property, and the asset limit

Savings do not automatically disqualify you. Under HUD's updated rules, a family is not eligible to be admitted if its net assets are over $105,574 (the 2026 amount, which HUD adjusts each year for inflation) or if it owns a home it could live in and has the legal right to sell. There are exceptions, for example when a family member with a disability cannot live in the home or when the family is selling it.

Small amounts of savings are treated simply. For 2026, if your net family assets are $52,787 or less, the housing authority does not add any "imputed" income on top of the interest your savings actually earn, and it may let you sign a statement about your assets instead of collecting bank records every year.

These rules come from a 2016 law called HOTMA. Most housing authorities must follow all of its income and asset rules by January 1, 2027, and some started earlier. Ask your housing authority which version of the rules it uses now.

Other eligibility rules besides income

Meeting the income limit is the first step. You also need to:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status as defined by HUD (families with mixed status may get reduced assistance)
  • Have a head of household with a valid Social Security number
  • Pass the housing authority's screening, since some criminal activity can make you ineligible

College students under 24 who do not live with their parents face extra rules. In general, they qualify only if they are a veteran, married, have a child, have a qualifying disability, are a graduate student, or can show they are independent, or if both the student and their parents are income eligible.

How your share of the rent is figured

If you get a voucher, the housing authority figures out your Total Tenant Payment. That is the least you will pay each month toward rent and utilities. It is the highest of these amounts:

  • 30% of your monthly adjusted income
  • 10% of your monthly gross income
  • The housing authority's minimum rent, which can be set anywhere from $0 to $50
  • In a few states, the part of a welfare grant set aside for housing

Your adjusted income is your annual income minus these deductions:

  • A deduction for each dependent (a child under 18, a full-time student, or a family member with a disability, not counting the head, spouse, or co-head). HUD set it at $480 and adjusts it for inflation; for 2026 it is $500 at housing authorities using the updated rules.
  • A deduction for an elderly or disabled family, where the head, spouse, or co-head is 62 or older or has a disability. The old amount was $400. Under the updated rules it is adjusted each year, and for 2026 it is $550.
  • Unreimbursed medical costs for elderly or disabled families, but only the part above 10% of annual income under the updated rules (it was 3% before). Families who lose part of this deduction may get phased-in hardship relief.
  • Disability assistance costs, such as an attendant or equipment, that let a family member work
  • Reasonable child care costs that let a family member work, look for work, or go to school

Your housing authority may also offer extra deductions of its own.

An example

Here is a made-up family to show the math. A parent with two children has $30,000 a year in wages and no other income. The housing authority uses the 2026 dependent deduction of $500 per child.

  1. Annual income: $30,000
  2. Minus two dependents ($500 × 2 = $1,000): adjusted income is $29,000
  3. Monthly adjusted income: $29,000 ÷ 12 = about $2,417
  4. 30% of that is about $725
  5. 10% of monthly gross income ($2,500) is $250

The higher number is $725, so that is this family's Total Tenant Payment, as long as it is above the minimum rent. Your own numbers will be different.

When the rent is higher than the payment standard

Each housing authority sets a payment standard, which is the most it will pay toward rent and utilities for a unit of your size. The housing authority pays the landlord the difference between your Total Tenant Payment and the payment standard, or the actual rent plus utilities if that is lower.

You can choose a place that costs more than the payment standard, but you pay the extra. When you first move in, the housing authority will not approve a unit if your share would be more than 40% of your monthly adjusted income.

If you cannot pay the minimum rent

If your housing authority charges a minimum rent and you cannot pay it, ask for a hardship exemption. Reasons include losing a job, a death in the family, waiting on a benefits decision, or facing eviction because of the minimum rent. The housing authority must suspend the minimum rent starting the month after you ask, while it reviews your request.

After you get a voucher

The income limit matters only when you are admitted. Once you are in the program, earning more does not by itself push you out. Your rent share goes up instead.

If your share grows until the housing authority is paying nothing to your landlord, the payment contract ends automatically 180 days after the last payment. If your income drops again before then, assistance can restart.

You will have a yearly review of your income and household. Between reviews, tell the housing authority right away when someone moves in or out or your income changes, following the reporting rules it gives you. Under HUD's updated rules, if your adjusted income drops by 10% or more, you can ask for an interim review and the housing authority must do it. Some housing authorities use a lower threshold.

To add a person to your household, see how to add someone to your Section 8 voucher.

How to apply

  1. Find your local housing authority in HUD's PHA contact directory.
  2. Ask whether its voucher waiting list is open and how to apply. Many lists open only for short periods.
  3. Gather pay stubs, benefit award letters (SSI, SNAP, and so on), bank information, Social Security cards, and proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status.
  4. Apply and keep a copy of what you submit.
  5. If you are placed on the waiting list, update the housing authority whenever your address, phone number, or household size changes. Missing a letter can get you removed from the list.

Applying is free. HUD's Office of Inspector General warns that housing authorities and government agencies will never ask you to pay to join a waiting list or get into a housing program. If a social media post or website asks for money or your Social Security number to "sign you up," call your housing authority at the number on its official website instead. You can report a scam to the HUD OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3735.

Our step-by-step guides on how to apply for Section 8 and filling out a PHA pre-application cover the process in more detail. After you apply, see how to confirm you are on the waitlist.

If your income is too high

If you are over the very low income limit, other programs may still fit. Public housing and housing built with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits have their own income rules. See public housing vs. Section 8 and our guide to the LIHTC program. You can also use our benefit finder to see what else you might qualify for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work full time and still get Section 8?

Yes. Eligibility depends on your household's total income compared with your area's limit, not on whether you work. Larger households have higher limits.

Is Section 8 eligibility based on gross or adjusted income?

Gross. The housing authority compares your annual income, before deductions, with the income limit. Deductions are used afterward to figure your rent share.

Do SNAP or Medicaid count as income?

SNAP benefits are excluded from income under HUD's rules. Medicaid health coverage is not cash and is not listed as income. Some Medicaid payments to a family member for caring for a relative at home are also excluded. Cash benefits such as SSI, Social Security, and unemployment do count.

Can I have savings and still qualify?

Yes, in most cases. Under HUD's updated rules, a family can be turned down at admission if its net assets are over $105,574 (the 2026 limit) or it owns a home it could live in. Interest your savings earn counts as income.

Will I lose my voucher if I get a raise?

No, not right away. Your rent share goes up. If it rises so far that the housing authority pays nothing for 180 days in a row, your assistance ends.

Where can I get help if I am denied?

As an applicant, you can ask the housing authority for an informal review of its decision. Contact the office that sent the denial and ask how and by when to request one. You can also look for free legal help at LawHelp.org.

Sources

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