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Seniors Applying for Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)

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

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If you are 62 or older, you apply for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) the same way as anyone else, through your local public housing agency (PHA). The difference is in how your rent is figured. HUD treats your household as an "elderly family," which gets an extra deduction from income and can deduct medical costs, so your share of the rent can come out lower.

Applying is free, and only the housing agency decides whether you qualify. This guide covers the rules that apply to older applicants. For the general application process, see our guide to the steps to Section 8.

Who counts as an elderly family

HUD's rule (24 CFR 5.403) says an elderly family is one where the head of household, co-head, spouse or sole member is at least 62. You can be:

  • A single person 62 or older living alone
  • Two or more people who are all 62 or older
  • A person 62 or older living with one or more live-in aides
  • A larger household where the head, co-head or spouse is 62 or older

Only one of the three adult roles needs to be 62. A 64-year-old head of household living with an adult son still counts as an elderly family.

The deductions described below start at 62. If you are under 62 and have a disability, you may qualify as a "disabled family," which gets the same deductions. Our guide to HUD housing programs for people with disabilities covers that route.

Basic eligibility

The age rules do not replace the standard requirements. HUD's Housing Choice Voucher page lists them:

  • Your household income must be under the limit for your area and household size. Generally, families must be extremely low income or very low income.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.
  • The head of household must have a valid Social Security number.
  • Some crimes can make an applicant ineligible.

By law, at least 75% of the families a PHA admits from its waiting list each year must be extremely low income (24 CFR 982.201). Many seniors who live only on Social Security fall in that group.

Income limits change by area every year. As one example, here are the FY 2026 limits for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida area (Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties), which took effect May 1, 2026:

Household sizeExtremely low incomeVery low income (50%)Low income (80%)
1 person$24,100$40,150$64,250
2 people$27,550$45,850$73,400

Source: HUD User FY 2026 Income Limits Summary. Your area's numbers will be different. Look them up with HUD's income limits tool, and read our guide to Section 8 income eligibility for how the categories work.

How Social Security and other retirement income count

The PHA counts the income of everyone in the household who is 18 or older, from all sources not specifically excluded (24 CFR 5.609). For most seniors that means:

  • Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits
  • SSI
  • Pensions and annuities
  • Regular withdrawals from an IRA, 401(k) or other retirement account
  • Wages from any job
  • Interest and dividends from savings and investments

PHAs use your gross benefit amount. HUD's guidance tells agencies to use the amount before any garnishment or withholding for debts, and its examples work from the "gross SS benefit" (Notice PIH 2023-27).

Each October, Social Security announces its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). HUD requires PHAs to build the new COLA into any annual or interim review that takes effect January 1 or later, so your counted income usually goes up a little each year.

A few kinds of Social Security money are not counted. Back payments of Social Security or SSI that were delayed and then paid in a lump sum or spread over later months are excluded from income (24 CFR 5.609(b)(16)).

To prove your benefit amount, ask Social Security for a benefit verification letter. You can download one through a my Social Security account on the SSA benefit letter page, or call 1-800-772-1213 and say "proof of income" when the automated system asks how it can help.

Deductions that lower your rent

Your rent share is based on adjusted income, which is your annual income minus certain deductions. Your share is usually 30% of your adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 5.628). Two deductions apply only to elderly and disabled families.

The elderly or disabled family deduction

Every elderly family gets one flat deduction for the whole household. Under the current HUD rules, the amount is $550 for 2026 and rises to $575 on January 1, 2027, according to HUD's published inflation adjustments.

The medical expense deduction

An elderly family can also deduct unreimbursed health and medical costs, but only the part that is more than 10% of annual income (24 CFR 5.611). Before the rule change, the threshold was 3%.

HUD defines these costs as anything spent to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease, and it includes medical insurance premiums and long-term care premiums (24 CFR 5.603). Costs that insurance or another program pays you back for do not count.

Keep receipts, pharmacy printouts and insurance statements, and bring them to your interview. The PHA can only deduct what you report and can document.

Which rules your housing agency uses right now

These figures come from the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) rules. HUD let PHAs switch over on different schedules. According to HUD's September 29, 2026 HOTMA FAQs, HUD will enforce the new rules for most PHAs starting January 1, 2027. Moving to Work agencies and agencies using HUD's Family Reporting Software have a later date.

So depending on your agency and the date of your review, you may see either set of numbers:

RuleOlder rulesCurrent HUD rules, 2026Current HUD rules, 2027
Elderly/disabled family deduction$400$550$575
Medical costs deducted above3% of income10% of income10% of income
Limit on net family assetsNone$105,574$109,797

Ask your PHA which rules apply to you. If you already have a voucher and get a medical deduction when your agency switches, HUD's rules phase in the higher threshold, starting at 5% of income and moving to 7.5% after 12 months and 10% after 24 months. HUD is also finalizing a change to who qualifies for that phase-in. A separate hardship rule lets an elderly family ask for relief if its medical costs go up or its situation changes.

Example: how the math works

This is a simplified example under the current rules. Your PHA does the real calculation.

Ruth is 70 and lives alone. Her gross Social Security is $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year. She pays $3,000 a year in medical insurance premiums, copays and prescriptions that are not reimbursed.

  1. Elderly family deduction: $550.
  2. Medical deduction: 10% of $18,000 is $1,800. Her costs above that are $3,000 minus $1,800, or $1,200.
  3. Adjusted income: $18,000 minus $550 minus $1,200 is $16,250 a year, or about $1,354 a month.
  4. Her rent share: 30% of $1,354 is about $406 a month toward rent and utilities.

Under the older rules ($400 deduction and a 3% threshold), the same numbers would give Ruth about $379 a month. If her rent and utilities cost more than the PHA's payment standard, she would also pay the difference. At her first lease, her share can't go over 40% of her adjusted monthly income in that case (24 CFR 982.508).

Asset rules for seniors

Many older applicants have savings or own a home. Under the current HUD rules, a PHA must deny admission if your household's net assets are over the limit, which is $105,574 for 2026 and $109,797 for 2027 (24 CFR 5.618).

Several things are left out of net assets (24 CFR 5.603):

  • IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and other IRS-recognized retirement accounts. Money you withdraw from them still counts as income.
  • Necessary personal property, such as your car and furniture.
  • Other personal property, such as jewelry or collectibles, when its total value is $52,787 or less in 2026.

If your net assets are $52,787 or less in 2026, the PHA may let you sign a statement instead of producing every bank record. You still report the income your assets earn, because actual earnings always count. If your net assets are over that amount and the PHA can't figure what an asset earns, it uses an estimated return based on HUD's passbook savings rate.

Giving money or property away for less than it is worth does not get you under the limit. The PHA counts assets you gave away for less than fair market value in the two years before you apply.

If you own a home

Under the current rules, you generally can't get a voucher if you own a home you could live in and have the legal right to sell. There are exceptions, including:

  • You are offering the home for sale.
  • The home doesn't meet the disability-related needs of someone in your household, such as needing a step-free entrance.
  • It is too small for your household, unsafe to live in, or so far away that living there would be a hardship.
  • You co-own it with someone who lives there and is not part of your household.

The full list is in 24 CFR 5.618. If you are selling a house to move into a rental, tell the PHA that it is listed for sale.

Applying as an older adult

Start with HUD's directory of public housing agencies and find the agencies that serve the areas where you would like to live. You do not have to live in an area to apply there, and HUD suggests applying to more than one waiting list. A PHA can require you to live in its area for the first 12 months if you lived elsewhere when you applied.

Some agencies give a waiting-list preference to single applicants who are 62 or older, and an agency with a working-family preference must give it to applicants 62 or older (24 CFR 982.207). Ask each PHA what preferences it uses.

Along with the usual documents, older applicants should bring:

  • Your Social Security benefit verification letter
  • Pension, annuity or retirement account statements
  • Bank and investment statements
  • Proof of age, such as a birth certificate or ID
  • Records of medical costs and insurance premiums
  • Social Security cards and proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status

Our guide on confirming your Section 8 application is on the waitlist covers what to do after you apply. Keep your address and phone number up to date with every PHA. HUD says you can be dropped from the list if the agency can't reach you.

Never pay anyone to apply or to get on a list. HUD's Office of Inspector General warns that housing authorities and government agencies "will never ask you to pay for admission to housing assistance programs or to join a waitlist." Report fake waitlist offers to the HUD OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3735.

After you get a voucher

HUD says you will attend a briefing, then get a voucher with a search time of 60 to 120 days, set by your PHA. When you find a unit, you and the landlord fill out the Request for Tenancy Approval packet, and the PHA inspects the unit and checks that the rent is reasonable.

A few points matter more for older renters:

  • If you need a caregiver who lives with you, ask the PHA to approve a live-in aide. The PHA must approve one when it is needed as a reasonable accommodation for a disability, and the aide counts toward your bedroom size (24 CFR 982.316).
  • If you have a disability and need an accessible unit that costs more, you can ask for a higher payment standard as a reasonable accommodation. A PHA can approve up to 120% of the local Fair Market Rent on its own, and more with HUD approval (24 CFR 982.503).
  • Your PHA reviews your income at least once a year (24 CFR 982.516). Bring updated medical receipts each time so your deduction stays accurate.

If the PHA denies your application, it must tell you why in writing and explain how to ask for an informal review (24 CFR 982.554). Free legal aid programs listed at LawHelp.org can help you with a denial.

While you wait, look at housing built for older adults. Our guides cover Section 202 housing for seniors and public housing, which have their own waiting lists. You can also use the KPCB Edge benefit finder to see what other help you might qualify for.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get the elderly deduction if my spouse is 62 but I am not?

Yes. Your household is an elderly family if the head, co-head or spouse is 62 or older. The deduction is a single amount for the whole household.

Do Medicare premiums count as a medical expense?

HUD counts medical insurance premiums as health and medical care expenses for elderly families. Ask your PHA how it handles any premiums taken out of your Social Security check, and bring the statement that shows the amount.

Will my IRA or 401(k) keep me from qualifying?

The balance in an IRS-recognized retirement account is not counted as an asset under the current rules. Regular withdrawals or distributions you receive are counted as income.

Does a voucher pay for assisted living?

HUD rules bar using a voucher in a nursing home, a board and care home, or a facility that provides continual medical or nursing services (24 CFR 982.352). Ask your PHA whether a specific senior community qualifies before you sign anything.

Does it cost anything to apply?

No. Housing agencies never charge to apply or to join a waiting list. Anyone asking for a fee is not your housing agency.

Sources

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