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Financial Eligibility for Section 8 Assistance

Financial eligibility is determined primarily in terms of your Gross Non-Excluded Income. Your family's unearned income, earned income, and income from assets is added together, and then any income exclusions are subtracted to get your Gross Non-Excluded Income.

That income amount is then compared to the income limit appropriate for the Section 8 program that the rental unit is in. The "Very Low," "Low," and "Moderate" income limits are based on the median incomes for the unit's location and your family size. (See Section 8 Income Limits for more information about the income limits and their relationship to median income levels.)

NOTE: If you enter into WorkWORLD the location and type of Section 8 program for the rental unit in which you are interested, as well as your family size and income, WorkWORLD will tell you whether or not you are income-eligible for assistance.

Different Financial Eligibility Criteria apply to the different types of Assistance:

Tenant-Based Voucher Program

Project-Based Voucher and Certificate Programs

Moderate Rehabilitation Projects

Multifamily Subsidized Housing (including Section 811 and Section 202 programs)

Other Project-Based Programs

Tenant-Based Voucher Program

In the Tenant-Based Voucher program, your Gross Non-Excluded Income can include "Imputed Welfare Income" if you or anyone in your family would receive a cash welfare benefit except that the benefit has been reduced because of fraud or non-compliance with an Economic Self-Sufficiency program.

Very Low Income Eligibility: You are Income-Eligible for Tenant-Based Section 8 assistance if your family's Gross Non-Excluded Income is below the "Very Low" income limit. (Note, however, the additional criterion below for the Tenant-Based Voucher program.)

Low Income Eligibility: You are Income-Eligible for Tenant-Based Section 8 assistance if your family's Gross Non-Excluded Income is below the "Low" income limit and you meet any of the following criteria:

·   You are considered "continuously assisted," that is, you were already receiving assistance under another program covered by the 1937 Housing Act (such as public housing) when you were admitted into the Tenant-Based Section 8 program; or

·   You meet additional eligibility criteria specified in your PHA's administrative plan; or

·   You qualify for assistance as a non-purchasing family residing in a HOPE 1 (HOPE for public housing homeownership) or HOPE 2 (HOPE for homeownership of multifamily units) project; or

·   You qualify for assistance because you were displaced as a result of the prepayment of the mortgage or voluntary termination of an insurance contract on eligible low-income housing as defined in 24CFR248.101; or

·   You qualify for assistance as a non-purchasing family residing in a project subject to a resident homeownership program under 24CFR248.173

NOTE: The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is available at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/.

Moderate Income Eligibility: You are Income-Eligible for Tenant-Based Section 8 assistance if your family's Gross Non-Excluded Income is below the "Moderate" income limit and you qualify for assistance because you were displaced as a result of the prepayment of the mortgage or voluntary termination of an insurance contract on eligible low-income housing as defined in 24CFR248.101.

Additional Criterion for Tenant-Based Voucher Program: The Maximum Family Share

There is an additional criterion for the Tenant-Based Voucher program. Your Maximum Family Share cannot be more than 40% of your Adjusted Monthly Income. See Maximum Family Share for details.

Project-Based Voucher and Certificate Programs

The income-eligibility criteria for assistance in the project-based voucher and certificate programs is exactly the same as the criteria for the Tenant-Based Voucher Program (above) except:

·      Your Gross Non-Excluded Income does not include any "Imputed Welfare Income." That is, if you or anyone in your family receives a cash welfare benefit, it is counted as part of your gross income. If, however, your cash welfare benefit has been reduced for any reason, even because of fraud or non-compliance with an Economic Self-Sufficiency program, then only the amount of welfare benefit received (if any) is included as gross income.

·      And the Maximum Family Share restriction does not apply to the Project-Based programs.

Moderate Rehabilitation & Multifamily Subsidized Housing Programs

To be income-eligible for units in the Moderate Rehabilitation and Multifamily Subsidized Housing programs, your Gross Non-Excluded Income must be below the "Very Low" income limit.

NOTE: Included in Multifamily programs are the Supportive Housing programs for People with Disabilities (Section 811) and for the Elderly (Section 202)

Other Project-Based Section 8 programs

To be income-eligible for units in all other Section 8 rental assistance programs (that is, other than those specifically mentioned above), your Gross Non-Excluded Income must be below the "Low" income level.

See Also:

Section 8 Income Limits

Gross Non-Excluded Income

Source:

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): 24CFR5.653, 24CFR982.201

Back to:

Section 8 Housing Overview

Federal Rent Assistance

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