What is the income limit to qualify for a housing choice voucher?

Last updated 2026-07-11

What income limit qualifies you for a housing choice voucher?

Your household's gross annual income has to fall at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the place you're applying. HUD calls this the "Very Low Income" (VLI) limit, and it's the main eligibility threshold for the Housing Choice Voucher program.

There's a tougher rule stacked on top. Under 24 CFR 982.201(b)(2), Public Housing Authorities have to issue at least 75% of new vouchers to households whose income sits at or below 30% of AMI. HUD labels that group "Extremely Low Income" (ELI). So 50% AMI is the legal ceiling, but under 30% AMI is where most vouchers actually land.

A small exception exists. Up to 25% of new vouchers can go to households between 30% and 50% AMI. Some PHAs also get HUD approval to issue a handful of vouchers to households as high as 80% AMI for specific programs, like Project-Based Vouchers tied to mixed-income developments. That's unusual and program-specific.

Here's the part applicants miss: check the income limits for your specific PHA's area, not a national number. AMI swings wildly by location.

How does HUD calculate AMI and set the income limits?

HUD builds its limits on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), then adjusts it every year. Each spring, HUD publishes updated income limits for every metropolitan statistical area, county, and non-metropolitan area in the country ^[1]. The median is the midpoint of all household incomes in that geography.

From that median, HUD sets four standard tiers:

Tier	% of AMI	HUD label
Extremely Low Income	30%	ELI
Very Low Income	50%	VLI
Low Income	80%	LI
Middle Income	100%+	Not program-eligible

For vouchers, the 50% VLI threshold is the ceiling. The 30% ELI threshold decides who gets priority.

HUD also adjusts the raw AMI figure by household size. A family of four in a given metro has a higher income limit than a single person there, because HUD assumes bigger households need more income to cover the basics. Each person above four adds roughly 8% to the limit, and each person below four subtracts roughly 8%, though HUD caps and floors the math ^[10]. Exact figures for any area live at HUD's income limits page ^[1].

One thing trips people up. HUD sometimes "holds" limits so they don't drop year over year, even when the local economy softens. Limits don't always track local rent or wages perfectly.

What are the actual dollar amounts for the income limits?

There is no single national dollar figure. The limits change every year and vary by county and household size.

To show the range, here are approximate 2024 income limits at the 50% AMI (Very Low Income) level for a family of four in selected metros, drawn from HUD's FY 2024 Income Limits data ^[1]:

Metro area	50% AMI (family of 4)	30% AMI (family of 4)
Rural Mississippi	~$28,600	~$17,150
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	~$47,700	~$28,650
Chicago, IL	~$56,600	~$33,950
Denver, CO	~$60,950	~$36,600
San Francisco, CA	~$108,200	~$64,950
Washington, DC metro	~$79,100	~$47,450

These figures are approximate and for illustration. HUD refreshes them each spring. For the exact current number in your area, go straight to HUD's income limits lookup tool ^[1] and enter your county or MSA.

Read that table and one thing jumps out. Qualifying in San Francisco looks nothing like qualifying in rural Mississippi. A household that clears the income test comfortably in one state can be flat-out ineligible in a lower-cost county next door.

Does household size affect the income limit?

Yes, a lot. HUD publishes separate income limits for household sizes of 1 through 8 persons. The four-person family is the baseline, and HUD adjusts up or down from there.

As a rough guide within the same metro, the 50% AMI limit for a single person runs around 70% of the four-person limit, and the limit for a family of six runs around 113% of it ^[10]. The exact percentages shift because HUD applies its own adjustment factors.

When you apply to a housing authority, you report every person who will live in the unit. That count decides which row of the HUD income limits table applies to you. Have a child after you apply, or add another household member, and you report the change so the PHA reassesses your limit.

One practical note. PHAs count income from every adult in the household, not only the applicant. If your spouse, your partner, or an adult child living with you earns money, all of it counts toward your household total.

What income counts toward the limit and what is excluded?

HUD defines "annual income" in 24 CFR 5.609. The short version: most money coming into the household counts. Specifically included ^[2]:

• Wages, salaries, tips, and overtime from employment
• Net income from self-employment or a business
• Social Security, SSI, SSDI, pension, and annuity payments
• Unemployment compensation
• Child support and alimony actually received
• Regular cash contributions from people outside the household
• Net income from rental property
• Welfare assistance payments

Things excluded from income (they don't count against you) include ^[2]:

• Earned income of children under 18
• One-time irregular gifts or inheritances
• Lump-sum additions to assets (insurance settlements, inheritances received as lump sums)
• Student financial aid used for tuition and fees
• SNAP benefits and other non-cash assistance
• Tax refunds
• The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Earned income disregards also exist for people with disabilities returning to work. Under HUD rules, a PHA can exclude part of the earned income of a disabled family member who was previously unemployed, for up to 24 months after employment begins ^[2]. That's genuinely useful if you worry a job will bump you over the limit.

Unsure how to count irregular or mixed income like gig work or seasonal jobs? The PHA projects your most recent 12-month pattern forward. Keep your pay stubs.

Are there citizenship or immigration status requirements alongside the income limits?

Yes. Income is necessary, but it isn't enough on its own. To get voucher assistance, household members have to be U.S. citizens or hold one of several qualifying immigration statuses, including lawful permanent residents and specific humanitarian categories ^[3].

Here's the nuance. Mixed-status families can still get help, but on a prorated basis. The share of the subsidy tied to non-qualifying members gets excluded. The qualifying members still apply, and the benefit is figured on the eligible people only.

PHAs have to verify immigration status through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. That's separate from income verification, but it happens at the same time.

How do PHAs verify your income when you apply?

PHAs run a layered verification process. First they check the HUD EIV (Enterprise Income Verification) system, which pulls data from Social Security Administration records and reported wages ^[4]. If EIV covers your income sources, the PHA usually won't ask you for more paperwork.

For income EIV can't see (self-employment, cash businesses, child support), the PHA falls back on third-party verification letters, tax returns, and bank statements. PHAs follow HUD's hierarchy: computer matching first, then written third-party verification, then oral third-party verification, and self-certification only as a last resort ^[8].

This isn't a gotcha, but it is thorough. Gaps between what you report and what EIV shows can stall or sink your application. Report everything accurately up front, including income you think might disqualify you. Better to hear you're ineligible now than to lose an approved application later over an inconsistency.

Once you hold a voucher, income gets re-verified at least once a year at recertification. Income up, your rent share up. Income down, your subsidy up. The program flexes with your circumstances.

Does having assets affect your eligibility?

Assets aren't an income limit on their own, but they feed the income calculation. Under 24 CFR 5.609, if your total net assets are $5,000 or less, the PHA counts the actual income those assets throw off, like interest and dividends. If your net assets top $5,000, the PHA compares actual income from them to a "passbook rate" imputed figure that HUD sets periodically, and uses whichever is higher ^[2].

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 raised the asset threshold for imputation above the old $5,000 level for some programs. Ask your PHA about the current applicable threshold, because implementation has varied.

What this means in practice: a modest savings account rarely changes anyone's eligibility. But a household sitting on significant assets that earn almost nothing might have imputed income tacked onto their real income, which can push them over the limit. Real estate other than a primary residence counts as an asset at net cash value.

What if your income is just over the limit? Can you still qualify?

Technically, if your gross annual income clears the applicable 50% AMI threshold, you're not eligible. There's no formal appeal to waive an income limit.

A few things help, though. First, if you applied while income-eligible and your income rose while you sat on the waiting list, most PHAs test your income again at voucher issuance, not at application. Still under the limit at issuance? You're fine. Went over while waiting? The PHA typically skips to the next eligible applicant.

Second, once you're a voucher holder, your income can rise above the qualifying limit. HUD rules let families stay in the program as long as they pay a reasonable share of rent. The subsidy just shrinks. If your income climbs enough that the subsidy hits zero, you transition out. There's no abrupt income ceiling for people already in.

Third, some PHAs run "over-income" policies that push families above certain thresholds off the program within a set period. The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) tightened these rules, requiring PHAs to end assistance for families whose income tops 120% of AMI for two straight years ^[5]. Rollout timelines have varied by PHA.

How do local PHAs prioritize applicants within the income limit?

Every PHA sets its own preferences inside HUD's federal framework. The rule sending 75% of new vouchers to ELI households (30% AMI or below) is mandatory. Beyond that, PHAs can layer in local preferences ^[6].

Common local preferences include:

• Homeless or at risk of homelessness
• Victims of domestic violence
• Elderly or disabled households
• Current residents of the PHA's jurisdiction
• Working families or those in job training
• Veterans (many PHAs keep a separate HUD-VASH voucher pool)

If a local preference applies to you, you jump ahead of other applicants at the same income level who don't have it. That's why two people who both qualify on income can wait wildly different lengths of time. In tight markets, documented homelessness or a domestic violence situation often moves a voucher faster than income alone.

VoucherReady's free rental assistance tools can help you pull together documentation for these preferences before you reach the top of a waitlist.

For open waitlists near you, the open section 8 waiting lists tracker is a good place to start.

How often do income limits change, and how does that affect your waitlist position?

HUD updates income limits every spring, usually March or April, for the coming federal fiscal year ^[1]. The changes mostly track local wage and housing cost trends, so limits in high-growth metros like Austin, Nashville, and Denver have climbed a lot in recent years, while limits in flat-economy areas have barely budged.

If limits in your area go up while you're on the waitlist, you might gain eligibility you didn't have, or your income might represent a smaller slice of AMI, which can bump you into a higher-priority tier. If limits fall (rare, since HUD holds against most decreases), your status is generally protected.

For people already holding vouchers, updated limits at recertification can shift your rent contribution. The PHA doesn't evict you when limits drop, but the subsidy formula resets at each annual recertification using current limits and your current income.

One planning tip. If you're hovering near the 50% AMI line, watch HUD's spring announcement. A big AMI jump in your county can move you from ineligible to eligible, or from a long shot to a priority applicant.

What's the difference between Section 8 income limits and public housing income limits?

These are distinct programs with overlapping but not identical rules. Public housing (units HUD funds directly and PHAs manage) uses the same AMI tiers as the Section 8 program, with a ceiling of 80% AMI ("Low Income") for most public housing ^[7]. That's higher than the 50% AMI ceiling for vouchers.

In practice, though, public housing waiting lists lean heavily toward ELI applicants, and the average income of public housing residents runs close to the average for voucher holders. Roughly 75% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients have incomes at or below 30% of AMI ^[9]. The legal maximums differ. Real-world access looks similar.

Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) are a slice of the HCV program where the voucher ties to a specific unit rather than the tenant. PBVs use the same 50% AMI income limit as tenant-based vouchers.

For low income housing built under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, income limits sit at 60% AMI for most units, above the HCV limit. Some LIHTC properties also take vouchers, so a family with a voucher can rent a LIHTC unit and run both subsidies in parallel.

The programs look alike from the outside but carry meaningfully different rules. Eligible for more than one? Apply to all of them at once. Waitlist timing is unpredictable.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum income to qualify for Section 8 in 2024?

There's no single national maximum. The cutoff is 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for your specific county or metro area, and that number changes every year and varies by household size. For a family of four, the 50% AMI limit runs from roughly $28,000 in low-cost rural counties to over $100,000 in high-cost metros like San Francisco. Look up your area at HUD's income limits tool at huduser.gov.

Does working affect my eligibility or my voucher subsidy?

Working does not disqualify you, and HUD offers earned income disregards for disabled participants returning to work. If your income rises after you get a voucher, your share of rent goes up but the voucher doesn't vanish unless your income climbs to a level where the subsidy hits zero. PHAs also have over-income rules under HOTMA that can end assistance after two consecutive years above 120% of AMI.

Does Social Security or SSI count toward the income limit?

Yes. Both Social Security retirement and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) count as income under 24 CFR 5.609. SSI payments count too. The PHA adds all household members' Social Security income together with any other sources to get your total annual income, then compares it to the AMI threshold for your household size and area.

Can a single person qualify for a housing choice voucher?

Yes. Single-person households qualify using the one-person income limit for their area, which is usually around 70% of the four-person limit. Single adults, seniors living alone, and people with disabilities who live independently are all eligible household compositions. The income limit is lower than for larger families, but the program explicitly covers single-person households.

Does child support I receive count as income for Section 8?

Yes, child support actually received counts as income under HUD's definition in 24 CFR 5.609. If you're owed child support but not actually receiving it, it generally doesn't count, though some PHAs may impute income from court-ordered amounts. Keep records of actual receipts versus court orders, and be consistent in what you report to the PHA.

If my income goes over the limit while I'm on the waitlist, do I lose my place?

Most PHAs verify income again at voucher issuance, not at your original application. If your income tops the 50% AMI limit at issuance, you'll generally be passed over. If it was over when you applied but under it now, you should still be eligible. Check your specific PHA's policy, because practices vary on how they handle mid-waitlist income changes.

What is the income limit for elderly or disabled households applying for Section 8?

The same 50% AMI income limit applies to elderly and disabled households, with the same adjustment by household size. Elderly and disabled households often qualify for deductions that lower their adjusted income for rent-calculation purposes. Those deductions don't change the eligibility threshold itself, but they do reduce how much rent the family pays once they have a voucher.

How does HUD define a household for income limit purposes?

HUD counts everyone who will regularly live in the unit, including children, a spouse or partner, adult children, and elderly parents. It does not include people who are temporarily away (college, incarceration) or who keep a separate primary residence elsewhere. The number of people in the household decides which column of the income limits table applies to your application.

Can undocumented immigrants qualify for a housing choice voucher?

No. Voucher assistance requires U.S. citizenship or an eligible immigration status. Undocumented individuals cannot receive the subsidy. In mixed-status families, though, the eligible members can still apply for a prorated benefit. The subsidy covers only the qualifying household members, and the PHA calculates the payment accordingly.

Where can I look up the income limits for my specific county?

HUD publishes income limits every year at huduser.gov. You can search by state, county, or metropolitan area and see limits for all household sizes and all AMI tiers. HUD typically updates these each April for the new fiscal year. Your local PHA website may also post the applicable limits for its jurisdiction.

Are income limits the same for all housing choice voucher types?

The standard 50% AMI limit applies to tenant-based HCVs and Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs). HUD-VASH vouchers for veterans follow the same income rules. Some specialized vouchers, like Family Unification Program vouchers, may carry slightly different requirements, but all are anchored to the same HUD AMI framework. Check the specific program rules if you're applying for a non-standard voucher type.

What happens to my voucher if my income rises significantly after I get it?

Your subsidy shrinks as your income rises. At each annual recertification, the PHA recalculates how much you pay versus how much HUD subsidizes. If your income gets high enough that you'd owe the full rent with no subsidy, the voucher effectively drops to zero. Under HOTMA rules, PHAs can end assistance for families with income above 120% of AMI for two consecutive years.

Sources

1. HUD USER, FY 2024 Income Limits Documentation System: HUD publishes annual income limits by county and household size; the 50% AMI (Very Low Income) threshold is the primary eligibility ceiling for Housing Choice Vouchers.
2. Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR Part 5, Subpart F, Section 5.609, Annual Income: Defines what counts as annual income for HUD programs, exclusions, and the asset income imputation rule above $5,000 net assets.
3. HUD, Rental Assistance and Public Housing Program Overview, HUD.gov: Voucher eligibility requires citizenship or qualifying immigration status; mixed-status families receive prorated assistance.
4. HUD, Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) System Overview, HUD.gov: PHAs use HUD's EIV system, which cross-references SSA and wage data, as the primary verification tool for applicant income.
5. Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), Public Law 114-201: HOTMA requires PHAs to terminate HCV assistance for families with income exceeding 120% of AMI for two consecutive years.
6. Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR Part 982, Section 982.201, Eligibility and targeting: 24 CFR 982.201(b)(2) requires that 75% of new vouchers be issued to households at or below 30% of AMI (Extremely Low Income).
7. HUD, Rental Assistance and Public Housing Program Overview, HUD.gov: Public housing has an income ceiling of 80% AMI for most units, higher than the 50% AMI ceiling for Housing Choice Vouchers.
8. HUD, Housing Choice Voucher Program Guidebook, Chapter 5: Eligibility and Denial of Assistance: Describes income verification hierarchy and PHA procedures for applying the AMI-based income limits to voucher applicants.
9. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Federal Rental Assistance Fact Sheets: Approximately 75% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients have incomes at or below 30% of AMI, consistent with the statutory targeting requirement.
10. HUD USER, PD&R Edge, Defining Housing Affordability: HUD adjusts AMI-based income limits by household size using standard adjustment factors relative to the four-person household baseline.