Frequently Asked Questions: HUD's Income Limits/Fair Market Rents Datasets

HUD's Income Limits/Fair Market Rents Datasets

I am trying to find out HUD's definitions of low-income, very low-income, and extremely low-income and to determine if I will qualify for HUD's housing assistance programs. Can you either tell me how HUD determines if someone's income is low enough or give me some guidance as to where I can find that information?

Income limits are shown on the HUD User website (https://www.huduser.gov) broken down by year and by county. To view the income limits for a particular county, click on the following link: datasets/il.html. Once open, select the year for which you would like to see the Income Limits, and choose "Click Here for FY 2023 IL Documentation." Then, choose your state and county or select your MSA to view the Income Limits for each area. However, to determine whether you are eligible for HUD's housing assistance programs, we recommend that you contact your local Public Housing Agency using the contact information found here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/pha/contacts.

What is the approval procedure for a multi-unit residential property that wishes to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program / accept HCV tenants?

The HCV program is managed by your local public housing authority. You need to contact them directly to inquire about their process for becoming an HCV-qualified property. To contact your local public housing agency select your state from this list: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/pha/contacts. The following link will provide more detailed information about the HCV program: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/…, and the following page will offer more information about the process of becoming a landlord under the HCV program: https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-landlord.

I am trying to find median family incomes for my state. Can you help me?

To obtain information on median family incomes, please go to datasets/il.html. Select the year for which you would like to see the median family incomes, open the Documents tab, and under the header "Median Family Incomes," click on the PDF file that starts with "Notice on Median Family Incomes."

We are in the process of preparing a rent survey for an affordable housing complex in our area. Please provide HUD's guidelines for a rent comparison analysis.

The following link provides information on the type of data that is collected and the instruments that may be used: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html#survey_info.