10 min read · Updated July 2026
Section 8 / Housing Choice Vouchers, explained
A complete plain-English guide to the Housing Choice Voucher Program: who qualifies, how the subsidy is calculated, what landlords receive, and how to keep your voucher once you have it.
What the Housing Choice Voucher Program actually is
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV), still commonly called “Section 8” after the section of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 that created it, is the federal government's largest rental-assistance program. It serves roughly 2.3 million households nationwide and is administered through more than 2,100 local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). Every voucher in the country is funded by HUD but issued, paid, and managed by a local agency — never by HUD directly and never through a national waitlist.
The basic idea is simple. A qualifying low-income household receives a voucher that pays the difference between what the family can afford (about 30% of adjusted household income) and a HUD-set rent ceiling called the payment standard. The household then rents a unit on the open private market from any landlord willing to accept the voucher. Each month the PHA sends part of the rent (the “Housing Assistance Payment” or HAP) directly to the landlord, and the family pays the rest.
Who qualifies for a voucher
HCV eligibility has four pillars: income, household composition, citizenship, and screening history.
- Income. Household income must fall at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the metro area or county where the PHA operates — the “Very Low Income” tier. Federal law also requires that 75% of new vouchers each year go to “Extremely Low Income” households earning at or below 30% of AMI (or the federal poverty line, whichever is higher). HUD publishes a fresh income-limit table each spring.
- Household composition. Vouchers serve families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. The definition of “family” is broad: a single adult counts.
- Citizenship. At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status. Mixed-status households can still receive a prorated subsidy.
- Screening. Applicants with certain criminal records (lifetime sex-offender registration, methamphetamine production on federally assisted property) are barred by federal law. PHAs may apply additional, narrower screening for the safety of other tenants, but cannot impose blanket bans on people with criminal records.
How the subsidy is calculated
Every voucher household pays what HUD calls a Total Tenant Payment (TTP), defined as the highest of:
- 30% of monthly adjusted income;
- 10% of monthly gross income;
- The welfare rent (in states that use one); or
- A PHA minimum rent of up to $50.
The PHA pays the difference between the actual contract rent (capped at the local payment standard) and the family's TTP. So if the payment standard for a 2-bedroom unit in your area is $1,800 and your TTP is $400, your voucher will pay up to $1,400 toward your rent. If you choose a unit that rents for more than the payment standard, you can still take it — but you absorb the extra (subject to a 40%-of-income cap at initial lease-up).
Project-based vs. tenant-based
The HCV program has two flavors. Tenant-based vouchers (the default) follow the household and can be used in any unit that meets HUD's Housing Quality Standards. Project-based vouchers (PBVs) are attached by contract to a specific unit or development; if you move out, the subsidy stays with the building. PHAs can convert up to 20% of their voucher allocation to project-based use, often as part of an affordable-housing development deal. We cover the trade-offs in this guide.
How to actually get a voucher
Vouchers are scarce. National HUD funding pays for far fewer vouchers than the number of eligible households. As a result, every PHA maintains a waitlist, and most lists are closed for long stretches. To get on a list:
- Identify the PHAs that serve where you want to live. Use our state-by-state directory.
- Check each PHA's website for current waitlist status. Some open year-round; many open only briefly.
- When a list opens, file a pre-application immediately. Selection within a list may be by date order, lottery, or local preference (veterans, working families, victims of domestic violence, etc.).
- Apply at multiple PHAs. There is no penalty for being on more than one list, and waitlists move at very different speeds.
What happens after you are selected
Selection from the waitlist triggers an in-depth eligibility review — income verification, background screening, household composition documentation, and a briefing on program rules. The PHA then issues your voucher. You typically have 60 to 120 days (sometimes longer with extension) to find a unit, get the landlord to sign a HAP contract, and pass a Housing Quality Standards inspection. If you fail to lease up in time, you can lose the voucher.
Keeping your voucher
Once you are housed, your obligations are straightforward but real:
- Recertify income and household composition every year.
- Report any change in income or household members within 10 days (per most administrative plans).
- Pay your share of rent on time and not damage the unit.
- Allow annual HQS or NSPIRE inspections of the unit.
Major rule violations (unreported income, fraud, drug-related criminal activity) can lead to termination from the program. Recertification surprises are the most common cause of voucher loss; under-reporting income, even unintentionally, often leads to a repayment agreement.
Portability: moving to a new city
One of the program's most important features is portability: after your initial year as a voucher holder in the issuing PHA's jurisdiction, you can typically move your voucher to anywhere a PHA administers the HCV program. Your current PHA notifies the receiving PHA, the receiving PHA either “absorbs” or “administers” the voucher, and you re-lease in the new area at the new payment standard. Read our portability guide for the timing and the common gotchas.
What landlords get
Landlords who accept vouchers benefit from a guaranteed monthly payment from the PHA — the PHA's portion of rent always arrives on the first, regardless of the tenant's circumstances. Landlords must allow the unit to pass an HQS or NSPIRE inspection, sign a HAP contract, and not discriminate against voucher holders in jurisdictions where source-of-income discrimination is prohibited (a growing list, including all of California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington and many cities). Many landlords are unfamiliar with the program; our landlord guide covers how to start that conversation.
Bottom line
Section 8 / HCV is the most flexible federal rental-assistance program because the subsidy follows the tenant rather than being trapped in a specific building. The catch is access: getting a voucher is the hardest part. Every page of HUD Homes Hub exists to make that part less opaque, starting with a real, current contact for every PHA in the country.