Section 8 is the federal government's largest rental assistance program, formally called the Housing Choice Voucher program. It helps low-income families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities afford housing in the private rental market by covering the portion of rent they cannot afford. Around 2,000 local Public Housing Authorities across the country administer the program with funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This page covers how the program works from application through move-in, who qualifies, how rent is calculated, what to expect on the waitlist, and the additional features available to current voucher holders — including portability, homeownership assistance, and the Family Self-Sufficiency program. The state directory at the bottom connects to housing authorities in every state where you can apply.

SCAM ALERT: Fraud and deceptive practices are common when searching for a Section 8 voucher. See the detailed tips below, but common red flags include fake websites and anyone asking for fees — Section 8 applications are always free.

Who the program serves and how eligibility works

Eligibility is based primarily on household income relative to the area median income where you live. In most cases, a household must earn at or below 50 percent of the area median income to qualify. By federal law, housing authorities must direct at least 75 percent of available vouchers to households at or below 30 percent of AMI — the extremely low-income tier. That means most people who actually receive vouchers have very low incomes, even though the technical eligibility ceiling is higher.

Because AMI varies significantly by location, the income limit for a given household size is different in every market. A family of four in a rural county may qualify at a much lower dollar amount than the same family in a high-cost city. HUD publishes current income limits by area at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html, updated each year.

At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status. All household members are subject to background checks — criminal history can affect eligibility depending on the nature and timing of the offense, and each housing authority sets its own screening policies. There is no credit check from the housing authority itself, though private landlords may run their own credit screening once you have a voucher in hand.

Some applicants may get priority. Seniors 62 and older and people with documented disabilities often receive priority placement on waitlists, as do families experiencing homelessness, those fleeing domestic violence, and households paying more than half their income in rent. If any of these situations apply to you, document it clearly on your application — priority placement can make a meaningful difference in how quickly you are reached.

How the voucher works once you have one

A Section 8 voucher is not tied to a specific building — it moves with you. Once a housing authority issues you a voucher, you search for a unit in the private market. The unit must meet HUD's housing quality standards, pass a physical inspection by the housing authority, and have a rent that falls within the payment standard for your area and unit size. The landlord must agree to participate in the program.

Your monthly rent payment is calculated as approximately 30 percent of your adjusted household income. The voucher pays the landlord the difference between your payment and the actual rent, up to the local payment standard. If you find a unit whose rent exceeds the payment standard, you can choose to pay the difference yourself — though the housing authority cannot require you to accept a unit above that standard.

What counts as "adjusted income" is not the same as your gross income. The housing authority deducts allowances for dependents, medical expenses, disability-related costs, and childcare — so the actual 30 percent calculation is based on a lower number than your total income for many households. Ask your housing authority how they calculate adjusted income; it affects what you will owe each month.

Payment is made directly to the landlord each month by the housing authority. The landlord receives a guaranteed payment on a predictable schedule, which is part of why many landlords choose to participate. All Section 8 units are inspected regularly to ensure they remain safe and habitable — if a unit fails inspection and the landlord does not make repairs, the housing authority can suspend payments until the issues are corrected.

What happens between applying and getting a voucher

Most housing authorities have waitlists, and in many cities those lists run years. Some authorities close their lists entirely when demand exceeds their capacity to issue new vouchers — this is common in major metro areas. When a list is closed, the only way in is to wait for it to reopen, which can happen without much advance notice. AffordableHousing.com (website: https://www.affordablehousing.com/) tracks which waitlists are currently open across the country.

When a list is open and you apply, your position is generally determined by the date and time of your application, adjusted for any priority categories that apply to your household. After you apply, confirm your application was received and keep your contact information current with the housing authority — being unreachable when you are called can result in removal from the list.

Once you reach the top of the list, the housing authority will contact you to verify your income, household composition, and eligibility. If approved, you receive a voucher with a limited time window — typically 60 to 120 days — to find a qualifying unit. Some housing authorities grant extensions if you are having difficulty finding a unit. If you cannot find a unit within the window, your voucher may expire.

For people in urgent situations — currently homeless, fleeing domestic violence, or facing certain other documented crises — some housing authorities issue expedited vouchers outside the standard waitlist process. How those work and what situations qualify are covered on the emergency Section 8 voucher page.

Finding a landlord and unit that works

Once you have a voucher, finding a landlord who accepts it is often the harder part of the process. Not all landlords participate in Section 8, and in high-demand markets the search can be competitive. AffordableHousing.com lists units where landlords have indicated they accept vouchers, organized by location. Some housing authorities also maintain their own lists of participating landlords.

Private landlords who accept vouchers know they will receive a guaranteed monthly payment from the housing authority regardless of the tenant's circumstances. They also know the unit will be inspected, which creates some additional administrative steps compared to a standard lease. For tenants, the tradeoff is that the unit must pass inspection before you can move in — minor issues can delay a move-in date while repairs are completed.

Section 8 vouchers can pay for apartments, townhomes, condominiums, single-family houses, and in some cases mobile homes — any unit in the private market that meets the program's physical standards and rent limits. Some housing authorities may also allow vouchers to be used in luxury buildings if the rent falls within local payment standards. How that works is on the luxury apartments that accept Section 8 page.

If you have a past eviction or a credit history that makes private landlords hesitant, the renting with an eviction on your record page covers options for Section 8 holders dealing with this barrier.

Security deposits and move-in costs

Section 8 vouchers cover monthly rent — they do not automatically pay security deposits or first month's rent. Private landlords can still charge a deposit, and coming up with that money can be difficult for households with very limited savings. Some housing authorities and local nonprofits have separate programs specifically for this cost. What those programs are, where to find them, and how to apply are on the Section 8 security deposit assistance page.

Moving with your voucher — portability

One of the most useful features of a tenant-based voucher is that it is portable - meaning you can move with it. After living in your initial unit for at least one year, you can transfer your voucher to a different city, county, or state — a process called porting. This allows families to relocate for work, move closer to family, or move to a community with better schools or lower crime, without losing their housing assistance.

Porting has some complexity — the payment standard of the housing authority you move to governs what rent you can afford in the new location, which may be higher or lower than where you started. The process of transferring a voucher between housing authorities also takes time and paperwork. Everything about how porting works, the timeline, and what to expect is on the Section 8 portability page.

For voucher holders who want to move to a better neighborhood within their current metro area — closer to employment, better schools, lower poverty concentration — the Small Area Fair Market Rents program can provide a higher payment standard for higher-cost zip codes within the same metro. This makes it financially possible for voucher holders to afford units in neighborhoods that would otherwise be out of reach. How SAFMR works is on the Small Area Fair Market Rents page.

Using a voucher to buy a home

Current voucher holders who meet additional requirements can apply to use their Housing Choice Voucher toward homeownership instead of renting. The HCV homeownership program lets qualifying participants apply their monthly assistance toward a mortgage payment instead of rent. It is limited to first-time buyers who have completed housing counseling and meet minimum income and employment requirements. Not every housing authority offers the homeownership option — you need to ask your local PHA whether they have an active program. Details are on the Section 8 home buying assistance page.

Family Self-Sufficiency program

The Family Self-Sufficiency program is available to current voucher holders at housing authorities that offer it — about 700 PHAs across the country participate. The program is voluntary and pairs participants with a case manager who helps them set and work toward goals around employment, education, and financial stability over a five-year period.

The financial incentive is significant: as a participant's earned income increases, the portion of rent they owe under the voucher formula also increases — but the difference goes into an escrow account rather than being lost. Participants who complete the program and are employed can access those savings at graduation. For families working toward leaving the housing assistance system, FSS can help build the financial foundation to do it. Ask your housing authority whether they offer an FSS program. More detail is on the Family Self-Sufficiency program page.

A note on scams

Section 8 scams are widespread and specifically target people who are urgently searching for housing. The most common involve fake websites that mimic official housing authority pages, charging fees to "register" for a waitlist or promising to move an application to the front of the line for a payment. Neither is legitimate. There is no fee to apply for Section 8, and no one can legally charge you to move up a waitlist. Apply only through official housing authority websites or offices, and verify the address before entering any personal information. Report suspected fraud to HUD's Office of Inspector General at https://hudoig.gov/hotline.

Ask the community

The site's moderated forum has an active Section 8 discussion thread where thousands of people have shared their experiences — waitlist timelines in specific cities, how to work with particular housing authorities, what happened when they tried to port, and what worked when things got complicated. You can ask questions, share what you know, or read through what others have been through. The Section 8 voucher discussion thread is open to anyone.

Apply for Section 8 in your state

Section 8 is administered by local Public Housing Authorities — there are around 2,000 across the country. Each state has multiple PHAs covering different cities and counties, with their own waitlists and application procedures. Select your state below to find the housing authorities in your area and how to apply.

You can also call HUD's Public and Indian Housing Information Resource Center at (800) 955-2232 to be connected with your local housing authority, or find PHA contact information directly at https://www.hud.gov/contactus/public-housing-contacts..

Disclaimer: Section 8 eligibility requirements, payment standards, and waitlist status vary by housing authority and change over time. Contact your local Public Housing Authority directly to confirm current income limits, waitlist status, and application procedures. This page is for informational purposes only.

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