Income-based apartments in Atlanta: how to find and apply
By Fair Shot Housing editorial teamUpdated 6 min read
The short answer
In Atlanta, subsidized housing from Atlanta Housing and other housing authorities sets your rent at about 30% of your income. Most tax-credit apartments charge a fixed rent under a cap instead. You apply at each building or waitlist. In 2026, the federal limit for "very low income" is $41,250 for one person.
In this article
Income-based apartments in Atlanta, Georgia come in two kinds. In subsidized housing run by Atlanta Housing, the city's housing authority, your rent is a share of your income, usually about 30%. In tax-credit apartments, which are built with a federal tax credit for builders, rent is a fixed amount under a cap. You apply at each building's office or on each waitlist.
What we track in Atlanta. As of October 5, 2026, we list 10 open Atlanta listings, and only one is a rental: a senior voucher waitlist that closes October 9. The other nine are homes for sale through a land trust, a nonprofit that holds the land under the home. We do not list the apartment buildings that take applications at the property, so this guide also points to the official lists. See our Atlanta page for today's listings.
What does "income-based" mean in Atlanta?
Ads use the phrase loosely. Two models sit behind it, and they work differently.
| Rent follows your income | Rent has a cap | |
|---|---|---|
| How rent is set | Your share of adjusted monthly income, usually 30% | A set rent for the unit, up to a limit in the tax law |
| If your pay changes | Rent is figured again when your income is checked, at least yearly | The rent does not follow your pay |
| Where you see it | Public housing, vouchers, and vouchers tied to one building (project-based vouchers) | Many buildings built with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit |
| How you apply | A housing authority waitlist or the building's list | The building's leasing office |
Adjusted income is your income minus certain deductions. Atlanta Housing has federal flexibility to set some of its own rent rules, so use the rent estimate tool on its website for a figure. On vouchers, the federal housing department, HUD, says your share is usually 30% but can reach 40%. In tax-credit buildings the law caps the rent, utilities included, at 30% of the income limit tied to the unit (26 U.S. Code 42). One building can hold both kinds of units. Our guide to income-restricted apartments goes deeper.
A worked example. Say a household's adjusted income is $30,000 a year. In subsidized housing the rent share is about $9,000 a year, or $750 a month. In a tax-credit building the rent is a flat figure for the unit. Your $30,000 only has to fall under the income limit.
Who runs what in Atlanta?
A housing authority is the local public agency that runs vouchers and public housing. No single office covers the whole metro area.
- Atlanta Housing (AH). The city's housing authority owns 9 public-housing properties, 7 senior high-rises and 2 small family communities. It also pays rental assistance in privately run mixed-income communities, called Homeflex, each with its own waitlist, and it runs Housing Choice Vouchers, also called Section 8. AH says more than 90 apartment communities in the city take its rental assistance.
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The state agency runs vouchers in 149 of Georgia's 159 counties, awards tax credits to builders and sponsors GeorgiaHousingSearch.org, a free rental search with a help line at 1-877-428-8844.
- Housing Authority of Fulton County. Says it offers public housing, voucher programs, tax-credit properties and homeownership help, and opens project-based voucher waitlists.
- Housing Authority of DeKalb County. Opens project-based voucher waitlists one property at a time, with online pre-applications.
- Marietta Housing Authority. Cobb County's own page sends people here for vouchers and public housing.
For other counties, such as Clayton and Gwinnett, we could not confirm the local office from an official page. Search GeorgiaHousingSearch.org or dial 2-1-1 for community resources.
What is open right now?
- Atlanta Housing vouchers. AH opens the list only from time to time. We list none today.
- State vouchers. DCA's tenant-based waitlists were closed on October 5, 2026.
- Fulton County project-based vouchers. The list opens October 5 at 10 AM and closes October 9 at 4 PM, for two-bedroom units at select senior (62 and older) and near-elderly (55 and older) communities, chosen by a lottery-style process.
- DeKalb County. Check the authority's notices page for the next property list.
- Atlanta Housing communities. Call each property and ask if its list is open.
Our waitlists page shows the housing-authority lists we track, and our guide to finding an open Section 8 waitlist explains how they work.
What are the 2026 income limits for Atlanta?
The federal housing department publishes limits for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area, which covers 24 counties including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton and Gwinnett. The 2026 median family income is $117,800. That is the middle family income in the area: half of families earn more and half earn less. All limits below are yearly household income.
| People in household | 30% of median | 50% of median | 60% (tax credit table, Fulton) | 80% of median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24,750 | $41,250 | $49,500 | $66,000 |
| 2 | $28,300 | $47,150 | $56,580 | $75,400 |
| 3 | $31,850 | $53,050 | $63,660 | $84,850 |
| 4 | $35,350 | $58,900 | $70,680 | $94,250 |
The 60% column comes from a separate table for tax-credit buildings, effective May 1, 2026. Some older buildings use a slightly higher figure, $50,940 for one person in Fulton, so read the building's own chart. See what area median income means.
From the listings we track, the Atlanta Land Trust homes for sale show how limits step up. The land trust's 2025 chart gives these limits for four people:
| Share of median | Limit for 4 people | Open homes | Prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60% | $68,520 | 1 | $199,000 |
| 80% | $91,360 | 4 | $165,000 to $265,000 |
| 100% | $114,200 | 3 | $250,000 to $296,000 |
| 120% | $137,040 | 1 | $270,000 |
These are homes to buy, not apartments. Limits rise most years, so use the newest chart a program posts. Not sure where you fit? Try our qualify check or read how to qualify for affordable housing.
How do Atlanta waitlists work?
For Atlanta Housing communities, property managers pull names in the order people applied, so a long list can mean a long wait. Voucher lists open in short windows, sometimes with a lottery.
- Add up the yearly income of every adult and count who will live with you.
- Pick properties and call each to ask whether its list is open.
- Ask for the income chart and the document list.
- Apply to every list you can. Atlanta Housing allows it.
- Keep your phone and address current, and answer every letter.
Where do seniors look in Atlanta?
In AH's own high-rises, the head of household must be 62 or older, 55 to 61, or a non-elderly adult with a disability. Many Homeflex properties are senior-only. AH's list, dated July 10, 2026, names about 100 properties and marks nearly all as family or senior.
How do you spot a scam?
- Never pay anyone to be added to a waitlist. The federal housing department's inspector general warns of fake waitlist announcements on social media.
- Do not answer social media ads for waitlist spots. Use the phone number on the housing authority's own website.
- DCA says it charges no application fees.
- The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake rental ads ask for wire transfers or gift cards and rush you. Look for the property on its owner's own website.
What do we list in Atlanta today?
As of October 5, 2026, we list 12 open Georgia listings, 10 of them in Atlanta. Nine are Atlanta Land Trust homes, listed until they go under contract. Buyers start with an information session, then get pre-approved, which means an approved lender confirms how much they can borrow. One example is 1125 Cordova Street SW, a two-bedroom house at $199,000 for households at or under 60% of the median. The one rental is the Fulton County senior waitlist above, which closes at 4 PM on October 9. We list nothing today for DeKalb, Cobb or Clayton counties.
Browse Atlanta, Georgia or all open listings.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Waitlists open and close without much notice, so confirm every detail with the housing authority or building you apply to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the income limit for income-based apartments in Atlanta?
It depends on the program. For the Atlanta area, the federal housing department's 2026 very low income limit (50% of the median) is $41,250 for one person and $58,900 for four. Tax-credit buildings often use a 60% line, which for Fulton County is $49,500 for one person and $70,680 for four. Each building posts its own chart.
Is the Atlanta Housing voucher waitlist open?
Atlanta Housing says it opens the voucher waitlist only from time to time and announces it on its website, in a legal notice in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and in local media. The state's own voucher waitlist, run by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, was closed when we checked on October 5, 2026. Check each office's website before you plan around either list.
Can you apply to more than one waitlist?
Yes. Atlanta Housing says you may apply to as many communities as you wish, and the federal housing department says high demand may mean you need to apply to several waitlists. Each list is separate, so you update your contact details on each one.
Does it cost money to apply?
Housing authorities and government agencies never charge to join a waitlist, according to the inspector general of the federal housing department. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs says it charges no application fees. Anyone who asks you to pay to be added to a list is a red flag.
How old do you have to be for senior housing in Atlanta?
It varies by building. In Atlanta Housing's own senior high-rises the head of household must be 62 or older, 55 to 61 (near-elderly), or a non-elderly adult with a disability. Many other communities, including those on the Housing Authority of Fulton County's lists, are set at 62 and older or 55 and older.
Sources
Every rule and number in this guide comes from one of these, or from our own listings data on the day shown. Last checked October 6, 2026.
- 1.Atlanta Housing: Housing programsatlantahousing.org
- 2.Atlanta Housing: Housing optionsatlantahousing.org
- 3.Atlanta Housing: Homeflex property listing, July 10, 2026atlantahousing.org
- 4.Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Housing Choice Voucher waiting listdca.georgia.gov
- 5.Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Project-Based Voucher programdca.georgia.gov
- 6.Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Housing Tax Credit programdca.georgia.gov
- 7.GeorgiaHousingSearch.org: free rental search sponsored by the Georgia Department of Community Affairsgeorgiahousingsearch.org
- 8.Housing Authority of Fulton Countyhafc.org
- 9.Housing Authority of DeKalb County: Applicants and waiting listdekalbhousing.org
- 10.Cobb County: Housing Choice Voucher program and public housing (Marietta Housing Authority)cobbcounty.gov
- 11.HUD USER: FY2026 Section 8 income limits (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell row)huduser.gov
- 12.HUD USER: FY2026 Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project income limits, effective May 1, 2026huduser.gov
- 13.HUD: Housing Choice Voucher program for tenantshud.gov
- 14.HUD: Public housinghud.gov
- 15.26 U.S. Code 42(g): Low-income housing credit, qualified low-income housing projectlaw.cornell.edu
- 16.HUD Office of Inspector General: Beware of fake assisted-housing waitlists (August 1, 2024)hudoig.gov
- 17.Federal Trade Commission: Rental listing scamsconsumer.ftc.gov
- 18.Atlanta Land Trust: Available homesatlantalandtrust.org
See what you qualify for
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