How we estimate what a voucher covers
On a rental listing you may see a line like “It covers up to about $2,550 a month for a 1-bedroom here.” This page explains where that number comes from and what it does not mean.
What the number is
A Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) lets you rent from a private landlord. Your local housing office (its official name is a housing authority) pays part of the rent each month. The most it will pay is called the payment standard (federal rule 24 CFR 982.505).
That cap counts rent plus utilities together (federal rule 24 CFR 982.4). You pay the rest. Usually that is about 30% of your adjusted income, and at move-in your share can be at most 40% of it (federal rule 24 CFR 982.508).
Who decides the exact amount
Your local housing office does. We do not, and neither does HUD, the federal housing department. HUD publishes a yardstick called the Fair Market Rent, and the local housing office picks a payment standard near it. Without HUD's special approval, that is between 90% and 110% of the Fair Market Rent (federal rule 24 CFR 982.503). That is why we always say “about.”
The number also depends on the bedrooms on your voucher. The local housing office sets that from your household size and makeup. If you rent a smaller home than your voucher size, the smaller size's amount applies.
Where we get the number, best source first
- The local housing office's own published table. We have collected these for 18 of the largest housing offices. We use one only when exactly one housing office covers the ZIP code. The page names the office and the date its table took effect.
- HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rent for the ZIP code, in the metro areas where HUD requires authorities to use it (HUD's Small Area page).
- HUD's Fair Market Rent for the whole metro area or county (HUD's Fair Market Rent page). HUD sets it at the 40th percentile of local rents (federal rule 24 CFR 888.113), so about 60% of recent rents are above it.
Each listing says which of the three it used and the year. HUD's rents are published each fiscal year, which starts on October 1.
What the number does not tell you
- It is not a promise that a home is available, or that a landlord will accept a voucher.
- It is not what you will pay. Your share depends on your income.
- It can change. If your housing office lowers its payment standard, a current tenant's amount cannot drop for two years and needs 12 months' notice.
- For homes with more than 4 bedrooms, HUD adds 15% of the 4-bedroom rent for each extra bedroom.
- A voucher can be used in another housing office's area. The new office's standard then applies. We do not model that.
Sources
- HUD Housing Choice Voucher Guidebook: Payment Standards (June 2025)
- HUD Fair Market Rents and Small Area Fair Market Rents
- Local housing office payment standards: each office's own website, linked in our data
Fair Shot Housing is not a government agency. Always confirm the amount with your local housing office.