Rental Benefits and Work

This page discusses the income rules for:

• The Section 8 housing choice voucher (HCV) program
• Public housing, and
• Many different project-based housing programs. Note: Some project-based housing has different rules than the rules described here. Make sure to check with the program.

Other programs may also use these same rules or rules that are similar.

Rent Based on Your Income

The key thing to know when you get help with rent from these programs is that how much you pay for rent is directly related to your total income, including earnings from work, benefits you get (like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and other unearned income.

When you get benefits from one of these housing programs and move into a place, you’ll have to pay about 30% of your household income in rent. For example, if you make $1,000 a month, you may have to pay $300 each month for rent. The program pays the rest of the apartment’s rent. You may end up paying a little less if you qualify for credits related to your disability or medical expenses, or if you have children and you pay for childcare costs.

Note: Any money earned by a child under age 18 does not count as household income, and will not affect the rent the family pays. However, unearned income is counted, including SSI, Colorado Works, or child support.

Generally, you keep paying the same amount of rent as long as your income or other family circumstances don’t change. The only thing you have to do is keep your income, family information, and contact information up-to-date with the manager of your housing benefit:

• Each year, in a process called "annual reexamination," the housing agency looks at your income and family situation again and decides how much rent you must pay in the coming year.
• If there is a change in your income or situation between your annual reexaminations, you have to let the housing agency know. They may then do an "interim reexamination." Depending on the results of the interim reexamination, the amount you pay for rent could change.

After an annual or interim reexamination, you still pay about 30% of your income for rent, but if your income is higher than it used to be, your share of rent goes up and the housing program pays less. Note: The exact timing of when your rent changes depends on how your income changes and other factors.

Tip: If you get help paying your rent and you start making more money at work, ask your public housing authority (PHA) or your housing program if the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program might help you. With the FSS program, when your rent goes up because your earned income went up, the increase in your rent goes into a special account that you can access later to pay for something you need. Learn more about the FSS.

Earning More

With Section 8, public housing, and many different project-based housing programs, the more you make, the more rent you pay. Earned income is treated exactly the same as unearned income, so if your earnings go up by $500 per month, your rent would go up by about 30% of that ($150 per month).

Note that if your income changes, the timing of when your rent changes depends on different things like:

• When your last annual reexamination was done
• If your income went up or down
• How much your income changed, and
• What type of income changed.

The bottom line: You’re better off if you earn more because your rent won’t go up as much as your earnings.

See How More Earnings Might Affect Rent

If you have subsidized housing and the amount you pay for rent is based on your income, use this tool to see how making more money could affect your rent.

This tool looks at rent, earnings, SSI, and SSDI. It doesn’t adjust for other benefits. If you have any questions, talk to a benefits planner.

Step 1: Your Subsidized Housing
Do you get help from a housing program?
Yes, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program helps me pay my rent.Yes, I live in project-based housing.Yes, I live in public housing.Yes, the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program helps me.Yes, but it is not listed here.No, none of these programs helps pay for my housing.
How much do you spend on rent each month?	$
Step 2: Your Current Income (per month):
Earnings from work now:	$
Supplemental Security Income (SSI):	$
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI):	$
Other unearned income:	$
Step 3: Your Future Work Plan (per month):
Earnings from work in your plan:	$
	$1,550
	$20
	$65
	$943
Submit

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Results

There isn’t enough information about your housing benefit to say if increased earnings might affect rent.

Use the Benefits and Work Estimator to get detailed results about how work interacts with other benefits.

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Results

This tool helps see how earning more might affect benefits that help with rent. Since you don’t get benefits that help pay your rent, this tool cannot help you

Use the Benefits and Work Estimator to get detailed results about how work interacts with other benefits.

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Results

This tool helps show how an increase in your earnings could affect your rent. The earnings in your plan are not higher than your current earnings.

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Results

There is not enough information to say if you will keep getting SSDI benefits and how your rent might change. Use the Benefits and Work Estimator to get detailed results.

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Results

If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSI benefit:	$
Your monthly SSDI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$
Your monthly rent:	$
Change in rent:	$

This is only an estimate. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$
Your monthly rent:	$
Change in rent:	$

This is only an estimate. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSDI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$
Your monthly rent:	$
Change in rent:	$

This is only an estimate. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$
Your monthly rent:	$
Change in rent:	$

This is only an estimate. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

Your subsidized housing has an Earned Income Disregard (EID). The EID helps during the first 24 months (two years) after you start earning more from work:

With the EID, If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSI benefit:	$
Your monthly SSDI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$

	Year 1: The first 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 2: The next 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 3 and later: 24+ months after your earnings go up
Your monthly rent:	$	$	$
Change in rent from what you pay now:	$0	$	$

These are only estimates. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

Your subsidized housing has an Earned Income Disregard (EID). The EID helps during the first 24 months (two years) after you start earning more from work:

With the EID, If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$

	Year 1: The first 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 2: The next 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 3 and later: 24+ months after your earnings go up
Your monthly rent:	$	$	$
Change in rent from what you pay now:	$0	$	$

These are only estimates. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

Your subsidized housing has an Earned Income Disregard (EID). The EID helps during the first 24 months (two years) after you start earning more from work:

With the EID, If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your monthly SSDI benefit:	$
Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$

	Year 1: The first 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 2: The next 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 3 and later: 24+ months after your earnings go up
Your monthly rent:	$	$	$
Change in rent from what you pay now:	$0	$	$

These are only estimates. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Results

Your subsidized housing has an Earned Income Disregard (EID). The EID helps during the first 24 months (two years) after you start earning more from work:

With the EID, If you earn $/month, we estimate:

Your total monthly income:	$
Change in total income:	$

	Year 1: The first 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 2: The next 12 months after your earnings go up	Year 3 and later: 24+ months after your earnings go up
Your monthly rent:	$	$	$
Change in rent from what you pay now:	$0	$	$

These are only estimates. Actual rent could be different based on your housing and program rules. Talk to a benefits planner.

Note: When your rent starts to go up due to your earnings, check with your public housing authority (PHA) to see if you qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. With the FSS, the increase in your rent might get set aside to help you buy something in the future, like a car or a home. Learn more about the FSS.

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Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program helps families who get help with their rent from programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It helps families whose income goes up because of work. When the family income goes up and the program starts paying less for rent, the FSS program takes the money that it saves on rent and sets that money aside for the family. The family can use these savings for purchases, such as the down payment on a home or a car.

The FSS program can help people who get help from programs like:

• Public housing
• The Section 8 housing choice voucher program
• Section 8 project-based rental assistance
• Some other project-based housing programs, and
• Some special purpose vouchers, including Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP), Foster Youth to Independence (FYI), and Mainstream.

Check with your public housing authority (PHA) or with the administrator of your housing program to see if the FSS can help you. Learn more about the FSS program.