Section 8 Eligibility: Income Limits and AMI Explained
Updated · Reviewed against current HUD program rules
Every HUD program keys off one number: the Area Median Income (AMI) for your county or metro, adjusted for household size. HUD publishes the thresholds annually. Here's how to read them and estimate whether your household likely qualifies before you spend hours applying.
The three thresholds
- Extremely Low Income (ELI): ≤30% of AMI — prioritized; 75% of new vouchers must go here
- Very Low Income (VLI): ≤50% of AMI — the standard Section 8/PBS8 admission ceiling
- Low Income: ≤80% of AMI — governs public housing and some LIHTC bands
Family-size adjustments
Limits grow with each additional household member — roughly 4% per person. A three-person household at 50% AMI in a $90k-AMI county faces a ceiling near $34,000/year; eight-person ceilings approach double that. Always check the exact table for your county and household size via HUD's income-limit lookup, or ask the PHA when you apply.
What counts as income
Gross wages before deductions, self-employment net income, Social Security/SSI, pensions, unemployment, child support received, regular gifts — plus asset income (interest) for holdings over $50k at imputed rates. Adjusted income then subtracts dependent allowances, elder/disabled medical deductions, childcare needed to work, and disability expenses.
Other eligibility screens
Citizenship or eligible immigration status, Social Security numbers provided, no lifetime sex-offender registration against housing, PHA background screening, and — for vouchers — compliance with previous HUD-program debts. Student-only households face restrictions in LIHTC units.