Determining Final Eligibilty
ANNUAL INCOME
Annual income is defined as the anticipated total annual income from all sources. Although some types of income are not counted, the family is responsible for reporting all sources of income for the household. The PHA is responsible for applying the HUD rules and deciding what needs to be counted in the Annual Income calculation. This is the first step toward determining the amount of rental assistance the family receives.
Examples of Income
| Employment | Net income of a business | Social Security |
| Public assistance | SSI | TANF |
| Unemployment | Worker’s Compensation | Disability |
| Pensions | Annuities | Alimony |
| Relocation Payments | Interest from Assets | Military Pay |
|
Child Support
|
Regular Contributions/Gifts |
Net income from Real/Personal Property |
DETERMINE ADJUSTED INCOME
After determining the total annual income for the household, the PHA makes any necessary adjustments to the annual income in accordance with HUD regulations. If the family qualifies, there are five (5) possible deductions and allowances.
HUD-approved deductions and allowable expenses are subtracted from the Annual Income to get the family’s Adjusted Annual Income.
DEDUCTIONS AND HUD ALLOWABLE EXPENSES
Dependents – A $480.00 deduction is made for all minors under the age of 18, and for family members 18 and over who are full time students or a person with a disability, other than the Head or Spouse.
Elderly/Disability Allowance – A $400.00 household deduction is made for families whose head, spouse, or sole member is 62 years or over, or is a person with a disability.
Allowable Medical Expenses – For an Elderly Family or Disabled Family, medical expenses for all family members that are greater than 3% of the Annual Income will be deducted.
Allowable Disability Assistance Expenses – Disability assistance expenses that exceed 3% of the Annual income will be deducted if they permit a family member to work.
Allowable Childcare Expenses – Reasonable childcare expenses, for family members 12 years old and younger, will be deducted if they enable a family member to work, attend school, or seek employment.
Annual Income – Deductions eligible for = Adjusted Annual Income
ADJUSTED MONTHLY INCOME
Since there are twelve months in a year, the Adjusted Monthly Income is the Adjusted Annual Income divided by 12.
TOTAL TENANT PAYMENT (TTP)
After calculating the adjusted monthly income, the PHA determines the Total Tenant Payment for the family. The Total Tenant Payment (TTP) in the Voucher Program is the greater of:
- Thirty percent of the family’s monthly adjusted income
- Ten percent of the family’s gross monthly income
- The PHA’s minimum rent
This includes the amount the tenant pays toward the rent to the owner and the PHA’s Utility Allowance for the unit. Depending on what rent the owner charges and whether utilities are included, the TTP may or may not represent 30% of the family’s adjusted monthly income.
UTILITY ALLOWANCE
A utility allowance is the PHA’s estimate of the average monthly utility bills for an energy-conscious household. If all utilities are included in the rent, there is no utility allowance. The utility allowance will vary by unit size and type of utilities.
UTILITY REIMBURSEMENT PAYMENTS
In the Voucher Program, very low- income households may receive a utility reimbursement check from the PHA when the family’s TTP is lower than the utility allowance.
PAYMENT STANDARD
A Payment Standard is used to calculate the monthly housing assistance payment for a family. The PHA must adopt a Payment Standard schedule for each Fair Market Rent Area in the PHA jurisdiction, based on HUD’s published FMR’s for each market area in the United States.
The PHA establishes Payment Standard amounts for each unit size.
The Payment Standard is the maximum monthly subsidy payment.
The Payment Standard for a family is the lower of:
-
- The Payment Standard amount for the family unit size; or
- The Payment Standard amount for the size of the dwelling unit rented by the family.
The following is the established Payment Standard for your area:
|
# of Bedrooms
|
Brown
|
Day
|
Marshall
|
McPherson
|
Roberts
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $477 | $476 | $476 | $505 | $476 |
| 1 | $587 | $560 | $560 | $560 | $560 |
| 2 | $773 | $667 | $667 | $740 | $667 |
| 3 | $1085 | $959 | $959 | $1070 | $959 |
| 4 | $1102 | $1009 | $1009 | $1125 | $973 |
| 5 | $1267 | $1161 | $1161 | $1285 | $1119 |
HOUSING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS (HAP)
In the Voucher Program, the PHA’s payment to the owner is equal to the lower of the Payment Standard minus the TTP, or the gross rent minus the TTP.
Gross Rent includes the Rent to Owner plus any allowance for tenant-paid utilities.
LOCAL POLICIES
The local boundaries of the HA’s jurisdiction where families are permitted to lease a unit are: Brown County, McPherson County, Marshall County, and Day County.
Requests for reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities can be made to Aberdeen Housing Authority.
The H.A. does not have a policy that limits the amount of security deposit owners may charge.
HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER EXTENSIONS
A family may request an extension of the Housing Choice Voucher time period. All requests for extensions must be received prior to the expiration date of the Housing Choice Voucher. Extensions are permissible at the discretion of the Housing Authority primarily for the following reasons:
-
- Extenuating circumstances such as hospitalization or a family emergency for an extended period of time, which has affected the family’s ability to find a unit within the initial 60-day time period. The HA representative will verify the extenuating circumstances prior to granting an extension.
-
- The family has evidence that they have made a consistent effort to locate a unit and request support services from the HA, throughout the initial 60-day period with regard to their inability to locate a unit.
-
- The family has turned in a Request for Tenancy Approval prior to the expiration of the 60-day time period, but the unit has not passed HQS.
- Time period for extensions: A HA representative may grant one or more extensions not to exceed a total of 60 days. The initial term plus any extensions MAY NOT exceed 120 calendar days from the beginning of the initial term.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Please be advised that the AHA, upon written request from your prospective landlord/manager, will provide the following information:
-
- The family’s current and prior addresses (as shown in the Housing Authority’s records);
-
- The names and addresses (if known) of the landlords for those addresses;
- Any factual information or third party verification relating to the applicant’s history as a tenant or their ability to comply with material lease terms; and or
- Any history of drug trafficking, drug related criminal activity, or violent criminal activity.
SUBSIDY STANDARDS
HUD requires that the PHA establish subsidy standards. These subsidy standards are used to determine the appropriate number of bedrooms for families of different size and different compositions. The subsidy standards take into consideration factors such as the total number of persons in the family, the age and sex of persons, relationship of persons, and health/handicap of family members.
The following subsidy standards shall determine the number of bedrooms required to accommodate each family without overcrowding or over-housing:
Subsidy Standard Chart
| Number of Bedrooms |
Number of Persons
|
|
|
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
|
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
|
5
|
5
|
10
|
Section 8 participants shall be issued Housing Choice Vouchers based on the subsidy standard listed above. The Family unit size for any family consisting of a single person must be either a zero or one-bedroom unit, unless a live-in-aide (approved, in advance by the AHA, caring for a member who is disabled or at least 50 years of age) resides with the family. A live-in-aide must be counted in determining the family unit size. A family that consists of a pregnant woman (with no other persons) must be treated as a two-person family. A child temporarily away from the home because of placement in foster care is considered a member of the family in determining unit size. The HA will grant exceptions when a family request a larger size than guidelines allow and documents a medical reason why the larger size is necessary.