How the calculator works
The calculator uses the same three-tier framework HUD uses for federal rental assistance eligibility. Every program ties its eligibility ceiling to a percentage of the local Area Median Income (AMI), adjusted for household size. The three standard tiers are 30% AMI (Extremely Low Income), 50% AMI (Very Low Income), and 80% AMI (Low Income). Different programs use different tiers — Section 8 vouchers use 50% AMI, Public Housing uses 80%, Emergency Housing Vouchers and Continuum of Care prioritize 30%. The calculator finds the lowest tier you fall under and lists every program with an income cap at or above that tier.
What HUD counts as "income"
Use your annual gross household income — the total before taxes, from every source, for every adult who will live in the unit. That includes wages and salaries, self-employment net income, Social Security benefits (including SSI and SSDI), pensions, regular cash gifts received, child support and alimony actually received, and asset income (interest, dividends, rental income, the imputed return on assets above $50,000). HUD does not count the income of household members under 18, the earnings of a live-in aide, food stamps (SNAP), one-time payments like tax refunds or insurance settlements, or the first $480 of any earned income from a household member who is a full-time student over 18.
Why the answer is "approximate"
The income limits this calculator references are derived from each state's published Area Median Income — the figure HUD anchors to. Actual published HUD income limits are set per metro / non-metro county, and can be 10–25% higher in high-cost coastal areas and 5–10% lower in the lowest-cost rural counties. For the exact figure that applies in your county, look up your county on HUD User's Income Limits dataset or call your local Public Housing Agency.
The calculator also uses gross income, not the "adjusted income" HUD uses to set your tenant rent share. Your adjusted income — and therefore your monthly rent — is gross income minus a $480 deduction per dependent, a $525 deduction if any household member is elderly or disabled, and actual childcare or unreimbursed medical expenses (for elderly/disabled households) above 3% of income. The actual rent you'd pay under Section 8 is roughly 30% of that adjusted figure, divided by 12.
Beyond the numbers
Income eligibility is necessary but not sufficient. To actually receive a Section 8 voucher you also need to (a) find a PHA whose waiting list is open, (b) survive a criminal background check (most non-violent records are not disqualifying, but lifetime sex-offender registrations are), and (c) wait for your name to come up — anywhere from 6 months to 8 years. Read how to apply for the full walkthrough, and about waiting lists for what to do when every list near you is closed.