Section 8 Housing Voucher Calculator

Section 8 vouchers close the gap between what a household can reasonably afford and what local rents actually cost. The estimate here projects your 2026 assistance so you can budget realistically and weigh which units fall within reach before you start touring apartments.

The math begins with your adjusted monthly income (AMI). A tenant share of 30% of AMI is subtracted from the Payment Standard (PS) that applies to your household size and location. HUD ties the Payment Standard to the Fair Market Rent, generally setting it somewhere between 90% and 110% of FMR. The voucher covers the remaining rent up to that Payment Standard. When you first sign a lease, your own contribution is capped at 40% of AMI, so units priced well above the PS may push you past that limit.

Treat the result as a planning figure rather than a guarantee. Your Public Housing Agency (PHA) makes the binding determination, and the number can shift with deductions, abatements, and recertifications. Because the Payment Standard is set locally, two neighboring counties in the same state can produce noticeably different voucher amounts. Reporting every source of income and every eligible deduction accurately matters too, since both feed directly into the AMI that anchors the entire calculation.