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 monthly income. Housing agencies take 30% of adjusted monthly income: annual income minus deductions for dependents, for elderly or disabled households, for some medical and disability costs and for child care, divided by 12. The calculator skips the deductions and takes 30% of the gross annual income you enter divided by 12, so its tenant share runs a little high. That share is subtracted from the Payment Standard (PS). Your Public Housing Agency sets the PS for each unit size, usually between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for your area; the calculator has no location input and uses one built-in figure per bedroom count, from $950 for a studio to $2,050 for four bedrooms. 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 adjusted monthly income, 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 adjusted income that anchors the entire calculation.