How to apply for a Section 8 voucher: waiting lists and papers

To apply for a Housing Choice VoucherHousing Choice Voucher (Section 8)The Housing Choice Voucher, the program almost everyone calls Section 8, is the country's largest federal rental assistance. HUD pays rental subsidies so eligible families can afford decent, safe and sanitary housing. Local public housing agencies administer it with HUD funds. The family finds its own home on the private market; if the agency approves the unit and the tenancy, it contracts with the owner to pay part of the rent, and the family pays the rest. Waiting lists are usually long and open for limited periods.See the full definitionClose, Section 8, you get on the waiting listwaiting list (public housing and Section 8)The waiting list is where a public housing agency (PHA) places families who qualify for public housing or a Section 8 voucher when it cannot help them right away. When your name comes up, the PHA contacts you. Because more families need help than there are resources, long waits are common and a PHA may close its list. Each PHA can give preference to certain groups under its written policies. In the voucher program, a PHA may remove you if you do not answer its requests for information, but if that was because of a family member's disability, it must put you back in your place.See the full definitionClose of a public housing agencypublic housing agency (PHA)A public housing agency (PHA) is a state, county, municipal or other governmental entity or public body authorized to operate public housing or rental assistance programs. These are the agencies that locally administer the Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) and public housing with HUD funds: they open and manage the waiting lists, review eligibility and income, inspect units and pay the owner its share of the rent. Each county usually has one or several; your page shows the ones serving your area with their phone numbers.See the full definitionClose when it opens; you can get on several, even where you don’t live.¹ You bring proof of income and of citizenship or status for whoever claims it.¹ This guide walks through each step: how to know when a list opens, how it is ordered, what papers you need, what happens when you are called and what changes in a mixed-status family. At the end we tell you where to get free help.

To search for a home with the voucher, depending on your housing agency

60 to 120 days¹

Of your adjusted monthly income, what your share of the rent usually is

30%¹

Of the families admitted from the list each year, at least, must be extremely low-income

75%²

Who can apply

To get a voucher, the family must be income-eligible and be citizens or noncitizens with eligible immigration status under HUD’s rules. Generally it must be a very low-income family. And at least 75% of the families an agency admits from its list each year must be extremely low-income.² Income limits depend on your county and family size: your county’s income-limit page and the income limits tool show yours.

You don’t need to live in the agency’s city or county to apply. But if you lived elsewhere when you applied, the agency may require you to live in its area for the first 12 months with the voucher.¹ So if you plan to apply far from where you live, ask first what they would require.

Status is not the same for everyone in a family. If someone has no eligible status, the family can still apply if another member has it; we explain this below, in the section on mixed families.⁹

How to know when a waiting list opens

Many agencies keep their list closed most of the time. When one opens, it must give public notice that families may apply, stating where and when. It publishes the notice in a local newspaper and also through minority media and other means, and the notice states any limits on who may apply.⁴ Once the list holds enough families for the funding available, the agency may stop taking applications.⁴

To avoid missing an opening:

• Find the agencies near you on your state’s housing-authority page, for example Texas, California, Florida or New York.
• In places, open your county and go to “Section 8”: it lists the agencies based in the county, HUD’s fair market rent by size and the payment-standard range. For example, Section 8 in Los Angeles County.
• Call the agency and ask whether the list is open and how it announces openings.

HUD suggests applying to several lists, because demand is high and waits are long.¹

How the list is ordered and what preferences are

The list records each applicant’s name, the unit size the family qualifies for, the date and time of application and whether it qualifies for a local preference. The order may not depend on your family’s size. Each agency keeps one list for the voucher, though it may keep a separate list for a county or municipality.³

Reaching the top depends on how many vouchers there are, when you applied and the preferences you marked, such as veteran or disabled.¹ Preferences are priorities each agency sets in its administrative plan. The regulations prohibit residency requirements; a residency preference can only use a county or municipality, cannot depend on how long you have lived there, and people who work or have been hired there count as residents. There may also be preferences for working families, for families that include a person with disabilities and for victims of domestic violence.⁵

Two ways to choose among families with the same preference

First come, first served

By date and time

• Whoever applied first goes first, among families with the same preference.⁵
• It pays to apply as soon as the list opens.

Random

By drawing

• The agency selects by a drawing or another random method.⁵
• Applying on the first day gives no advantage; what matters is getting in on time.

Either way, the agency may not skip the order to choose higher-income families.⁵ Ask which method yours uses.

What papers you will need

Papers vary by agency, but HUD says they typically include proof of income, such as pay stubs, and bank information; paperwork for other public assistance, such as SSI or SNAP, if you get it; and proof of citizenship and Social Security cards.¹

While you wait, tell the agency about every change of address, phone or household size. If you don’t, you can be removed from the list. You can ask about your place at any time.¹ Each agency’s plan says when it removes names, and it may remove applicants who don’t answer its letters. If a disability in your family is why you didn’t answer, the agency must restore your place.³

When you are called: the briefing, the voucher and the search

From the list to the keys

1. 1. The agency contacts you

   When you reach the top

   It reviews your eligibility and income and verifies your papers.¹

2. 2. You attend the briefing

   After your papers are verified

   They explain how the program works and may issue the voucher.¹

3. 3. You search for a home

   60 to 120 days, depending on your agency

   The term is at least 60 days; you can ask for an extension.⁶

4. 4. You submit the tenancy approval request

   When you find a home

   You fill out the RFTA with the landlord; your term pauses while it is reviewed.⁶

5. 5. Inspection and reasonable rent

   Before signing

   The agency inspects and checks that the rent is reasonable.¹

6. 6. You sign the lease

   At the end

   You, the landlord and the agency sign.¹

Your share of the rent is usually 30% of your adjusted monthly income, though it can reach 40%. The agency uses a payment standard, the most it can pay toward rent and utilities based on local rents and bedroom count, and pays the landlord the difference between that standard and your share.¹ The how much rent can I afford calculator shows what rent fits your income.

If someone in your family has a disability and you need more time to search, ask for an extension as a reasonable accommodation: the agency must grant it for as long as reasonably required.⁶ When you search, check tax-credit (LIHTC) properties near you: HUD says they are required to accept vouchers.¹ The guide on affordable-housing lotteries and LIHTC explains how to find them.

If your family has mixed immigration status

If one or more members choose not to contend eligible immigration status and others establish citizenship or status, the family can receive assistance. Those who don’t contend submit no immigration papers, but the family must say in writing who they are.⁹

An eligible mixed family that requests prorated assistance must receive it, including when it first applies.¹⁰ With a voucher, the agency first computes the full assistance using everyone’s income, including anyone who has not established eligible status, and multiplies it by the number of members with eligible status over the total. The family pays the landlord the part of the rent that assistance does not cover.¹¹ The guide on Section 8 and mixed-status families has a step-by-step example.

Example with real numbers

A family of five with three eligible members

An example in words. Your figures come from your housing agency's calculation.

Family members

Five

Members with citizenship or eligible status

Three

Income used in the calculation

All five members'¹¹

Prorated assistance

Three-fifths of the full assistance¹¹

The family pays the rest of the rent to the landlord. Ask your agency to show you the calculation before you sign.

Run it with your numbersHow much rent can I afford?

On February 20, 2026, HUD published a proposal that would make prorated assistance temporary and require verifying everyone’s status regardless of age.¹² As of November 6, 2026, the Federal Register shows no final rule: it is still a proposal, and the rules in this section still apply.¹³

Moving with your voucher and what to do if you are denied

A voucher holder has the right to use it to rent anywhere in the country where an agency runs the program: that is called portability. But if neither the head of household nor spouse lived in the agency’s area when they applied, they don’t have that right for the first 12 months, unless the agency allows it or the move protects a victim of domestic violence.⁷

If the agency denies you assistance, it must tell you promptly, with the reasons, and tell you that you can request an informal review and how. At the review you present objections in writing or in person, and someone other than the person who made the decision decides.⁸

• Mistake: Applying to just one list and waiting.

  Instead: Apply to several agencies when they open; HUD suggests it because of demand.¹

• Mistake: Changing phone or address without telling the agency.

  Instead: Report every change in writing; otherwise you can be removed from the list.¹

• Mistake: Paying someone who promises a faster voucher.

  Instead: You apply directly at the agency; the order comes from its list, its preferences and the date or drawing.⁵

• Mistake: Letting the voucher expire without asking for more time.

  Instead: Ask for an extension before it expires; with a disability, as a reasonable accommodation.⁶

• Mistake: Claiming a status you don't have.

  Instead: A member without eligible status can choose not to contend it, in writing.⁹

• Mistake: Not answering a letter from the agency.

  Instead: Answer on time; if a disability kept you from it, ask to have your place restored.³

Where to get free help

A HUD-approved housing counselorHUD-approved housing counselorA HUD-approved housing counselor works at an agency HUD has approved to provide housing counseling: independent, expert advice customized to your situation about buying a home, renting, a missed mortgage payment, a foreclosure or credit problems. The agencies usually charge little or nothing; many serve in Spanish and offer the homebuyer education course several assistance programs require. They are not lenders or real estate agents and sell you nothing. Your county page lists the official agencies with phone numbers.See the full definitionClose can help for free or at low cost with your budget and options while you wait; the guide to HUD-approved housing counselors explains how to find one. If you are denied or removed from a list, free legal aid can review your case. For immigration questions, only a lawyer or an accredited representativeDOJ-accredited representativeAn accredited representative is a non-attorney whom the U.S. Department of Justice, through its Recognition and Accreditation Program, authorizes to represent people in immigration matters before DHS and, with full accreditation, before the immigration courts. They may only do so through a recognized organization, which must be a non-profit, federally tax-exempt entity. It is the safe way to get low-cost immigration help: the Department of Justice publishes the official roster by state. Anyone who is not on that roster and is not a lawyer is not authorized to represent you.See the full definitionClose can advise you.

If this is you

Your children are citizens and you don't have eligible status

You can apply; you choose not to contend, in writing, and assistance is prorated.⁹

You live in one city and work in another

If the agency where you work has a residency preference, counting as a resident may help you.⁵

You are 62 or older or have a disability

A working-family preference also counts for you.⁵

You need to move because of domestic violence

The first-12-months rule does not stop you from moving with the voucher to protect yourself.⁷

What to do this week

1. List the housing agencies in your county and nearby counties.¹
2. Call each one and ask whether its list is open and how it announces openings.⁴
3. Gather your papers: income, bank, other benefits and proof of citizenship or status.¹
4. Ask which preferences they use and whether they select by date or by drawing.⁵
5. Keep the date and number of every application, and report every change.¹