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Payment Standards and Income Limits

Payment Standards

The payment standard is an amount used by the local housing agency to calculate the housing assistance payment for a family. Each payment standard amount is based on the fair market rent (FMR), a rent limit determined annually by HUD. The local housing agency adopts a payment standard for each bedroom size and for each FMR rent area in the housing agency's jurisdiction.

The following chart displays the HUD 2005 FMRs for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The amount varies depending on size of the apartment and is used as a standard to obtain privately owned, existing, decent, safe and sanitary housing of a non-luxury nature with suitable amenities. These rents are effective October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Contact your local housing agency for exact payment standards in your area.

2005 Fair Market Rents for the Washington, DC Region
Eff.	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	5 BR	6 BR
$915	$1,045	$1,187	$1,537	$2,000	$2,300	$2,600

Income Limits

Income limits, which are set annually by HUD, are used to determine which applicants qualify for Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance. The table below shows the 2004 Housing Choice Voucher Program income limits for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

2004 Income Limits
Program	Number of Persons
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
30% Mean Family Income	$18,250	$20,900	$23,500	$26,100	$28,200	$30,300	$32,350	$34,450
Very Low Income	$30,450	$34,800	$39,150	$43,500	$47,000	$50,450	$53,950	$57,400
Low Income	$40,250	$46,000	$51,750	$57,500	$62,100	$66,700	$71,300	$75,900

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