HUD HCV/Public Housing Links

Tenant Empowerment Resources Available
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is pleased to announce our new Tenant Empowerment Resources. This collection of PDFs and Videos offers a wide range of information, to support both Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) tenants.

Topics include:

Understanding the Waiting List and Admissions Process
Common Documents for Applicants
How to search for an HCV unit
Income and rent calculation
Tenant rights and responsibilities
Strategies for maintaining eligibility
How to address concerns and request a formal hearing
How to get involved with federal rulemaking

These materials are designed to guide Public Housing and HCV tenants through every step of their housing journey, ensure access to tools and information for a positive rental experience, and maximize the benefits of housing assistance programs. We hope that you will take a moment to review these materials and pass them along to tenants and applicants alike.

Cost-Savings Measures in the HCV and Project-Based Voucher (PBV) Programs
HUD issued PIH Notice 2025-28 on November 17, 2025, which provides a menu of options for PHAs that need to reduce housing assistance payment (HAP) expenses to prevent shortfalls. This notice supersedes Notice PIH 2011-28 and Attachment H to Notice PIH 2017-21.

It provides a non-exhaustive list of PHA cost-savings actions in three categories: (1) standard regulatory compliance and sound program management practices that may also reduce program costs; (2) additional actions PHAs may consider to lower costs; and (3) further cost-savings actions that require HUD approval. The notice also provides information on termination of assistance due to insufficient funding, reasonable accommodations, PHA Plan requirements, and waivers.

Changes to How to Calculate Student Financial Assistance for HCV Program
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) removed longstanding language related to how student financial assistance is counted for families participating in Section 8 programs, including the HCV program. Practically speaking, this means that PHAs will calculate student financial assistance the same way for all public housing and HCV families, regardless of whether the head of household, co-head, or spouse has dependent children. Please see PIH Notice 2023-27, Section G.16 for more information. All programs will now follow the instructions under Section G.16.c. Please disregard the instructions under G.16.d that were specific to the requirements placed on Section 8 programs that have now been removed.

As a reminder, program eligibility for students participating in Section 8 programs, often referred to as the "student rule," is still limited by the Appropriations Act and 24 CFR 5.612.

Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) HCV and PBV Implementation Technical Amendments
On December 8, 2025, HUD published a Federal Register notice (90 FR 56683) making technical changes to the HOTMA HCV and PBV implementation final rule (89 FR 38224 (May 7, 2024)). This notice corrects minor errors and amends provisions that would benefit from clarification. The resulting changes to 24 CFR parts 5, 888, 903, 982, 983, and 985 were effective January 7, 2026.

Operating Cost Adjustment Factors (OCAFs)
Published for 2026
On February 3, 2026, HUD published a Federal Register notice (91 FR 4934) establishing the 2026 OCAFs that PHAs will use for PBV housing assistance payments contracts that provide for rent adjustments by OCAF. Additional information about adjusting rent using an OCAF in the PBV program is available in 24 CFR 983.302.

Protecting Against Tax Fraud
HUD, in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is sharing the attached tax fraud prevention flyer to help raise awareness among HUD-assisted residents during the tax filing season. The flyer can be found through the link below, and is available online for distribution: English Version of the Protecting Against Tax Fraud flyer.

Please distribute this information to residents, as feasible, by:

Displaying the flyer in common areas,
Sharing it digitally with residents, and/or
Printing and providing copies directly to residents.

This information is intended to help residents recognize common tax scams and take steps to protect themselves from fraud.

HCV UTILIZATION TOOLS
The HCV program requires program administrators to make regular adjustments to reflect funding levels and local market conditions. HUD provides resources on the HCV Utilization Tools site to help PHAs forecast the impact of different program adjustments and voucher issuance decisions. Here are the recent HCV Utilization Tool updates:

Return of the Two-Year Tool
The Two-Year Tool is operable and available on the HCV Utilization Tools page. The tool is updated with an estimated HAP proration factor of 99%, each PHA's estimated Renewal Funding Inflation Factors (RFIFs), and Round 8 Shortfall awards. As a reminder, macros and content must be enabled in the TYT to allow it to function properly. The team has temporarily removed the "save" button due to coding issues. To save the file locally, click "File" then "Save As". If you encounter any issues using the TYT, please reach out to eric.j.swenson@hud.gov and lori.a.strange@hud.gov.