The payment standard is the maximum monthly housing assistance payment (HAP) that a Public Housing Authority (PHA) can pay to a landlord on behalf of a family leasing a unit. The payment standard is used to calculate the allocation of rental costs between the PHA and the family

How it’s calculated

DHA sets a payment standard between 90% and 110% of the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for the area. The FMR is the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market.

How it affects the family

If a family selects a rental unit where the rent plus the utility allowance is equal to or less than our Payment Standard, the households share of the rent will generally be 30% of their adjusted monthly income.

Factors that affect it

Factors that may affect the payment standard include the average time it takes voucher holders to find units, the number of voucher holders whose vouchers expire without a unit and available funding.

Effective January 1, 2025, DHA’s current payment standards are as follows: