CityFEPS Voucher: Eligibility, 2026 Amounts & How to Apply

The CityFHEPS voucher is a New York City rental assistance program that pays part of an eligible household’s rent, anywhere in New York State, for up to five years. It is run by the Department of Social Services, which includes the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services. For 2026, monthly subsidies run from $1,953 for a single-room occupancy unit up to $6,524 for an eight-bedroom apartment, depending on household size.¹²

Who Qualifies

Eligibility turns on where you currently live. The program is not limited to families; single adults qualify too. Applicants generally arrive through one of two doors: shelter or street homelessness.

If your household is in a DHS or HRA shelter, you also need to meet at least one of these conditions:³

An adult in the household has worked at least 10 hours per week for the last 30 days.
Someone receives federal disability benefits or is on the WeCARE SSI track through Cash Assistance.
Someone in the household is 60 or older.
An adult is exempt from Cash Assistance work requirements because they care for a disabled family member at home.
Someone in the household served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The DHS shelter where you live is about to close.
A qualifying program referred you, and DSS determined the subsidy was needed to shorten your shelter stay.

If you are on the street, in a drop-in center, or in transitional housing, you need to be receiving services from a DHS-contracted provider.³ You may also qualify if you were placed into permanent housing from a drop-in center, transitional setting, or directly from the street.

The old 90-day rule, which forced families to remain in shelter for three months before applying, has been eliminated.⁴

Income Limits

Your household’s gross income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level for first-year eligibility.³ For 2026, the base federal poverty guideline for a household of three is $27,320, putting the 200% threshold at $54,640.⁵ The guidelines add roughly $6,440 for each additional member, so a family of four would need to stay under about $61,080.

One carve-out: a single adult earning minimum wage who works at least 35 hours per week can go over the 200% cap and still qualify.³

If your household is eligible for Cash Assistance, you must actually be receiving it to participate. You also cannot be enrolled in another rental assistance program, including the state-level FHEPS supplement.³

How Much the Voucher Pays in 2026

The payment standard is the maximum total rent CityFHEPS will cover when all utilities are included in the lease. For packages submitted on or after March 1, 2026, or with an April 1, 2026 lease start:²

SRO: $1,953
Studio: $2,604
1 bedroom: $2,734
2 bedrooms: $2,997
3 bedrooms: $3,753
4 bedrooms: $4,077
5 bedrooms: $4,689
6 bedrooms: $5,301
7 bedrooms: $5,913
8 bedrooms: $6,524

These are ceilings. The actual rent still has to pass a rent reasonableness review, in which HRA compares the unit to similar unassisted apartments in the neighborhood. A landlord cannot charge a CityFHEPS tenant more than someone paying out of pocket would pay for a comparable unit.

If the lease does not include all utilities, HRA reduces the maximum rent by a utility allowance covering what you’re expected to pay yourself. For a two-bedroom, typical 2026 deductions include $181 per month for cooking gas and electric (no electric stove), $138 for gas heat and hot water, $138 for electric heat and hot water, and $169 for oil heat and hot water.² So if the two-bedroom payment standard is $2,997 and you pay for gas heat and hot water, the maximum allowable rent drops to $2,859. Ask about utility responsibility before signing any lease.

You also pay a portion of the rent yourself, typically tied to your Cash Assistance shelter allowance. The subsidy covers the difference between your contribution and the approved rent, up to the payment standard.⁶

Finding an Apartment and Gathering Documents

The apartment must fit your household size under city occupancy rules, which cap sleeping rooms at two people and set minimum floor area per occupant; children under four are not counted.⁷

CityFHEPS apartments do not have to be inside the five boroughs. The program covers rent anywhere in New York State, though most participating landlords and units are in the city, and inspections and case management are coordinated through NYC agencies.¹

Once you receive a shopping letter with your maximum rent amount, you assemble paperwork from both sides.⁸ Every household member needs valid ID such as a state ID or birth certificate. You’ll document income with recent pay stubs or a current benefits letter and provide prior-year tax documents like W-2s. Your case manager submits the forms through HRA’s system.

The landlord fills out the Landlord Package, which collects information about the owner, the building’s ownership structure, and the lease terms.⁹ It includes a W-9 for the landlord and a separate W-9 for any different payee, and the landlord certifies the unit is not subject to a vacate order. Every form is available on HRA’s CityFHEPS documents page or through your case manager.¹⁰ Confirm that the landlord’s name and address match city property records; mismatches between the landlord package and the deed are one of the most common reasons packets get rejected.

A note on broker fees. Brokers who connect voucher holders with units can be paid up to 15% of the annual rent, but HRA pays that fee, not you. If a broker asks you to pay a fee directly, that’s a warning sign. CityFHEPS also covers only rent, so ask whether the building charges any amenity or service fees before you commit; those come out of your pocket.¹¹

Approval and Move-In

After your case manager submits the complete packet, HRA verifies income and eligibility, runs the address through violation databases, and sends an inspector to check the unit for habitability and lead paint safety. The database check is supposed to take 48 hours or less, but in practice it can stretch into weeks or months, and paper-check payment processing can add further delay after everything else clears. If a landlord grows impatient and rents the unit to someone else, the search starts over. Staying in constant contact with your case manager and responding to document requests immediately is the most reliable defense against stalling.

After a passing inspection, HRA sends a commitment letter to you and the landlord specifying the city’s monthly payment and your portion. The first payment, including a security deposit voucher and the first month’s rent, is processed after the lease is signed. Under New York law, the security deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent.¹²

Keeping the Voucher: Annual Recertification

CityFHEPS lasts up to five years, but you have to recertify each year to keep it. DSS mails the renewal application five months before your subsidy year ends.¹³ The form asks you to confirm you still live in the apartment, report household size, and update your income.

The renewal income cap is easier to meet than the one for first-year eligibility. Instead of 200% of the federal poverty level, renewing households can earn up to 80% of the Area Median Income, so a raise during your first year won’t necessarily push you out. You don’t need a new lease just to renew, but if the rent has gone up you must submit a signed lease showing the new amount. Renewal paperwork can be emailed to RAPRENEWALS@hra.nyc.gov, mailed, or delivered in person to the Rental Assistance Program Unit at 109 East 16th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10003.¹³

Missing the deadline is serious. Ignoring the first notice triggers a warning; ignoring that triggers a final termination notice to you and your landlord, which can lead to housing court. If you miss the deadline, you may still be able to restore the subsidy by submitting the renewal within one year after your subsidy year ends, or longer with good cause.

If a Landlord Refuses Your Voucher

Under the NYC Human Rights Law, landlords, property owners, and brokers cannot refuse to rent to you because you pay with a housing voucher.¹⁴ CityFHEPS is specifically listed as a protected lawful source of income, alongside Section 8, SSI, and other government assistance.¹⁵

The discrimination doesn’t have to be explicit. An ad reading “no vouchers” or “no programs” is illegal, and so is a landlord who simply refuses to complete the CityFHEPS paperwork, adds conditions not applied to other tenants, or quotes a higher rent to push you away. The NYC Commission on Human Rights enforces these rules and has obtained over $1.2 million in damages and penalties in source of income cases.¹⁴

To file a complaint, call 311 or contact the Commission directly. Document everything: save emails, texts, and notes about phone conversations. Specific evidence is what turns a frustrating rejection into a case the Commission can act on.

1
Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS – HRA
2
NYC Human Resources Administration. DSS CityFHEPS Payment Standards
3
New York City Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions
4
NYC Rules. Amendments to CityFHEPS Program – 90-Day Stay
5
HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
6
American Legal Publishing. New York City Rules – 10-07 Calculation of CityFHEPS Rental Assistance Payment Amount
7
American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 27-2075 – Maximum Permitted Occupancy
8
NYC Human Resources Administration. What You Should Know About FHEPS or CityFHEPS Shopping
9
New York City Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Landlord Package
10
Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Documents
11
New York City Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords and Brokers
12
New York State Senate. New York General Obligations Law 7-108 – Deposits Made by Tenants
13
NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Renewal Frequently Asked Questions
14
NYC Commission on Human Rights. Source of Income Discrimination
15
American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 8-107 – Unlawful Discriminatory Practices