A CityFHEPS renewal is submitted once a year using Form DSS-7e, along with updated proof of income, household composition, and rent, so the Department of Social Services can confirm you still qualify and recalculate your share of the rent.1NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Renewal Request Miss the deadline and the subsidy can end. Meet it, and your assistance continues into the next year, up to the program’s five-year cap.
When Your Renewal Is Due
DSS sends the first renewal notice about three months before your current CityFHEPS year expires. A second notice follows around two months out, and a final notice warns you’re at risk of losing the subsidy. These go to you, not to your landlord, so nobody else is watching the calendar for you.
Treat the first notice as the start of the work, not a reminder to think about it later. Gathering pay stubs, benefit letters, and a current lease takes time, and the last notice is not the moment to begin.
Who Still Qualifies
The same core rules that got you approved apply at renewal. Your gross household income cannot exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which for 2026 is roughly $31,920 for one person and $66,000 for a family of four. A single adult earning minimum wage and working at least 35 hours a week can qualify even above that threshold.2NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions You must be receiving Cash Assistance if you’re eligible for it, and you can’t be getting another rental subsidy such as FHEPS.
DSS also recalculates your required tenant contribution at each renewal based on your current income.3NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords and Brokers Higher earnings this year means a larger share of the rent comes out of your pocket. Lower earnings can bring your share down.
Report household changes when they happen rather than waiting for the renewal form. If someone moved out, the maximum rent your household qualifies for may drop, which can require moving to a smaller or cheaper apartment.4NYC Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Renewal Frequently Asked Questions Adding a child under 18 requires prompt notice to DSS, and possibly approval to move to a larger unit. The rules require accurate, current household and income information.5American Legal Publishing. Rules of the City of New York Title 68 – 10-12 Household Requirements
The Five-Year Limit and Who Is Exempt
Your initial approval counts as year one. You can renew up to four more times, for a total of five years, if you continue to meet the eligibility requirements and funding remains available.6NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions For Clients in the Community After that, further extensions require good cause.
The five-year clock doesn’t apply at all if someone in your household is 60 or older, or if an adult household member receives federal disability benefits such as SSDI or SSI.2NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions Those households can continue renewing beyond year five as long as they still qualify.
The Form and What to Attach
The form is the CityFHEPS Renewal Request, Form DSS-7e, available on the HRA website and through ACCESS HRA.1NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Renewal Request It arrives pre-populated with the information DSS already has about your household, employment, and income. Your job is to confirm what’s still accurate and correct what isn’t.
Supporting documents depend on your situation:
- On Cash Assistance with nothing changed: the form alone is enough if everything pre-filled is correct.
- Not on Cash Assistance and employed: submit your two most recent pay stubs, an employment letter showing hours and wages, or a termination letter if you’ve lost the job.
- Non-employment income changed: provide a current benefit award letter, a recent benefit check copy, or official correspondence from the agency involved (Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, NYS Department of Labor).
- New household members: identification such as a photo ID, birth certificate, or hospital records.
- Rent changed: a copy of the new lease or rental agreement showing the current amount.
If you moved into your apartment before January 2022, include a completed Landlord Utility Information Form with the renewal.1NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Renewal Request
The form asks about rent arrears, and you must disclose them. Failing to report arrears promptly can result in DSS not renewing your subsidy.1NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Renewal Request
Three Ways to Submit
You can send the completed DSS-7e and supporting documents through any of these channels:1NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Renewal Request
- The ACCESS HRA mobile app. Log in, answer “Yes” to the recertification prompt, complete the form, and photograph and upload your documents through the app.
- Email to RAPrenewals@hra.nyc.gov.
- Mail or hand-delivery to CityFHEPS, NYC Human Resources Administration, 109 East 16th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10003.
Document uploads work through the ACCESS HRA mobile app, not through the website on a computer.7NYC.gov. Access HRA Frequently Asked Questions Without a smartphone, email or mail is the route.
After You Submit
Your subsidy stays active during the review so you don’t fall into arrears while DSS processes the paperwork. If something is missing, DSS will send a notice telling you exactly which documents are needed. The window to respond is short, and not responding can lead to case closure.
Once the review is complete, DSS confirms your new tenant contribution based on your current income. Rent going up requires a new signed lease showing the higher amount so DSS can determine whether the increase can be covered.4NYC Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Renewal Frequently Asked Questions
What Your Landlord Does and Doesn’t Have to Do
A renewal lease from your landlord is not required for CityFHEPS to continue. You can stay in the program without one, and landlords are not required to renew CityFHEPS tenants unless another law obligates them.4NYC Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Renewal Frequently Asked Questions If you remain eligible and submit the renewal, the subsidy continues.
Landlords who refuse to renew a CityFHEPS tenant’s lease may lose eligibility for financial incentives to place another program tenant in that same unit.3NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords and Brokers
If Renewal Is Denied or the Subsidy Ends
A denial can be challenged. You have the right to request a fair hearing, and you must file that request within 60 days of receiving the denial notice.8NYC.gov. Public Benefit Fair Hearing Fair hearings are handled by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, an independent agency from DSS.
If CityFHEPS is terminated and you don’t pursue a fair hearing, restoration is still possible. Within one year of termination, you can apply for restoration if you meet the renewal eligibility requirements at the time of application. After one year, or once you’ve already used five years of assistance, restoration is available only for good cause.9American Legal Publishing. Rules of the City of New York Title 68 – 10-19 Renewals and Restorations
If a Disability Makes the Process Difficult
You can request a reasonable accommodation from HRA to help with the renewal. Options include help reading and completing forms, home visits, sign language interpreters, and scheduled appointments to avoid crowded times. Medical documentation isn’t required at the time of the request, though HRA may ask for it later.10NYC Human Resources Administration. Disability Access
To ask for an accommodation, call the DSS OneNumber at 718-557-1399, visit an HRA office, or email constituentaffairs@dss.nyc.gov. TTY and voice carry-over users can dial 7-1-1 or 800-662-1220 and connect to 718-557-1399.10NYC Human Resources Administration. Disability Access