Voucher Payment Standards
Seattle Housing Authority's voucher payment standards set the maximum amount the agency will pay for your rent and utilities. Voucher payment standards are not the maximum rent landlords can charge or the subsidy that you receive. Listed below are the agency's voucher payment standards, as of November 18, 2008:
| Number of bedrooms | Voucher payment standard |
|---|---|
| Studio | $705 |
| 1 | $787 |
| 2 | $1,058 |
| 3 | $1,452 |
| 4 | $1,686 |
| 5 | $1,865 |
| 6 | $2,108 |
If rent and utilities exceed the voucher payment standard, you may pay the difference, as long as the total amount paid for rent and utilities does not exceed 40 percent of your monthly adjusted income during the first year.
Starting November 18, 2008, these voucher payment standards were made effective for all new families receiving vouchers and all families that move with a voucher from one unit to another. Starting February 1, 2009, you will be notified at your annual review that you may be eligible to receive additional subsidy.
Voucher payment standards are based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent for the Seattle/King County/Everett area, and adjusted for the local Seattle market. The standards are generally set at 105 percent to 110 percent of the Fair Market Rent.