You are here

Voucher Payment Standards

Voucher Payment Standards

Seattle Housing Authority's voucher payment standards set the maximum amount the agency pays for tenants' rent and utilities.

Voucher payment standards are not the maximum rent that can be charged or the subsidy that tenants receive.

There are two different voucher payment standards:

Market Rate generally applies to units in the private rental market, and Affordable Housing generally applies to units with a nonprofit or tax credit status.

 

Number of Bedrooms

Market Rate
Voucher payment standard

Affordable Housing
Voucher payment standard

Studio

$2,042

$1,438

1

$2,100

$1,541

2

$2,455

$1,850

3

$3,297

$2,137

4

$3,847

$2,385

5

$4,424

$2,631

6 and above

$5,001

$2,769

Adopted  11/20/2023, Effective 11/21/2023.

In general, the amount of subsidy a household receives is equal to the payment standard, minus 30 percent of the tenant’s adjusted gross income.

If the tenant’s rent and utilities exceed the voucher payment standards, they may pay the difference, as long as the total amount paid for rent and utilities does not exceed 40 percent of their monthly adjusted income when initiating a new tenancy.

At this time, Seattle Housing Authority is also providing a supplemental subsidy to families with children leasing units in certain Seattle neighborhoods. For more information, click here.

Voucher payment standards are based on several factors, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent for the Seattle/Bellevue area, Seattle vacancy rates and other local Seattle market information.