CityFEPS Voucher: Eligibility, 2026 Amounts & Renewal

The CityFHEPS voucher is a New York City rental assistance program that covers part of your monthly rent for up to five years if you are in a city shelter, experiencing street homelessness, or working with a city-contracted provider. The program is run by the Department of Social Services, which includes HRA and the Department of Homeless Services, and the subsidy can be used anywhere in New York State.¹ For 2026, maximum rents the voucher will cover run from $1,953 for a single-room occupancy unit up to $6,524 for an eight-bedroom apartment.²

Who Qualifies

Eligibility depends on where you currently live. Single adults qualify, not just families with children.

If you are in a DHS or HRA shelter, you must also meet at least one additional condition: an adult in the household has worked at least 10 hours a week for the past 30 days; someone receives federal disability benefits or is on the WeCARE SSI track through Cash Assistance; someone is 60 or older; an adult is exempt from Cash Assistance work requirements because they care for a disabled family member at home; the household includes a U.S. military veteran; the shelter is about to close; or you were referred by a CityFHEPS qualifying program and DSS determined the subsidy was needed to shorten your shelter stay.³

If you are on the street, in a drop-in center, or in transitional housing, you qualify by receiving services from a DHS-contracted provider. You can also qualify if you were already moved into permanent housing from one of those settings or directly from the street.³

The city eliminated the former 90-day rule that required families to stay in shelter for three months before applying.⁴

Income Limits

Your gross household income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to qualify in the first year.³ For 2026, the base federal poverty guideline for a household of three is $27,320, which puts the 200% threshold at $54,640, with roughly $6,440 added for each additional person.⁵ One exception: single adults earning minimum wage who work at least 35 hours a week can go above the 200% limit and still qualify.

If your household is eligible for Cash Assistance, you have to be receiving it. You also cannot qualify if you are receiving any other rental assistance, including the state 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 date: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

These are ceilings, not guaranteed amounts. Any apartment also has to pass a rent reasonableness review, in which HRA compares the proposed rent 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.

You still pay a portion of the rent yourself. That tenant contribution is typically tied to your Cash Assistance shelter allowance, and CityFHEPS covers the difference between your share and the approved rent, up to the payment standard.⁶

Utilities Reduce the Rent Cap

If the lease does not include all utilities, HRA reduces the maximum rent by a utility allowance reflecting what you are expected to pay out of pocket. For a two-bedroom in 2026, common examples include $181 a 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 are responsible for gas heat and hot water, the maximum allowable rent drops to $2,859. Ask about utility responsibility before signing any lease, because it directly changes whether an apartment fits your voucher.

Finding and Approving an Apartment

After eligibility is confirmed, you receive a shopping letter showing your maximum rent. The apartment you find has to match your household size under city occupancy rules.⁷ Although the subsidy covers rent anywhere in New York State, most participating landlords and approved units are inside the five boroughs.¹

On your side, every household member needs valid identification such as a state ID or birth certificate, plus income documentation (recent pay stubs or benefits letter) and prior-year tax forms like W-2s. Your shelter or provider case manager helps gather and submit everything through HRA’s system.⁸ The landlord separately completes a Landlord Package covering ownership information, lease terms, and a certification that the unit is not under a vacate order.⁹ All forms are on HRA’s CityFHEPS documents page.¹⁰

Check that every name and address on the landlord’s paperwork matches city property records. Mismatches with deed records are one of the most common reasons packages get rejected.

Once the packet is in, HRA verifies your income, screens the apartment address for violations, and schedules a city inspector to confirm the unit meets habitability and lead paint safety codes. The database check is supposed to take 48 hours or less, but address verification can stretch into weeks, and the paper-check payment process can delay move-in. If a landlord loses patience and rents to someone else during the wait, you start the apartment search over. Staying in regular contact with your case manager and responding to document requests immediately is the best defense against that.

After a successful inspection, HRA issues a commitment letter to you and the landlord stating the city’s monthly subsidy and your share. The security deposit voucher and first month’s rent go to the landlord after the lease is signed. Under state law, the security deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent.¹¹

Broker Fees

Brokers who connect voucher holders with available units can receive up to 15% of the annual rent, paid by HRA. You should never be asked to pay a broker fee yourself as a CityFHEPS applicant. The subsidy also only covers rent, not additional building fees for amenities or services, so ask about those before signing.¹²

If a Landlord Refuses Your Voucher

Under the NYC Human Rights Law, it is illegal for landlords, property owners, and brokers to refuse to rent to someone because they pay with a housing voucher.¹³ CityFHEPS is specifically listed as a protected lawful source of income.¹⁴

The violation does not have to be explicit. An ad saying “no vouchers” or “no programs” is illegal, and so is a landlord who refuses to complete CityFHEPS paperwork, adds conditions not applied to other tenants, or quotes a higher rent to discourage a voucher holder. You can file a complaint with the NYC Commission on Human Rights by calling 311 or visiting their website. Document the interaction as specifically as you can, saving emails, texts, and notes from phone calls, because that evidence is what makes a complaint stick. The Commission has obtained over $1.2 million in damages and penalties in source of income discrimination cases.¹³

Keeping the Voucher: Annual Renewal

CityFHEPS runs up to five years, but you have to recertify every year. DSS mails a renewal application five months before your subsidy year ends, asking you to confirm you still live in the apartment, report household size, and provide updated income.¹⁵

The renewal income limit is more generous than the first-year one. Renewing households can earn up to 80% of Area Median Income, so a raise during the first year will not automatically push you out of the program.¹⁵

You do not need a new lease just to renew. If your rent has increased, though, you must submit a signed new lease so HRA can adjust the subsidy. Renewal paperwork can go by email to RAPRENEWALS@hra.nyc.gov, by mail, or in person at the Rental Assistance Program Unit at 109 East 16th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10003.¹⁵

Missing the deadline matters. If you ignore the first deadline, DSS sends a warning notice. Ignore that, and a final termination notice goes to you and your landlord, which can lead to housing court. If you do miss it, you may still restore the subsidy by submitting a renewal within one year after the end of your subsidy year, or later with good cause.

Rent Increases Mid-Lease

HRA only reviews rent increases at your annual lease renewal. Mid-year increases are not approved unless the apartment is subject to government-regulated rents, such as rent-stabilized units where mid-year adjustments are permitted by law. Any approved increase still has to pass rent reasonableness and stay within the payment standard for your apartment size, adjusted for the utilities you pay. If the landlord’s requested rent exceeds the payment standard, you would need to cover the difference yourself or negotiate a lower increase.¹⁶

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 State Senate. New York General Obligations Law 7-108 – Deposits Made by Tenants
12
New York City Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Frequently Asked Questions for Landlords and Brokers
13
NYC Commission on Human Rights. Source of Income Discrimination
14
American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 8-107 – Unlawful Discriminatory Practices
15
NYC.gov. CityFHEPS Renewal Frequently Asked Questions
16
NYC Human Resources Administration. CityFHEPS Rent Increase for Current Tenants FAQ