CityFHEPS Modification Form (DSS-7s): Filing, Submission, and Rent Caps

The CityFHEPS modification form, DSS-7s, is what you file with the NYC Human Resources Administration when you want your rental assistance supplement recalculated. You use it in three situations: your household income went up, your income went down or ended, or your landlord raised the rent on a new lease. Download the PDF from HRA, fill out the seven sections, attach proof of the change, sign it, and submit it through the ACCESS HRA mobile app, by email, or in person at 109 East 16th Street in Manhattan.¹

When to File the DSS-7s

The form’s own first page states its purpose: complete it if your income has changed and you want HRA to recalculate your supplement.¹ Recalculation matters because your tenant share tracks your income. For households where no one receives Public Assistance, HRA sets your base contribution at 30 percent of total monthly gross income.² If your income drops and you don’t file, you overpay. If it rises and you don’t report it, an overpayment notice may follow later.

The other reason to file is a rent increase. Section 5 lets you report a new annual rent when your landlord raises it at renewal. HRA can lift your subsidy up to the maximum payment standard for your household size, but only if you attach a signed lease showing the new rent.¹

Filling Out the Seven Sections

Section 1: Tenant Information

Your first and last name, full address including apartment or room number, city, state, and zip code. The face of the form does not ask for your CityFHEPS case number, but keep it nearby in case a caseworker follows up.¹

Section 2: Income Change Information

Check one of three boxes to show whether household income increased, decreased, or ended, then explain why. Be specific. “I lost my job at [employer] on [date]” or “I started a new position paying $X per month” tells the reviewer exactly what changed. Vague answers slow the review because a caseworker has to call for details.

Section 3: Current Income Summary

List every household member who currently receives income. For each person, write the name, the source (job, Supplemental Security Income, Unemployment Insurance Benefits, and so on), and the total monthly amount.¹ If someone’s income ended, list them with $0 so HRA sees the change. This section drives the recalculation, so accuracy here matters more than anywhere else on the form.

Section 4: Documents Checklist

Check the box next to each type of proof you’re attaching. The form lists pay stubs, an employment letter, an SSI or Social Security Disability award letter, an Unemployment Insurance Benefits letter, and “other” for any document that proves the change you described in Section 2. The form does not set a minimum number of pay stubs, but your most recent consecutive stubs give a clearer picture than a single stub.¹

Section 5: Increased CityFHEPS Rent Maximum

Only fill this in for a rent increase. Enter the new annual rent, not the monthly figure, and attach a signed copy of the new lease. Without the lease, HRA cannot process a rent-increase modification.¹

Section 6: Attestation

Sign and date. Your signature declares under penalty of perjury that the information is correct and complete, and lets HRA investigate it to decide the modification. An unsigned form will be returned.

Section 7: Submission Options

The form lists three ways to send it back, covered below.

Three Ways to Submit

The submission channels are printed on the form itself:¹

ACCESS HRA mobile app. Photograph every page of the completed form and every supporting document and upload through the app at nyc.gov/accesshramobile. This is the fastest route and leaves you with a digital record.
Email to raprenewals@hra.nyc.gov. Scan or photograph everything clearly. Blurry images cause the same problems as illegible paper.
In person at 109 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Ask for a stamped receipt confirming what you dropped off and when.

Whichever route you pick, keep copies of everything. If something goes missing during processing, you can resubmit quickly instead of rebuilding the packet.

2026 Payment Standard Caps

Your subsidy cannot exceed the maximum payment standard for your household size. That ceiling matters most on rent-increase modifications: even if the landlord charges more, HRA will not approve a supplement above the cap. The 2026 standards, effective April 1, 2026, are:³

1 person, SRO: $1,953
1 person, studio: $2,604
1–2 people, 1 bedroom: $2,734
3–4 people, 2 bedrooms: $2,997
5–6 people, 3 bedrooms: $3,753
7–8 people, 4 bedrooms: $4,077
9–10 people, 5 bedrooms: $4,689

These figures assume utilities are included in the lease. If you pay utilities separately, HRA applies a utility allowance that lowers the maximum. You can still qualify with rent above the payment standard as long as your total housing cost, meaning your tenant share plus the excess, does not push you above 40 percent of household gross monthly income.²

How Your New Tenant Share Will Be Calculated

Once HRA has your updated income, the math is straightforward for most households. The base contribution is 30 percent of total monthly gross income. If you report zero income on the form, HRA instead sets your contribution at the maximum Public Assistance shelter allowance for your household size.²

One rule catches people out. After your fifth year in CityFHEPS, if your household has earned income, the base contribution rises to 40 percent of gross income, and the change takes effect at renewal.² If you’re near that anniversary and filing a modification now, your next renewal may shift your share more than the modification itself will.

What Happens After You Submit

HRA reviews the form and documents to verify the change and recalculate your subsidy. There is no publicly posted timeline, and turnaround depends on how complete your packet is and the agency’s workload. Missing signatures, illegible documents, and a blank Section 3 are the most common causes of delay. If HRA needs more information, a caseworker will contact you at the address and phone in Section 1, so make sure both are current.

When the review is done, HRA issues a written notice with the new subsidy amount and the effective date. If the modification is approved, the adjusted payment flows to the landlord. If it’s denied, or the increase is smaller than you expected, the notice will state the reason and explain your appeal rights.

If HRA Denies the Modification

You have 60 days from the date on the notice to request a Fair Hearing through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.⁴ A Fair Hearing is an administrative proceeding where you present evidence and argue that HRA’s decision was wrong.

If you want your current benefits to keep flowing while the hearing is pending, request the hearing within 10 days of the notice date, not 10 days from when it reached you. If you receive aid continuing and later lose the hearing, HRA may require you to repay the benefits paid during that period. You can request the hearing online through the OTDA website, by phone at 1-800-342-3334, or by fax or mail. Bring copies of everything you submitted with the DSS-7s, plus any additional evidence.

1
NYC Human Resources Administration. Request for a Modification to Your CityFHEPS Rental Assistance Supplement Amount
2
NYC Rules. 68 RCNY 10-06 Calculation of CityFHEPS Rental Assistance Payment Amount
3
NYC Department of Social Services. CityFHEPS Payment Standards
4
Cornell Law Institute. NY Comp Codes R and Regs Tit 18 358-3.5 – Requests for a Fair Hearing