Section 8 in Mississippi pays the difference between a local rent ceiling and roughly 30 percent of your household’s adjusted monthly income. For Fiscal Year 2026, that ceiling for a two-bedroom unit runs from $842 in most rural counties to $1,288 in the Jackson metro, so a very low-income family in Jackson could see nearly $1,288 a month covered, while a family closer to the income limit or living in a cheaper county receives less. The exact figure depends on where you rent, how many bedrooms your voucher authorizes, what your adjusted income is, and how your local housing authority sets its payment standard.
Two-Bedroom Rent Ceilings by Area in Mississippi
HUD’s Fair Market Rent is the starting point for every voucher calculation. It represents what HUD considers a reasonable rent, including utilities, for a modest unit in a given area. For FY 2026, the two-bedroom FMRs across Mississippi are:
- Jackson: $1,288
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR (DeSoto County area): $1,274
- Lafayette County: $1,243
- Tunica County: $1,186
- Gulfport-Biloxi: $1,140
- Marshall County: $1,110
- Tate County: $1,089
- Pascagoula: $1,067
- Hattiesburg: $1,047
- Lee County: $994
- Pike County: $986
- Yazoo County: $984
- Stone County: $969
- Oktibbeha County: $957
- Scott County: $952
- Simpson County: $858
- Benton County: $842
- Holmes County: $842
Most nonmetropolitan Mississippi counties sit at the $842 floor for a two-bedroom.1HUD USER. FY 2026 Schedule of Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Fair Market Rents
Other Bedroom Sizes
The FMR scales with unit size. In the Jackson metro, FY 2026 FMRs run from $1,091 for an efficiency to $1,705 for a four-bedroom.1HUD USER. FY 2026 Schedule of Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Fair Market Rents Your voucher specifies a bedroom size assigned by the housing authority based on your family size and composition, and that number, not the size of the unit you actually rent, controls which payment standard applies to your subsidy.2eCFR. 24 CFR 982.402 – Subsidy Standards
Turning the FMR Into a Payment Standard
Your local Public Housing Agency doesn’t pay the full FMR automatically. It sets a “payment standard” for each bedroom size, and federal rules allow that standard to sit anywhere from 90 to 110 percent of the FMR.3govinfo. 24 CFR 982.503 – Payment Standard Amount and Schedule When landlords in an area are reluctant to participate, the PHA can push the standard higher, up to 120 percent through a simplified notification and beyond that with HUD approval.4U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Voucher Program Guidebook Payment Standards To find your area’s exact payment standard, call the PHA that administers your voucher.
Your Share: The 30-Percent Rule
Your portion of the rent is the Total Tenant Payment. Federal regulations set it at the highest of four figures: 30 percent of monthly adjusted income, 10 percent of monthly gross income, a welfare rent where applicable, or a PHA minimum rent.5eCFR. 24 CFR 5.628 – Total Tenant Payment For most families, 30 percent of adjusted income is the largest of the four, so that’s what applies.
The housing assistance payment the PHA sends the landlord each month is the lower of two amounts: the payment standard minus your Total Tenant Payment, or the actual gross rent minus your Total Tenant Payment. If you rent a unit below the payment standard, the subsidy shrinks to match; you don’t pocket the difference.
A Worked Example
Suppose the two-bedroom payment standard in your area is $1,288, matching the Jackson FMR, and your household’s adjusted monthly income is $1,500. Your Total Tenant Payment is $450, which is 30 percent of $1,500. The PHA will pay up to $838 per month toward your rent, calculated as $1,288 minus $450. If the unit rents for $1,100 in total, the PHA covers $650 and you pay $450.
Deductions That Lower Your Adjusted Income
“Adjusted” income is what makes the 30 percent smaller than it looks. Before the PHA calculates your share, federal rules allow deductions for unreimbursed medical expenses of elderly or disabled families to the extent those expenses exceed 10 percent of annual income, reasonable childcare costs that let a household member work or attend school, a standard deduction for each dependent, and a deduction for elderly or disabled households.6eCFR. 24 CFR 5.611 – Adjusted Income Every dollar of deductions lowers what you pay and raises what the PHA pays.
Utility Allowances and Reimbursements
When your lease makes you responsible for utilities separately from rent, the PHA adds a utility allowance based on average costs for your unit type. That allowance is included in the “gross rent” used for the subsidy calculation. In practice, it works in your favor: the payment to the landlord is reduced by the allowance, but the total housing support available to you goes up.
If your income is low enough that the housing assistance payment exceeds the rent owed to the landlord, the PHA pays the excess directly to you as a utility reimbursement. Families with very little or no income are the ones who most often see this.
The 40-Percent Cap When You Move In
You can pick a unit that rents above the payment standard and pay the overage yourself. But at initial lease-up, your total out-of-pocket housing cost (your rent share plus anything above the payment standard) cannot exceed 40 percent of your adjusted monthly income.7eCFR. 24 CFR 982.508 – Maximum Family Share at Initial Occupancy After you’re in the unit, income changes could push your share above 40 percent, but the PHA won’t approve a starting lease that already crosses that line. The income verification the PHA uses for this check has to be no more than 60 days old at the time your voucher is issued.
What Section 8 Does Not Pay
Security deposits are on you. The program does not cover them, and Mississippi has no state cap on the amount a landlord can charge, so ask about the deposit before you commit to a unit. The PHA is also not on the hook for damages or unpaid rent you owe the landlord. Budget for the deposit and any application fees separately from your rent share.
Keeping the Payment Amount You Have
Your subsidy is not fixed for life. The PHA reexamines your income and household composition at least once a year, and if your income rises 10 percent or more between annual reviews, an interim reexamination is required. You can also ask for an interim review when your income drops, which can increase the PHA’s payment. Missing a recertification, failing to turn in documentation, or not reporting a change in who lives with you can end the voucher entirely.8eCFR. 24 CFR 982.516 – Family Income and Composition: Annual and Interim Examinations The PHA must terminate assistance for eviction from an assisted unit due to serious lease violations, and may terminate for fraud, money owed to a PHA, or other program violations.9eCFR. 24 CFR 982.552 – PHA Denial or Termination of Assistance for Family