In San Francisco, a four-person household earning up to $156,650 a year is considered low income under the figures housing programs currently use. That number would read as middle-class almost anywhere else in the country, but the Bay Area’s housing costs push every tier of eligibility well above national averages. The cutoff shifts with household size, and “low income” is only one of several official tiers that control who can access rent-restricted apartments, homeownership programs, and vouchers in the city.
The limits come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which calculates an Area Median Income (AMI) each year for the San Francisco–Redwood City–South San Francisco metro area using Census data.1HUD USER. Income Limits The California Department of Housing and Community Development then publishes the official dollar limits used by state-funded housing programs.2California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits The current AMI for a four-person household in San Francisco County is $186,600.3Cornell Law School. California Code of Regulations Title 25, 6932 – 2025 Income Limits HUD typically refreshes these figures each spring, but the next update has been pushed to May 2026 because of a Census Bureau data delay, so the FY 2025 limits remain in force until then.4HUD USER. Statement on FY 2026 Median Family Income Estimates
The Income Tiers
California publishes the official tiers in Title 25, Section 6932 of the Code of Regulations. The categories are loosely tied to percentages of AMI, but the actual dollar amounts come from a federal formula that factors in local housing costs and poverty guidelines, so the published numbers are what programs rely on, not a simple percentage calculation.5HUD USER. Methodology for Determining FY 2025 Section 8 Income Limits
For a four-person household in San Francisco, the tiers are:
- Acutely Low Income (about 15% of AMI): up to $28,000
- Extremely Low Income (about 30% of AMI): up to $58,750
- Very Low Income (about 50% of AMI): up to $97,900
- Low Income (about 80% of AMI): up to $156,650
- Moderate Income (about 120% of AMI): up to $223,900
Different programs draw on different tiers. Federal Housing Choice Vouchers and the deepest subsidies are reserved for Extremely Low and Very Low Income households. San Francisco’s Below Market Rate (BMR) rental and ownership programs mostly serve households in the Low and Moderate ranges.3Cornell Law School. California Code of Regulations Title 25, 6932 – 2025 Income Limits
Income Limits by Household Size
The four-person figures are the base. HUD applies standard adjustments for smaller or larger households: 70% of the four-person amount for one person, 80% for two, and so on up to 132% for eight, with another 8% added for each additional person beyond that.5HUD USER. Methodology for Determining FY 2025 Section 8 Income Limits The current published limits for San Francisco County look like this:3Cornell Law School. California Code of Regulations Title 25, 6932 – 2025 Income Limits
| Category | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely Low | $41,150 | $47,000 | $52,900 | $58,750 | $63,450 | $68,150 | $72,850 | $77,550 |
| Very Low | $68,550 | $78,350 | $88,150 | $97,900 | $105,750 | $113,600 | $121,400 | $129,250 |
| Low | $109,700 | $125,350 | $141,000 | $156,650 | $169,200 | $181,750 | $194,250 | $206,800 |
| Median | $130,600 | $149,300 | $167,950 | $186,600 | $201,550 | $216,450 | $231,400 | $246,300 |
| Moderate | $156,750 | $179,100 | $201,500 | $223,900 | $241,800 | $259,700 | $277,650 | $295,550 |
A single person counts as Low Income at up to $109,700. An eight-person household can earn as much as $206,800 and still fall into the same tier.
Why the Numbers Look So High
HUD treats San Francisco as a high-cost area and adjusts the limits upward accordingly. Under the federal formula, the Very Low Income limit is raised so that 35% of the limit equals 85% of the area’s annualized two-bedroom Fair Market Rent.5HUD USER. Methodology for Determining FY 2025 Section 8 Income Limits That adjustment is what pushes San Francisco’s “low income” cutoff above the national median family income. California also applies a “hold harmless” rule: if HUD’s new figures for a given year would drop below the prior year’s, the state keeps the higher number in place, so households don’t lose eligibility over a statistical dip.2California Department of Housing and Community Development. Income Limits
What Qualifying Actually Gets You
The tier you fall into determines which programs are open to you.
Below Market Rate (BMR) Units
San Francisco’s largest affordable housing pipeline is the Inclusionary Housing Program, usually called BMR. Under Planning Code Section 415, developers of new residential buildings must set aside a share of units priced for low, moderate, and middle income households.6SF.gov. Inclusionary Housing Program The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) prices these units and verifies applicant income through tax returns, pay stubs, benefit statements, and other documentation. Each listing sets its own AMI target: some rentals are restricted to households at 55% of AMI, while ownership opportunities often target 80% to 120%.
Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
The federal voucher program serves a lower-income population than BMR. A household generally has to earn no more than the Very Low Income limit (about $97,900 for a four-person household), and federal law requires that at least 75% of newly admitted voucher holders fall at or below the Extremely Low Income threshold.7U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Voucher Tenants In practice, that means priority goes to four-person households earning under $58,750. Demand far outstrips supply. The San Francisco Housing Authority’s waiting list is currently closed, and the most recent application window ran for two weeks in May 2025.8Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco. Waitlist
Income Isn’t the Only Test
Even if your earnings put you in a qualifying tier, two other rules can affect eligibility.
Assets
For the federal voucher and public housing programs, households cannot hold more than $105,574 in net family assets as of 2026.9HUD USER. 2026 HUD Inflation-Adjusted Values “Net family assets” means the cash value of savings, investments, real estate equity, and other holdings, minus any debts tied to those assets. The cap is adjusted annually for inflation.10HUD Exchange. HOTMA Resident Fact Sheet – Asset and Real Property Limitations Some income sources don’t count against you — foster care payments, most student financial aid that doesn’t exceed the cost of attendance, and the earned income of children under 18 are excluded. CalWORKs, SSI, and unemployment benefits do count and must be documented.
All-Student Households
Households made up entirely of full-time students are generally ineligible for BMR units.11SF.gov. BMR Resident Selection Criteria A full-time student here means someone enrolled at a school (including online programs but not correspondence or night school) for at least five months of the calendar year. The same bar applies to federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 42 – Low-Income Housing Credit Exceptions lift the restriction for the entire household if any one of the following is true:
- A member is married or in a domestic partnership and files (or is entitled to file) a joint tax return.
- The household is a single parent with minor children, and neither the parent nor children are claimed as dependents by someone else.
- A member receives assistance under Title IV of the Social Security Act, such as CalWORKs or TANF. SSI and SSA don’t count.
- A member is enrolled in a job training program under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or a similar program.
- A member recently exited foster care and is 24 or younger.
- The household includes a U.S. military veteran.
What Happens If Your Income Rises Later
Qualifying once isn’t permanent. BMR renters go through annual recertification with their property owner, who collects updated income, asset, and household-size information.13SF.gov. Inclusionary Below Market Rate (BMR) Renter Recertification Property owners also have to complete recertification before they can raise rent on a BMR unit.
If your household income climbs past 175% of AMI, recertification triggers a request for more documentation. If the review confirms you’re over 200% of AMI, MOHCD starts disqualification proceedings that can cost you the unit. For a four-person household, 200% of AMI works out to roughly $373,200 under current figures, so there’s real room for your earnings to grow before you’re at risk. Federal public housing uses a different rule: a household that earns above 120% of AMI for two consecutive years can either be charged market-rate rent or have its tenancy terminated within six months after that two-year period ends.1HUD USER. Income Limits