The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has updated Section 8 payment standards for 2025, effectively raising the maximum rent that housing vouchers can cover in many parts of the country. The new standards reflect ongoing inflation and rental market trends.
What are Section 8 payment standards?
Payment standards represent the maximum monthly subsidy HUD will allow for voucher recipients renting in the private market. These values are set by local public housing agencies (PHAs) based on HUD’s annual Fair Market Rent (FMR) data.
Voucher holders typically pay 30% of their income toward rent, and the voucher covers the rest — up to the payment standard.
2025 increases reflect rent inflation
Rents have continued to climb in most U.S. cities. In response, HUD raised Fair Market Rents in its 2025 update, which PHAs use to adjust their local payment standards.
Here are examples of new 2025 FMRs for a two-bedroom unit:
- New York City, NY: $2,099
- Phoenix, AZ: $1,754
- Orlando, FL: $1,818
- Chicago, IL: $1,769
- Sacramento, CA: $2,088
Local agencies may set payment standards between 90% and 110% of the published FMRs, and sometimes higher with HUD approval.
How this affects voucher holders
An increase in payment standards can expand housing options by making more units affordable within the voucher program. In tight rental markets, it may help tenants compete with market-rate renters and avoid displacement.
Families currently searching for housing or seeking to move may benefit most from the changes. Those renewing leases in 2025 should contact their housing agency to see if their subsidy amount will increase.
How to check your local standards
Each PHA sets its own payment standards by bedroom size and ZIP code. To check your area:
- Visit your local housing authority’s website.
- Search for “2025 payment standards” or “voucher amounts.”
- Compare the listed amounts with current rent prices.
A full HUD database of 2025 Fair Market Rents is available at huduser.gov.
What landlords should know
Landlords participating in the Housing Choice Voucher Program may now receive higher rent payments in areas where standards increased. This could encourage more property owners to accept vouchers, helping to ease the national shortage of affordable housing.
To list a unit or verify local rent limits, landlords should reach out to their local PHA.
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