AMI & Rent Limit Lookup
Pick a program, state, county, and year. The tool returns HUD's published income limits and the calculated LIHTC maximum gross rent (where applicable) for that area.
Loading 2026 HUD MTSP data…
Income limits by household size & AMI band
| AMI % | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p |
|---|
Max LIHTC gross rent by bedroom count & AMI band
Rent at 1.5 persons / bedroom: studio = 1p, 1BR = 1.5p, 2BR = 3p, 3BR = 4.5p, 4BR = 6p. Rents are gross — subtract the locality's utility allowance for net rent.
| AMI % | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR |
|---|
How the calculator works
Pick the program
LIHTC and Section 142 Bond properties pull from HUD's MTSP file (income averaging bands 20–80%). Section 8, HOME, NHTF, and other federal/state/local programs use HUD's regular Income Limits (30/50/80% with poverty-guideline floor).
Choose state and county
Select a state, then any HUD-defined metropolitan area (MSA / HMFA) or non-metropolitan county. The dropdown lists every published HUD area — multiple counties often share the same area definition.
Read the results
The income table shows HUD's published limits by household size at every AMI band. The rent table (LIHTC and Bond only) shows the maximum gross monthly rent by bedroom count using the IRC §42(g)(2)(C) imputed household-size convention.
Frequently asked questions
What is Area Median Income (AMI)?
AMI is HUD's annual estimate of the midpoint family income for each U.S. metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and non-metropolitan county. Half of family households in the area earn more; half earn less.
HUD anchors the figure on the 4-person household and applies standard adjustment factors for other household sizes: 1p = 0.70, 2p = 0.80, 3p = 0.90, 4p = 1.00, 5p = 1.08, 6p = 1.16, 7p = 1.24, 8p = 1.32 of the 4-person base.
What's the difference between MTSP and HUD Income Limits?
MTSP (Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project) limits govern IRC Section 42 LIHTC and IRC Section 142 tax-exempt bond properties. They include the LIHTC income-averaging bands (20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% AMI) and apply HERA hold-harmless.
HUD Income Limits govern Section 8, HOME, NHTF, and public housing. They publish ELI (30%), VLI (50%), and LI (80%) only and apply a federal poverty-guideline floor at the ELI level.
The 50% VLI band is identical between the two files (verified across all 4,764 HUD-defined area records, which include New England town-level MCDs and other sub-county HUD areas in addition to counties). The 30% and 80% bands can differ — using the wrong file gives wrong numbers, which is why the calculator gates output by program.
How is the maximum LIHTC rent calculated?
Max gross rent = (income limit at AMI band, at imputed hh size) × 30% ÷ 12
The imputed household-size convention per IRC §42(g)(2)(C): studio = 1 person, 1BR = 1.5, 2BR = 3.0, 3BR = 4.5, 4BR = 6.0. For fractional sizes (1.5, 4.5) HUD interpolates between the published whole-person limits.
Gross rent includes tenant-paid utilities. Subtract the locality's utility allowance to get the maximum net rent the owner can charge.
What is LIHTC income averaging?
Income averaging (added by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, IRC §42(g)(1)(C)) lets a LIHTC building designate individual units at any 10% increment from 20% to 80% AMI, as long as the average designation across all rent-restricted units does not exceed 60% AMI.
IRS final regulations (T.D. 9967, October 12, 2022) replaced the original cliff test with a unit-by-unit failure rule plus a next-available-unit remedy, effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022.
What is the HERA hold-harmless rule?
Section 3009 of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA, P.L. 110-289) protects LIHTC and tax-exempt bond properties from rent decreases. A building's applicable MTSP limit is the higher of (a) the current year's published figure, or (b) the highest MTSP figure published in any year since the building was placed in service (including the PIS year). If limits rose after PIS and then fell, the property is held at the post-PIS peak.
New buildings always use at least the current year's limits. The hold-harmless applies per building, locked at the highest MTSP figure published in any year since the building's PIS year — not merely the PIS-year figure.
When do new HUD income limits take effect?
HUD typically publishes Section 8 Income Limits in early-to-mid April and the MTSP file in mid-May. LIHTC owners have a 45-day implementation window after MTSP publication.
For FY2026: MTSP was released May 1, 2026; the income-averaging file was updated May 18, 2026. Properties must apply 2026 limits no later than June 15, 2026.
What did HOTMA change?
The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA) revised how income and assets are counted for HUD programs. The HUD final rule was published February 14, 2023; full compliance for HUD Multifamily Housing programs is required by January 1, 2027 (HUD Notice H 2025-07).
Key changes: a $100,000 net-asset eligibility cap (inflation-indexed — approximately $105,574 in 2026) that applies to Section 8, Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), and public housing (PHA) programs only; the IRS has not adopted this asset cap for LIHTC properties, so it does not govern LIHTC tenant qualification. Other changes include expanded excluded-income items; triennial recertification for elderly/disabled on fixed income; and IRS Form 4506-T tax transcripts as a safe harbor for income verification.
How does household size affect the income limit?
HUD scales the 4-person 100% AMI by these factors: 1p = 0.70, 2p = 0.80, 3p = 0.90, 4p = 1.00, 5p = 1.08, 6p = 1.16, 7p = 1.24, 8p = 1.32. For households larger than 8, add 8% per additional person to the 4-person base.
Which programs use AMI?
| Program | Limits used | Typical targeting |
|---|---|---|
| LIHTC (Section 42) | MTSP | 50% or 60% AMI; 20–80% under income averaging |
| Tax-exempt bonds (Section 142) | MTSP | 50% or 60% AMI |
| HOME Investment Partnerships | HUD IL | 50%, 60%, 80% AMI |
| Section 8 (HCV / project-based) | HUD IL | 50% AMI (VLI) |
| National Housing Trust Fund | HUD IL | 30% AMI (ELI) and 50% AMI (VLI) |
| USDA Rural Housing | USDA (related to HUD) | 50% and 80% AMI bands |
When stacking programs in one deal, every applicable limit must be met. The strictest limit governs each unit.
Methodology & data source
HUD calculates AMI from five-year American Community Survey (ACS) family-income estimates for every MSA and non-metropolitan county, trends the figures forward using national CPI-U, applies its own Fair Market Rent area definitions (which can split or combine OMB MSAs into HMFAs), and publishes household-size-adjusted income limits and high-cost-area adjustments.
The results are released as two distinct files:
- Section 8 Income Limits — for Section 8, HOME, NHTF, public housing. Published early-to-mid April. Includes a federal poverty-guideline floor at the 30% ELI band.
- MTSP Income Limits — for LIHTC (Section 42) and tax-exempt bonds (Section 142). Published mid-May (plus a separate income-averaging update). Includes HERA hold-harmless and the 20/30/40/50/60/70/80% bands.
This calculator's underlying data is generated directly from those two HUD Excel files (FY2024 through FY2026) and verified byte-for-byte: 800,352 MTSP cells + 343,008 IL cells = 1,143,360 cells, all matching the HUD source. An additional 2,400-cell external cross-check against a 30-county stratified sample of Westmont Advisors' published HUD-sourced tables confirmed zero discrepancies.
Background on AMI
Area Median Income (AMI) is the midpoint of family income in a given geographic area, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Half of family households in the area earn more; half earn less. HUD publishes these estimates annually for every metropolitan statistical area and non-metropolitan county in the United States.
In affordable housing finance, AMI is almost never referenced at face value. Programs reference percentage bands — 30%, 50%, 60%, 80% AMI — to define eligibility, set rent ceilings, and structure deal underwriting.
Practitioner checklist
- Use the MTSP table, not the HUD Income Limits table, for LIHTC unit qualification
- Apply the imputed-household-size convention (1.5 persons per bedroom) when calculating maximum rents
- Apply HERA hold-harmless: a building's limit is the higher of (a) the current year's MTSP figure, or (b) the highest MTSP figure published in any year since (and including) its PIS year — post-PIS peaks are protected too, not just the PIS-year figure
- Check whether your state QAP imposes deeper-AMI targeting than the federal 60% maximum (most do for at least some units)
- Confirm your state's adoption of HOTMA conventions for LIHTC tenant certifications
- Don't forget utility allowances — they reduce the maximum collectable rent below the gross rent ceiling
- Verify the placed-in-service year of each building before applying limits; mixing PIS years across one project is a common error
This explainer summarizes general methodology. Specific AMI limits, hold-harmless application, HOTMA timing, and program-specific rules vary by jurisdiction and change annually. This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, tax advice, financial advice, or any other professional advice. Before relying on any AMI-based calculation to qualify tenants, set rents, or structure a transaction, verify the current published HUD MTSP and HUD Income Limits tables and consult qualified counsel, your tax credit compliance professional, and your CPA. See the full Disclaimer and Terms of Service.