Harris County Section 8 income limits 2026.

All eight household sizes, Houston HUD Metro FMR Area

HUD publishes one row for the whole Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, and Harris County takes that row. The limits are yearly gross income figures. The last column shows the 2026 HHS poverty guideline for the same household size, because HUD uses it as a floor under the extremely low limit.

From four people upward the extremely low limit is identical to the poverty guideline, which is the floor at work. For one to three people the 30% calculation came out higher than the guideline, so it stands on its own.

Which counties share these limits

In the FY 2026 file the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area covers seven counties: Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. All seven carry the $104,000 median and the figures above. Two neighbouring counties are listed as their own HUD Metro FMR Areas: Austin County has the same $104,000 median and identical limits, while Brazoria County has a $126,000 median and higher limits ($37,800 extremely low, $63,000 very low and $100,800 low income for four people). If you live in Brazoria County, do not use this page’s figures.

Why the four-person extremely low limit is exactly $33,000

HUD’s income limits documentation explains that, since the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, extremely low-income families are very low-income families whose incomes are the greater of the HHS poverty guidelines or the 30 percent limits HUD calculates. HUD first works out 30/50ths (60 percent) of the very low-income limit, compares it with the poverty guideline for that family size, and uses the guideline if it is higher. For four people in the Houston area, 60 percent of $52,000 is $31,200, which is below the $33,000 guideline, so the guideline wins. The same floor sets the five- to eight-person figures.

What the three bands are used for

HUD labels these the income limits for the Public Housing and Section 8 programs. The very low income limit is 50% of the area median family income adjusted for household size, the low income limit is 80%, and the extremely low limit is the floored 30% figure. Which band a particular program or housing authority uses for admission is set by that program’s rules; the Harris County and Houston housing authorities state the applicable limit in their own notices, so check the one for the program you are applying to. The limits apply to gross annual income before any HUD deductions, which only come into play afterwards when the tenant’s rent share is set.

Worked examples

A family of four in Harris County with $50,000 of gross yearly income: the limits are $33,000, $52,000 and $83,200, so $50,000 is above the extremely low limit and at or below the very low limit, which makes the household very low income. Divided by the $104,000 median, that is about 48.1% of area median income (derived).

One person earning $20,000 in Montgomery County, which shares the Houston row: the one-person limits are $21,850, $36,400 and $58,250, so $20,000 is extremely low income. Here the $21,850 extremely low limit sits above the one-person poverty guideline of $15,960, so the 30% rule rather than the floor set it.

Method

The figures were read from the row for Harris County (FIPS 4820199999) in HUD USER’s Section8-FY26.xlsx data file, which HUD lists with data effective May 1, 2026, and the floor rule from the FY 2026 documentation on the same page, both read on November 11, 2026. The checker shows the published limits for the household size and, if you enter an income, names the band it falls in and divides it by the area median for context. HUD caps year-to-year changes in its limits, so a county’s figure may not move in step with its median.

What this does not cover

• Households larger than eight: the published file stops at eight people.
• HUD deductions, local preferences and whether a waiting list is open.
• Fair market rents and payment standards, which decide how much rent a voucher covers.
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties, which use HUD’s separate multifamily tax subsidy limits.
• FY 2027 limits, which HUD usually publishes in the spring.

Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.

Sources

• HUD USER: Income Limits (FY 2026 Section 8 data effective May 1, 2026; documentation and FAQs) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
• HUD USER: Section8-FY26.xlsx (county and metro area rows) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
• HHS ASPE: 2026 poverty guidelines (retrieved November 11, 2026)