United States · Arizona · Maricopa County · HUD income limits · FY2026
Maricopa County Section 8 income limits 2026.
HUD’s FY2026 extremely low, very low and low income limits for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler MSA, for one to eight people, with a checker that places a yearly income in its band.
Short answer: HUD’s FY2026 income limits for Maricopa County, Arizona took effect May 1, 2026. For a household of four they are $33,700 extremely low (30 percent), $56,200 very low (50 percent) and $89,900 low (80 percent), against a Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler MSA median family income of $112,400. For one person the figures are $23,600, $39,350 and $62,950; for eight, $55,720, $74,200 and $118,700. Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe, Gilbert and every other city in the county use the same set. Unlike Los Angeles County, the very low limit here is exactly half the median, and the extremely low limits for five to eight people are set by the HHS poverty guideline rather than the 30 percent arithmetic.
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Result
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Maricopa County, all household sizes, FY2026
| Persons | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23,600 | $39,350 | $62,950 |
| 2 | $27,000 | $45,000 | $71,950 |
| 3 | $30,350 | $50,600 | $80,950 |
| 4 | $33,700 | $56,200 | $89,900 |
| 5 | $38,680 | $60,700 | $97,100 |
| 6 | $44,360 | $65,200 | $104,300 |
| 7 | $50,040 | $69,700 | $111,500 |
| 8 | $55,720 | $74,200 | $118,700 |
HUD’s FY2026 Section 8 file lists Maricopa County under the “Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA” with a FY2026 median family income of $112,400. The data are effective May 1, 2026. One county, one row: a Scottsdale applicant and a Buckeye applicant are measured against the same numbers.
Reading the two patterns in the table
The very low column is the median divided by two and then stepped by household size: $56,200 is exactly 50 percent of $112,400, and the other sizes follow HUD’s standard percentages of the four-person figure (70 percent for one person gives $39,340, rounded up to $39,350; 132 percent for eight gives $74,184, rounded up to $74,200). The extremely low column changes character at five people. For one to four people it is the 30 percent arithmetic: 30 percent of the $112,400 median is $33,720 for four people and HUD’s published figure is $33,700, the small gap being HUD’s $50 rounding and its cap re-check rather than a different rule. For five to eight people the column reads $38,680, $44,360, $50,040 and $55,720, which are the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines for those household sizes, because HUD defines extremely low-income families as very low-income families whose incomes are “the greater of the Poverty Guidelines ... or the 30 percent income limits.” The low column is 80 percent of median with its own cap rules: $89,900 for four people against $89,920 of pure arithmetic.
Worked examples
A family of five in Mesa with $38,000 of yearly gross income is just under the $38,680 extremely low limit and so in the extremely low band; at $39,000 it would move to the very low band, which runs up to $60,700. A couple in Tempe earning $70,000 is above the $45,000 very low limit and below the $71,950 low limit, placing them in the low-income band. A single person in Phoenix earning $45,000 sits between $39,350 and $62,950 and is also in the low-income band; the same person with $45,000 in Los Angeles County would still be in the extremely low band there, which is the clearest illustration of why the limits are set by area.
Method
The eight-size table is the Maricopa County row of HUD’s FY2026 Section 8 income limits file, read from the xlsx on November 11, 2026, and the checker reports the three figures for the size you choose and the band an income falls in; the poverty-guideline observation for sizes five to eight is a comparison with the 2026 HHS guidelines read the same day. Which band a program uses, how income is counted and who is in the household are decided by the housing authority, not by this page.
What this does not cover
- Households larger than eight; HUD’s methodology adds 8 percentage points per person, which this page does not apply.
- Which band a housing authority requires for its waiting list, preferences or admissions; ask the authority.
- How a housing authority counts income, assets and household members.
- Pinal County and the rest of Arizona, which have their own rows in the HUD file.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- HUD USER: Section 8 FY26 income limits data file (xlsx), Maricopa County row (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- HUD USER: FY 2026 Income Limits (effective May 1, 2026) and income limits FAQ (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- HHS ASPE: 2026 poverty guidelines (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedMaricopa County's extremely low-income limits for larger households are typos because they end in odd digits like $38,680.
What the source saysHUD's FAQ explains that extremely low-income limits are the greater of the HHS poverty guidelines and 30 percent of median, and the 2026 guidelines are $38,680 for five people, $44,360 for six, $50,040 for seven and $55,720 for eight, which is exactly what the Maricopa row shows. [2]
-
Often assumedPhoenix and Scottsdale applicants are measured against different HUD limits.
What the source saysHUD's FY2026 file places Maricopa County in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA with one row of limits, so the same figures apply across the county regardless of city. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the Section 8 income limit in Maricopa County for 2026?
For four people, HUD's FY2026 very low-income limit (50%) is $56,200, the extremely low limit (30%) is $33,700 and the low-income limit (80%) is $89,900. One person: $23,600, $39,350 and $62,950.
Does Phoenix have a different limit from Mesa, Chandler or Scottsdale?
No. HUD's FY2026 file lists Maricopa County as part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA with one set of figures, so every city in the county uses the same limits.
When did the FY2026 limits take effect?
May 1, 2026, per HUD USER's income limits page.
Why are the extremely low limits for 5 to 8 people odd numbers like $38,680?
Because for those sizes the 2026 HHS poverty guideline ($38,680 for five, up to $55,720 for eight) is higher than 30 percent of area median, and HUD sets the extremely low limit at the greater of the two. Sizes 1 to 4 use the 30 percent arithmetic, rounded to $50.
Is the very low limit exactly half the median?
Exactly: $56,200 is half of the $112,400 median, which makes Maricopa County a straightforward case compared with high-housing-cost areas such as Los Angeles County where HUD adjusts the figure upward.
Which limit do I need to be under for a voucher?
The housing authority that runs the program (the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Mesa, Glendale and others each run one) says which limit it applies to its waiting list and admissions; this page shows HUD's figures, not the authority's rules.
Do these limits apply to tax-credit apartments?
HUD says they may not; Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties use the Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project limits instead.
Not legal or financial advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal, financial or housing advice, and it is not affiliated with HUD or any housing authority. Housing authorities decide eligibility using HUD’s official limits and their own rules. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.