Understanding Whom the 

LIHTC Program Serves

Data on Tenants in LIHTC Units 

as of December 31, 2014 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Office of Policy Development and Research
Understanding Whom the 

LIHTC Program Serves

Data on Tenants in LIHTC Units 

as of December 31, 2014 

 

 

 

Office of Policy Development and Research

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

 

 

 

December 2016
ii

Contents

I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1

II. Comparison of 2013 and 2014 Data Submissions.............................................................................. 5

III. Assessing Completeness of 2014 Tenant Data .................................................................................. 6

A. States Submitting Tenant Data .................................................................................................... 6

B. Properties in the Tenant Data...................................................................................................... 6

C. LIHTC Rent-Restricted Units......................................................................................................... 7

D. Household Members.................................................................................................................... 8

IV. Race and Ethnicity of Tenants............................................................................................................ 9

V. Disability Status................................................................................................................................. 11

VI. Family Composition and Age ............................................................................................................ 14

VII. Annual Household Income ............................................................................................................... 16

VIII. Monthly Rental Payments ................................................................................................................ 19

IX. Use of Rental Assistance................................................................................................................... 21

List of Tables

Table 1. Comparison of 2013 and 2014 LIHTC Data Submissions................................................................... 2 

Table 2. Number and Percentage of Properties Matched Between Property and Tenant Databases .......... 3 

Table 3. Reported Number of Household Members Compared With Household Size at Certification......... 4 

Table 4. Race and Ethnicity of Heads of Household...................................................................................... 10

Table 5. LIHTC Households With Disabled Members.................................................................................... 12

Table 6. Disability Status of Individual Household Members........................................................................ 13

Table 7. Family Composition: Households With Children and Elderly Members......................................... 15

Table 8. Distribution of Annual Household Income ...................................................................................... 17

Table 9. Total Annual Household Income Relative to AMGI ......................................................................... 18

Table 10. Gross Rent as Percentage of Annual Household Income .............................................................. 20

Table 11. Percentage of LIHTC Households Receiving Monthly Rental Assistance ...................................... 22

Table 12. Use of Federal Rental Assistance Programs in LIHTC Units........................................................... 23
1

I. Introduction

In 2008, Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA), requiring each state housing 

finance agency (HFA) that administers the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to submit certain 

demographic and economic information on tenants in LIHTC units to the U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development (HUD) according to standards determined by the Secretary of HUD. HERA specifically 

requires HFAs to submit to HUD information concerning race, ethnicity, family composition, age, income, 

use of rental assistance, disability status, and monthly rental payments of households residing in LIHTC 

properties. This report represents the third annual data release of information collected under this 

mandate. More detailed background of this data collection is available in the original report, 

Understanding Whom the LIHTC Program Serves: Tenants in LIHTC Units as of December 31, 2012, which 

is available on huduser.gov. 

Most of the information presented in this document was collected by the administering state HFAs as 

part of program compliance enforcement. Although tenant income and rent information are collected in 

accordance with specific program rules, some states have not fully adopted HUD’s standards for 

collecting demographic information. Thus, although income and rent information were collected across 

states using fairly uniform standards and definitions, the demographic information was not standardized 

and, in some states, not collected at all.

Finally, HUD’s administrative responsibility in the LIHTC Program is strictly limited to the designation of 

Difficult Development Areas, or DDAs, and Qualified Census Tracts, or QCTs. HUD is not involved in the 

compliance of LIHTC properties unless HUD subsidies are present. HUD’s collection of tenant data, 

although required by statute, is not used in program administration. 

This report represents the third public release of information under the HERA mandate. Although the 

information reported here is not inclusive of all tenants served by the LIHTC Program, it provides a useful 

picture of the program’s beneficiaries. The information presented within was received by HUD in the fall 

of 2015 and includes tenants in LIHTC units as of December 31, 2014. Table 1 highlights the differences 

between the 2013 and 2014 data submissions. Tables 2 and 3 provide an assessment of property, unit, 

and tenant coverage by state, indicating completeness across the reporting categories. The remaining 

tables present the information as required by HERA with additional information on completeness as 

warranted.
2

Table 1. Comparison of 2013 and 2014 LIHTC Data Submissions

HERA = Housing and Economic Recovery Act. LIHTC = Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. PIS = LIHTC properties placed in service database.

Note: The 2013 data are identical to those reported in Data on Tenants in LIHTC Units as of December 31, 2013, and do not include information 

on properties placed in service prior to 2014 that was reported with the 2014 PIS data collection. a 2013 totals do not include tenant data from Illinois’ suballocator, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, or one of New York 

City’s suballocators, the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD). 2014 totals include tenant data from the Chicago 

Department of Planning and Development but not from the New York City HPD. 
3

Table 2. Number and Percentage of Properties Matched Between Property and Tenant

Databases 

HERA = Housing and Economic Recovery Act. LIHTC = low-income housing tax credit. PIS = LIHTC properties placed in service database. a Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. 
4

Table 3. Reported Number of Household Members Compared With Household Size at Certification

a The District of Columbia reported household size at certification for less than one-half of its tenants. 

b Florida, North Dakota, and Texas provided information for only one household member. 

c Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. 
5

II. Comparison of 2013 and 2014 Data Submissions

Table 1 provides a comparison of HUD’s 2013 and 2014 property and tenant data to provide a basic

understanding of how the data presented in this report compare with data in the previous report. The

2013 data presented in table 1 are identical to those reported in Data on Tenants in LIHTC Units as of

December 31, 2013 and do not include updated information on properties placed in service prior to 2014 

that was reported with the 2014 LIHTC properties placed in service (PIS) data collection.1 The changes 

between 2013 and 2014 all represent net changes in either total properties or total units. 

In aggregate, there was a net increase of 1,502 active properties containing 137,158 units in HUD’s 2014 

LIHTC PIS database compared with the 2013 version. The highlighted rows in the first four columns 

indicate states whose total property counts are less in the 2014 data than in the 2013 data. These

decreases solely reflect an effort to improve identification of properties that are no longer monitored for

LIHTC compliance. Thus, these decreases indicate an improvement in data quality and better facilitate

data matching. For several states, however, large decreases in the number of tenants reported offset the

improvement in matching, which is shown in table 2. 

For the HERA-mandated tenant data, a net additional 205,298 units were reported in the 2014 data 

compared with the number in the 2013 data. The increase reflects both an increase in the stock of LIHTC 

units—that is, those placed in service in 2014—and newly reported information on units not submitted in 

the previous collection. The highlighted rows in the last four columns indicate states whose total unit

counts are lower in the 2014 HERA data than in the 2013 data. 

 

1 HFAs reported 318 LIHTC properties placed in service in 2013 with the 2014 properties. These properties were not 

previously reported.
6

III. Assessing Completeness of 2014 Tenant Data

The LIHTC is administered by 60 state-level and, in limited instances, substate allocating HFAs (for simplicity, 

hereafter referred to as “states”).

2 Several states separate administrative functions among multiple state

agencies or local suballocators. The District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New York separate functions

related to the allocation of tax credits and the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds between two

agencies. Compliance for all properties in the District of Columbia and Massachusetts, however, is

conducted by a single agency in each state. Illinois, Minnesota, and New York allow local suballocators to

award LIHTCs in certain cities or counties. The city of Chicago has authority to award credits and administer

the program within city limits. New York City and several northern counties3 receive suballocations from

New York State. Minnesota allows seven local governments4 to allocate tax credits, although the state

reports the tenant and property data for the entire state.

5

A. States Submitting Tenant Data

HUD requests tenant data and property characteristics from the 60 agencies that conduct program 

compliance. HFAs administering the LIHTC in the cities of Chicago and New York did not submit 2013 tenant

information. The 2014 data include, for the first time, data from the city of Chicago. The New York City

Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) did not submit 2014 data and, therefore, is not

included in the following summary tables. The following sections explain how the submitted information

may be incomplete for each of the states.

B. Properties in the Tenant Data

HUD’s collection of LIHTC tenant data applies to all active LIHTC properties, including those in the

extended-use period. Many states, however, were unable to submit information for all active properties

for several reasons. First, most states simplify or decrease the stringency of compliance rules after Year

15, which lessens or eliminates certain information otherwise collected for compliance. For example,

annual income recertifications may no longer be required because the Next Available Unit Rule does not 

apply during the extended-use period. Thus, states may not have previously maintained compliance

information for properties in the extended-use period. Second, some states previously accepted Tenant 

Income Certification (TIC) forms from smaller properties in hard copy as opposed to electronically

because independent owners, who may not have the ability to submit electronically, manage many of 

these properties. Converting or hand-entering the information into electronic compliance and reporting

systems requires considerable time, and some states were not able to complete this type of laborintensive work. Third, HERA permits states to forgo annual income recertification of tenants if 100

percent of a building’s units are income or rent restricted. Income information from tenants in 

 

2 This total includes the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Aside from its use of the 

Tax Credit Exchange Program, or TCEP, in 2009, American Samoa does not actively administer the LIHTC Program 

and is not counted here.

3 The Development Authority of the North Country administers the LIHTC Program in Jefferson, Lewis, and St.

Lawrence Counties, New York. 4 Dakota and Washington Counties and the cities of Duluth, Minneapolis, Rochester, Saint Cloud, and Saint Paul each 

receive a portion of the state allocation.

5 The suballocators in Minnesota monitor for compliance and report tenant and property data to the state HFA. 

Beginning in the fall of 2016, however, the suballocators began reporting directly to HUD.
7

these properties, therefore, may not be available or, if available, may not be current. To present an

appropriate comparison, HUD’s tabulation of income relies on incomes certified in 2013, 2014, or 2015.6

 

One method of assessing the completeness of each state’s HERA-mandated tenant data is to compare the

total number of properties the data contain with the number of properties reported to HUD through its

LIHTC PIS data collection,7 summarized in table 2. The time period covered in HUD’s PIS data collection is

consistent with the tenant collection and currently includes properties placed in service through 2014. 

HUD’s PIS database also has known undercounting, primarily for the most recently collected placed-inservice years.8 In addition, the PIS database also fails to correctly identify some properties that are no

longer monitored for program compliance, which inflates the true number of properties in service.

Hence, the databases are not expected to be 100 percent complete and, from the data available to HUD,

it is not possible to provide a definitive assessment of completeness based on one number. Rather,

comparisons across the two sources of data suggest where issues of incomplete data, in either data

source, may be larger.

Overall, 36,790 properties were reported as in service and monitored for LIHTC compliance in 2014. State

HFAs, however, submitted tenant information for 36,516 properties.

9 As expected, most states reported

more properties in 2014, some with large increases. Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, and Kansas each reported

at least twice as many properties in their 2014 tenant data. Several states—Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, 

Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and New Jersey—reported fewer properties than in their previous 

submission. These changes are shown in table 1.

C. LIHTC Rent-Restricted Units 

The HERA-mandated collection of LIHTC tenant data is intended to include all rent-restricted LIHTC units.

Because HUD’s PIS data include primarily only property address and, in only limited cases, building 

address, it is not possible to match actual units between the two data sets. Instead, table 2 sums the

number of units from matched properties in the PIS database and reported units from matched

properties in the tenant collection. Across all states, 2.423 million active LIHTC units are in HUD’s PIS 

database. State HFAs, however, reported data on tenants in 1.938 million units through the HERAmandated tenant submission to HUD. Almost three-fourths (74.2 percent) of the units reported in the

HERA data are in properties also in the PIS database. 

Although information is submitted on a unit basis, the information in this report focuses primarily on

households or individual members, such as heads of household. The difference between reported units 

and total number of households is the number of vacant units. The vacancy rate of reported units was

approximately 4 percent. 

 

6 Although HUD requested information for tenants as of December 31, 2014, some states provided the most recent 

income certification information, which was from 2015. 7 HUD annually collects information on LIHTC properties placed in service during the previous calendar year. This 

information is available from http://lihtc.huduser.org/. 8 In addition to underreporting because of technicalities of determining placed-in-service status, several states

(Connecticut, Missouri, and New Mexico) did not submit information in certain recent years. See the database

at http://lihtc.huduser.org/ for years of nonreporting. 9 Properties are identified in the tenant data based on property name, property identification number (or PIN), city, 

and state.
8

The aggregate count of reported units increased to 1.938 million units compared with 1.732 million units

in the 2013 data, reflecting better overall reporting.10 First-time reporting from the city of Chicago 

accounts for 7,660 units of this increase. Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington

provided more than double the number of units in their 2014 submissions than for 2013. Several states,

most notably Georgia, Indiana, and Maryland, submitted fewer units than in their previous submissions.

The decreases were generally due to fewer properties being reported. 

D. Household Members

Much of the information required by HERA focuses on households or individual household members. As

required by HERA, HUD requests household-level information, such as rent and income, and individual

member information, such as race, ethnicity, and disability status. In addition, HUD requests information

on a household member’s age and relationship to the head of the household, both of which can be used

to determine household composition, which is a HERA-required reporting category. Three states (Florida,

North Dakota, and Texas), however, provided data for only one member per household, usually reported as

the head of the household.11 In addition, not all states reported all certified household members when

reporting on individual household members, which affects the extent to which their data can be used to

report on all tenants versus all households. Some reporting, such as reporting household composition, is

difficult to assess in states with incomplete data on all household members. Hence, for tables presenting 

information on individuals as opposed to households, it is important to have some sense of the coverage

of household members.

States do provide information on household size, which is used to determine the maximum applicable 

income limit during household income certification. When all household members are included,

household size equals the number of household members for whom data are submitted. Table 3 

compares household size at certification with the number of household members actually reported in the

tenant data. The first column reportsthe share of householdsfor which household size at certification was not

reported; that is, householdsfor which HUD is unable to determine whether all household members are

included in the tenant data. Reporting of household size is quite complete overall; household size is missing in

2.9 percent of all reported households. With the exception of the District of Columbia—which did not report

household size for more than one-half of its reported households—and Florida, North Dakota, and Texas—

which provided information for only one household member per unit—this variable can be used to assessthe

completeness of household membersin the tenant data.

 

10 This total includes both vacant and occupied units. 11 The reporting of the head of household in the LIHTC Program is merely for reference and is unrelated to status 

reported on individual income returns. 
9

IV. Race and Ethnicity of Tenants

HUD’s LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form requests race according to standards set by the U.S. Office of

Management and Budget and also used by HUD’s rental assistance and multifamily housing programs.

Although most of the information requested on the HUD LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form is required

and necessary for program compliance by the state HFAs, race and ethnicity are not. Before the HERAmandated HUD collection, many states did not collect any race or ethnicity information, whereas others

collected similar information using categories or standards different from those established by HUD. The

incorporation, or modification, of race and ethnicity into states’ TIC forms caused a delay in their ability to

report this information to HUD. This delay was caused in part by the process of amending the state TIC

forms to request this information but also by the need to collect this new information from all LIHTC

tenants. Many states did not have this information already incorporated in their TIC forms, unlike

compliance items such as income and rent. 

Race and ethnicity are requested for each household member. As explained in the previous section, data

submitted at the individual level suffer from underreporting of properties, units, and household

members. Further, in accordance with fair housing laws, tenants are not required to report their race or

ethnicity. Three states—Alaska, Georgia, and New Jersey—submitted information for less than

approximately one-third of their active LIHTC property stock. Totals for New York are less primarily

because HUD did not receive information for LIHTC tenants monitored by the New York City HPD, which

accounts for a significant portion of unreported units for New York State.

Among the households and units reported, many suffered from an underreporting of household

members. Recall from table 3 that less than one-half of all states reported all members of each reported

LIHTC household, and seven states, highlighted in gray, submitted all household members for less than

one-half of their reported occupied units. The underreporting of household members across states led to

the decision to include only tabulations of heads of household for race and ethnicity and for several other

tabulations presented subsequently in this report.12

Table 4 shows the percentage of reported heads of household for whom race and ethnicity were

submitted to HUD. The first column repeats the percentage of properties reported from table 2 to

provide perspective on the completeness for the entire active LIHTC stock in each state.13 Four states—

Florida, North Dakota, Texas, and Washington—did not provide race or ethnicity information for any

heads of household.

14 In addition, Pennsylvania reported race and ethnicity for only 5.2 percent of

occupied units. Kentucky and Utah were the only other states to report this information for less than

approximately one-half of its reported households. 

 

12 Included in these tabulations are household members who are not reported as heads but are the only reported 

household members. Also, if a head of household is not indicated, the first member reported on the submitted form 

is included in these tabulations.

13 For example, although the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation submitted both race and ethnicity data for 83.5 

percent of reported heads of household, the tenant data for Alaska include only 17.7 percent of its LIHTC stock. 

14 Texas collects race and ethnicity information according to different standards. For Texas state tabulations, see

https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/docs/15-HSR.pdf. 
10

Table 4. Race and Ethnicity of Heads of Household

a Shaded states submitted all household members for less than one-half of their reported occupied units. 

b Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.
11

V. Disability Status

Tenant disability status is collected in accordance with the Fair Housing Act’s definition of handicapped. A 

tenant’s response, or nonresponse, does not affect the tenant’s ability to claim disability benefits or to 

request handicapped-accessible features in the LIHTC unit. The Fair Housing Act defines a disability as a 

physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such 

an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. Definitions of physical and mental 

impairment are found in 24 CFR 100.201. In compliance with the Fair Housing Act, tenants are not 

required to respond to this question.

Before the HERA data collection mandate, few states collected tenant disability status for the head of 

household or other household members. Thus, nearly all HFAs had to amend their TIC forms to request 

this information, which delayed their ability to report to HUD. Missing data or data coverage of disability 

status were similar to those for race and ethnicity, neither of which are used for programmatic purposes. 

Similar to all LIHTC tenant data, this information suffers from potential incomplete coverage of 

properties, units, and household members. As explained previously, data from three states (Alaska, 

Georgia, and New Jersey) included a fairly small percentage of their active LIHTC properties. In addition, 

the reported information for some states did not contain all household members, further limiting HUD’s 

ability to report disability status.

Table 5 provides household-level information on the presence of at least one disabled tenant per 

household. The first column, Properties Reported, repeats data from table 2. This column is included to

enhance understanding of the coverage of properties in the state data. Florida and North Dakota 

provided disability status for only the head of household. Further, Kansas reported disability status for 

less than 10 percent of their reported households, and Texas did not report disability status for any 

household members. 

Table 6 reports disability status at the individual household member level. The first column, Properties 

Reported, repeats data from table 2. The second column, All Household Members Reported, contains 

data from table 5. The last two columns present strictly individual-level information, beginning with the 

share of reported individuals in that state for whom disability status is reported. The underreporting 

mentioned previously for table 5 also applies to table 6 and likely biases the estimate of disabled 

individuals downward from the actual percentage. 
12

Table 5. LIHTC Households With Disabled Members

a The percentage of occupied units in which reported household members equal reported household size at certification. b Florida and North Dakota provided disability status for only the head of household. 

c Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.

d Kansas reported disability status for less than one-half of reported households.
13

Table 6. Disability Status of Individual Household Members

a Reported household members equal reported “Household Size at Certification." b Florida and North Dakota provided disability status for only the head of household. 

c Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.

d Pennsylvania reported disability status for less than 10 percent of household members. Texas did not report disability status for any household 

members. 
14

VI. Family Composition and Age 

Many states use the LIHTC to address affordable housing shortages for families and seniors, specifically.

Thus, family composition and age are reported together, highlighting households with children and

elderly members, in table 7. 

HUD determines family composition based on the age of household members and the relationship to the

head of household. HUD’s LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form requests relationship to head and date of

birth for each household member. Relationship to head is used for program income determination

because income from certain household members does not count toward annual household income.15

Some states did not collect date of birth for all LIHTC tenants before the HERA mandate, instead opting to

collect number of household members by age group. Thus, although similar information was collected,

this information also required a change in some states’ TIC forms. HUD uses the date of birth to

determine the age of tenants as of the reporting date, December 31, 2014. The relationship to head of

household is used to identify the head for households that are headed by an elderly person. 

Identifying the presence of children and seniors in households requires having valid dates of birth for all

household members. As reported previously, to determine whether all household members are reported,

HUD compared the number of reported members for whom date of birth and other information is

requested with the reported household size at certification. The first three columns of table 7 provide

information on data coverage of household members and date of birth. Florida and Texas did not provide

dates of birth, preventing calculation of age. The first column represents the number of households in

which the reported number of members equals size at certification. The second and third columns

provide reporting rates for date of birth for heads of household and all members, respectively. North

Dakota provided dates of birth for only a small percentage of reported household members, preventing 

the calculation of a reliable estimate. Tabulations for this state were suppressed. 

 

15 For example, income of live-in aides and earned income of dependents do not affect income eligibility.
15

Table 7. Family Composition: Households With Children and Elderly Members

a The percentage of occupied units in which reported household members equal reported household size at certification.

b Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. 

c Too few dates of birth were reported to provide a reliable estimate.
16

VII. Annual Household Income 

Household income is a central part of LIHTC tenant qualification and ongoing compliance. To qualify for

tax credits, owners of LIHTC properties must elect to maintain maximum income-qualifying limits of

either 50 or 60 percent of Area Median Gross Income (AMGI). LIHTC property managers must submit 

detailed household income information to the administering HFA at tenant move-in and annually. To

certify household income, states collect detailed income information for each household member on the

state’s TIC forms. The HUD LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form requests the same income information as

collected by states for compliance, although HUD requires only total annual household income. HUD does

not require the submission of components of household income such as earned income or income from

assets. HUD’s form also does not require the submission of income for each household member. Because

income limits can vary by property depending on the percentage of AMGI an owner elects to enforce,

state TIC forms and the HUD LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form also request the applicable income limit

and maximum percentage of AMGI for each unit. 

Although all states receive household income information for compliance, not all states maintained this 

information electronically before HERA reporting requirements, especially for properties in the extended-use 

period that have less strict income certification rules. These looser reporting rules and lack of data maintenance 

hindered the abilities of some HFAs to provide annual household income and related income limit information 

for all households. Because program rules do not require annual recertification for all units, HUD also requests 

the income certification date. The income tabulations in this report include only household incomes reported 

for 2012, 2013, or 201416. This method will exclude some units in properties with 100 percent low-income units 

and some properties in their extended-use period, because annual recertifications are not required.

Table 8 shows the median reported income of households and the distribution of income. In terms of

data coverage, total annual household income was reported with certifications dates of 2013, 2014, or 

2015 for 84.0 percent of households. Texas reported household income with certification dates in 2013, 

2014, or 2015 for less than 20 percent of households, and the District of Columbia and Guam reported 

income certified in these years for less than one-half of households. 

Comparing household income across states does not account for differences in cost of living and 

therefore provides a somewhat skewed comparison. Comparing household income with AMGI provides a 

more informative assessment and also provides measures of income more directly relevant for LIHTC 

Program eligibility. HUD, however, does not request AMGI and, to make this comparison, the AMGI must 

either be determined by address or derived from information provided on the LIHTC Tenant Data

Collection Form, specifically the percentage of income or rent restriction (50 or 60 percent of AMGI) and 

the applicable income limit for each unit. The distribution provided in this report uses the latter method 

because it yielded a larger sample on which the distribution could be calculated.

As shown in table 9, household annual income, certified in 2013, 2014, or 2015, was reported for 83.8

percent of units, but income plus the information needed to calculate AMGI was provided for only 64.4 

percent of units. Although some of the units excluded from this calculation had incomes certified before 

2013, most of these units were excluded because of missing the income limit or income restriction. 

Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin did not provide the

necessary information to make the calculation for any of their reported units. 

 

16 Although HUD requested information for tenants as of December 31, 2013, some states, primarily Kentucky, 

Montana, and Puerto Rico, provided the most recent income certification information, which was 2014.
17

Distribution of Annual Household Income 

a Texas reported household income for less than 20 percent of households, and the District of Columbia and Guam reported income for less than 

one-half of households. b Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.
18

Table 9. Total Annual Household Income Relative to AMGI

AMGI = Area Median Gross Income.

a AMGI was derived by dividing the income limit by percent income restriction.

b Income certified in 2013, 2014, or 2015. 

c Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. 
19

VIII. Monthly Rental Payments

A critical goal of the LIHTC Program is to provide affordable housing by limiting the share of a household’s 

income paid in rent, referred to as rent burden. The LIHTC Program restricts the maximum rent that can

be charged for a unit to 30 percent of either 50 or 60 percent of AMGI, according to that chosen by the

developer during the application process. Although the LIHTC Program sets a maximum rent, actual rents

are often less and can fluctuate with market conditions. Unlike in most housing programs, income and

rent limits are set for the unit, do not vary directly with tenant income, and may exceed 30 percent of

income at qualification. In addition, after a tenant has qualified for a unit based on the unit’s income

limits, increases or decreases in a tenant’s household income do not result in corresponding changes in

rent paid. The combination of these factors may result in the share of a household’s income spent on rent

varying substantially from 30 percent. 

HUD’s LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form requests components of gross rent, which include tenant-paid

rent, utility allowance, and other nonoptional charges. Table 10 shows the distribution of gross rent as a 

percentage of annual household income. To calculate this distribution, both household income and rent 

must be provided. As in the previous section, this section includes only household incomes certified in

2013, 2014, or 2015. The first column of table 10 lists the percentage of occupied units with both annual

household income and gross rent. Overall, 81.4 percent of reported units included both income certified

in 2013, 2014, or 2015 and rent. The District of Columbia and Texas reported this information for only a 

small portion of their households. 
20

Table 10. Tenant-Paid Rent as Percentage of Annual Household Income

LIHTC = Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

a Includes only households with income certified in 2013, 2014, or 2015. 

b Ratio of tenant-paid rent to household income could not be calculated because total annual household income equals $0.

c The District of Columbia and Texas reported income certification dates and percent rent restriction for a low percentage of households.

d Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.
21

IX. Use of Rental Assistance 

As shown in table 9, two-thirds of LIHTC households earn less than 40 percent of AMGI, yet federal 

maximum unit rents are established to be affordable for households at 50 or 60 percent of AMGI. This

gap may partially be filled by various types of rental assistance—both project- and tenant-based

assistance from HUD, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state programs. HUD’s LIHTC Tenant Data

Collection Form requests the amount of rental assistance received for a unit. 

Table 11 shows the use of rental assistance from all sources—federal, state, local, and nonprofit

organizations—for reported LIHTC tenants. Fourteen states17 did not report any households that did not

receive rental assistance—that is, households receiving $0 of rental assistance—but did report a large

percentage of households with an unknown status; that is, the amount of rental assistance was reported 

as missing. Although these states could not confirm, it is likely that Not Reported in table 11 for these

states, and possibly others, actually represents households that did not receive any rental assistance. 

HUD’s LIHTC Tenant Data Collection Form also requests the programmatic source for federal rental

assistance, which is shown in table 12. Inconsistencies between the amount of federal rental assistance

received and the reported source of rental assistance prevent a confident determination on the

completeness of this information. The first column in table 12 provides the percentage of units that

received federal rental assistance; that is, the reported amount of federal rental assistance was greater

than $0. The second column shows the percentage of units for which the HFA identified the

programmatic source of federal rental assistance. For most states, the source of federal rental assistance

was reported, indicating that the household received assistance, for more units than for which a positive

amount was provided. The 32 states18 highlighted in gray in table 12 did not report the source of federal 

rental assistance for any households. 

 

17 Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Guam, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South 

Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia.

18 Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, 

Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, 

Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and 

Wyoming.
22

Table 11. Percentage of LIHTC Households Receiving Monthly Rental Assistance

LIHTC = Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. a Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.
23

Table 12. Use of Federal Rental Assistance Programs in LIHTC Units

HCV = Housing Choice Voucher Program. HUD = U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. LIHTC = Low-Income Housing Tax credit

Program. PBRA = Project-Based Rental Assistance. PBV = project-based voucher. USDA = U.S. Department of Agriculture. a Does not include tenant data from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.