Payment Standards
HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PAYMENT STANDARDS-TENANT BASED
HUD publishes Small Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) annually by zip codes for the City of Philadelphia. SAFMRs are used by PHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program to set the payment standards for each unit size. The established payment standard determines the maximum allowable subsidy levels for HCV-assisted units.
By utilizing zip codes as the basis for fair market rents, PHA hopes to provide tenants with greater ability to move into higher opportunity neighborhoods with jobs, public transportation, and good schools by offering higher rents. Additionally, PHA hopes to reduce overpayment in lower-rent areas and address high levels of voucher concentration in certain areas.
PHA currently has established five (5) payment standard groups based on HUDs SAFMRs effective November 1, 2025:
Group 1 – Basic Rents
Group 2 – Traditional Range Rents
Group 3 – Mid Range Rents
Group 4 – Opportunity Rents
Group 5 – High Opportunity Rents
FAIR MARKET RENTS – PROJECT-BASED VOUCHER PROGRAMS
PHA uses HUD’s City-Wide Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for its Project-Based Voucher (PBV) program, including Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) properties and the Moderate Rehabilitation (Mod Rehab/SRO) program. . City-Wide FMRs do not apply to tenant-based Housing Choice Vouchers.
The current City-Wide FMR schedule is effective October 1, 2026. Click below to view the rents by bedroom size.
