Moving With Your Section 8 Voucher

Your voucher is portable: you can take it to another city or state for a job, family, safety, or cheaper rent. The process has strict steps, and skipping one can cost you your assistance. Here is how it works.

The portability process, step by step

  1. 1

    Tell your current housing authority first

    Before anything else, notify your caseworker in writing that you want to port out and where. Never just move: leaving your assisted unit without notice can terminate your assistance.

  2. 2

    Confirm you are eligible to port

    Ask about the 12-month rule (see FAQ), whether you are in good standing (no owed money or violations), and whether your lease allows you to leave or is near its end.

  3. 3

    Your PHA contacts the receiving PHA

    Your current authority sends your file to the housing authority where you are moving. You can find any area's authority in our directory and give your caseworker its contact information to speed things up.

  4. 4

    Attend the receiving PHA's briefing

    The new authority will schedule an intake appointment, re-verify your income and household under its rules, and issue its own voucher with its own payment standard and search deadline.

  5. 5

    Find a unit and get it approved

    Search within the new voucher's deadline (typically 60 to 120 days). The unit must pass inspection and rent-reasonableness before you sign anything. Only move in after written approval.

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Billing vs absorption (why some transfers stall)

Behind the scenes, the receiving authority either "absorbs" you into its own program or "bills" your original authority every month. You do not choose which, but it explains delays: a receiving authority short on funding may process billing transfers slowly. If your transfer stalls, ask both PHAs for status in writing and contact a free HUD-approved counselor for help escalating.

Where a voucher goes furthest

Payment standards track local rents, so the same voucher covers very different homes in different places. Compare areas before moving with our Fair Market Rent tables and state statistics, and check the receiving county's income limits, since the receiving authority re-verifies eligibility.

Portability FAQs

Portability is your legal right to take a Housing Choice Voucher to any US area with a housing authority that runs a voucher program: another city, county, or state. Your assistance moves with you; you do not reapply from scratch or rejoin a waiting list for the voucher itself.

Sometimes. If you did not live in the issuing housing authority's area when you applied, that authority may require you to live in its area for the first 12 months of assistance before porting out. If you lived there when you applied, you can generally port immediately. Ask your PHA which case applies to you.

Typically 2 to 8 weeks between the two housing authorities: your current PHA sends your paperwork, the receiving PHA schedules a briefing, verifies your eligibility under its rules, and issues its own voucher. Start the process before making moving commitments, and never sign a lease in the new area before the receiving PHA approves the unit.

Usually yes. The receiving area's payment standard and income limits apply, so the same voucher covers more rent in a cheaper area and less in an expensive one. The receiving PHA may also adjust your bedroom size under its own subsidy standards.

You can, through process mistakes rather than the move itself: leaving your current unit without notifying your PHA, breaking your lease improperly, missing the receiving PHA's deadlines, or letting the new voucher expire before finding a unit. Follow both PHAs' instructions exactly and get every step in writing.

Related Resources

Find the Receiving Housing Authority Compare Rents by County Section 8 Basics

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, familial status, gender, and disability. The Fair Housing Act ensures that all persons receive equal housing opportunity. For more information about the Fair Housing Act and your rights, visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development .