USDA Tweaks Income Rules for Rural Rentals to Match 2016 Law
Published Date: 6/30/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
If you live in or manage USDA-funded rural rental or farm labor housing, new rules are coming for how your yearly income and family assets are calculated. These changes make sure the income checks match a 2016 law, aiming for fairer and clearer income limits. Expect these updates to roll out soon, helping keep housing affordable and on track.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Changes to income and asset tests
If you rent in USDA-funded Section 515 Rural Rental Housing or Section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing, the USDA will change how it calculates annual household income and net family assets to align with the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA). The change is meant to make income limits fairer and clearer and to help keep housing affordable.
New income-certification rules for managers
If you manage or operate properties that receive Section 515 or Section 514/516 USDA funding, the Agency proposes changes to the annual income certification rules and the way net family assets are calculated to align with the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA). These regulatory changes will affect how managers perform income certifications for tenants in those programs.
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