Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program-Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Inflation Factors for Public Housing Agency (PHA) Renewal Funding

Official summary from the Federal Register

This notice establishes Renewal Funding Inflation Factors (RFIFs) to adjust Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 renewal funding for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program of each public housing agency (PHA), as required by the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. The notice apportions the expected percent change in national Per Unit Cost (PUC) for the HCV program, 2.337 percent, to each PHA based on the change in Fair Market Rent (FMR) for their operating area(s) to produce the FY 2026 RFIFs. HUD continues to use the methodology refined in FY 2025 to produce the national PUC forecast. This approach adjusts the gross rent component by empirically weighting projected recent-mover rents, as measured by the FMR, with an independent forecast of all-mover rents, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In addition, HUD is seeking comment on potential RFIF methodological changes it is considering for FY 2027 which would incorporate an additional factor to partially adjust the local inflation adjustment an area would otherwise receive if there is indication that local land use policies, permitting policies, or other local regulatory housing policies may be influencing local inflation in rents.