Columbus, OH Section 8 Payment Standards (2026) | Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority

Not legal advice — verify current state law and have an attorney review for your state. Payment standards change, and the housing authority's rent-reasonableness review, utility allowance and the family's income decide what it will actually pay. Verify the current amount with the housing authority before you set a rent.

Official schedule. Effective October 1, 2026: FY2027 Small Area FMRs at 100%, by ZIP code (Franklin County only).^[1] Retrieved October 21, 2026.

By ZIP code (50 ZIP codes)

ZIP	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
43002	$1,660	$1,780	$2,120	$2,530	$2,880
43004	$1,450	$1,550	$1,850	$2,200	$2,510
43016	$1,700	$1,820	$2,180	$2,600	$2,950
43017	$1,540	$1,650	$1,970	$2,350	$2,670
43026	$1,510	$1,610	$1,920	$2,290	$2,600
43054	$1,810	$1,930	$2,300	$2,740	$3,120
43065	$1,710	$1,830	$2,180	$2,600	$2,960
43068	$1,320	$1,410	$1,680	$2,000	$2,280
43081	$1,520	$1,630	$1,940	$2,310	$2,630
43085	$1,450	$1,550	$1,850	$2,200	$2,510
43086	$1,370	$1,470	$1,750	$2,090	$2,370
43109	$1,150	$1,240	$1,470	$1,750	$1,990
43110	$1,260	$1,340	$1,600	$1,910	$2,170
43119	$1,350	$1,450	$1,720	$2,050	$2,330
43123	$1,270	$1,360	$1,620	$1,930	$2,200
43125	$1,220	$1,300	$1,550	$1,850	$2,100
43126	$950	$1,020	$1,210	$1,450	$1,640
43137	$1,130	$1,210	$1,440	$1,710	$1,950
43140	$990	$1,060	$1,260	$1,500	$1,710
43146	$1,040	$1,120	$1,330	$1,580	$1,800
43201	$1,330	$1,420	$1,690	$2,010	$2,290
43202	$1,190	$1,270	$1,510	$1,800	$2,050
43203	$1,020	$1,090	$1,300	$1,550	$1,760
43204	$1,160	$1,240	$1,480	$1,760	$2,010
43205	$1,080	$1,160	$1,380	$1,640	$1,870
43206	$1,310	$1,400	$1,670	$1,990	$2,260
43207	$1,120	$1,190	$1,420	$1,690	$1,930
43209	$1,190	$1,270	$1,510	$1,800	$2,050
43210	$790	$840	$1,000	$1,200	$1,360
43211	$1,050	$1,130	$1,340	$1,600	$1,820
43212	$1,380	$1,480	$1,760	$2,100	$2,390
43213	$1,140	$1,220	$1,450	$1,730	$1,970
43214	$1,300	$1,390	$1,650	$1,970	$2,240
43215	$1,850	$1,970	$2,350	$2,800	$3,190
43216	$1,270	$1,360	$1,620	$1,930	$2,200
43217	$1,190	$1,280	$1,520	$1,810	$2,060
43219	$1,280	$1,370	$1,630	$1,940	$2,210
43220	$1,300	$1,390	$1,650	$1,970	$2,240
43221	$1,550	$1,660	$1,970	$2,350	$2,670
43222	$990	$1,060	$1,260	$1,500	$1,710
43223	$1,130	$1,210	$1,440	$1,720	$1,950
43224	$1,060	$1,130	$1,350	$1,610	$1,830
43227	$1,220	$1,310	$1,560	$1,860	$2,110
43228	$1,190	$1,280	$1,520	$1,810	$2,060
43229	$1,160	$1,240	$1,480	$1,760	$2,010
43230	$1,540	$1,650	$1,960	$2,340	$2,660
43231	$1,170	$1,250	$1,490	$1,780	$2,020
43232	$1,120	$1,190	$1,420	$1,690	$1,930
43234	$1,270	$1,360	$1,620	$1,930	$2,200
43235	$1,490	$1,600	$1,900	$2,260	$2,580

The official schedule also lists larger unit sizes; see the source^[1].

CMHA says the payment standard includes an allowance for tenant-paid utilities, rents are subject to rent reasonableness, and the family's initial rent burden can't exceed 40% of monthly adjusted income.

HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents: Franklin County, OH

HUD area: Columbus, OH HUD Metro FMR Area. A housing authority's schedule can be based on an earlier FMR year or on ZIP-level Small Area FMRs, so it won't always match these figures.

Unit size	FY2027 FMR
Studio	$1,258^[2]
1 BR	$1,346^[2]
2 BR	$1,602^[2]
3 BR	$1,909^[2]
4 BR	$2,172^[2]

Full Franklin County FMR page

How landlords use this

It caps the subsidy, not your rent

The payment standard is the most the housing authority will count toward rent plus tenant-paid utilities. The rent still has to pass its rent-reasonableness review.

The 40% rule at move-in

For a new lease, if the gross rent is above the payment standard, the family's share can't be more than 40% of its monthly adjusted income.

Treat every applicant the same

Use the same written screening criteria for voucher holders as for everyone else. Many states and cities prohibit refusing renters because they pay with a voucher; check your local law.

Sources

CMHA (Columbus), Income Limits, Voucher Payment Standards and SAFMRs effective 10/1/2026 (PDF) (retrieved October 21, 2026): https://www.cmhanet.com/media/Documents/2026/2026_Income_Limits_2027_Payment_Standards_and_SAFMR_092826.pdf
HUD USER, FY2027 Fair Market Rents, county-level file (FY27_FMRs.xlsx) (retrieved October 21, 2026): https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2027/FY27_FMRs.xlsx

Columbus, OH Section 8 payment standards