Official schedule. "Payment Standards Effective January 1, 2026", printed at the bottom of DHA's Section 8 utility allowance schedule for the Denver metro area dated January 1, 2026.[1] Retrieved October 21, 2026.
Payment standards
| Schedule | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 5 BR | 6 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voucher | $1,643 | $1,754 | $2,089 | $2,734 | $3,049 | $3,506 | $3,964 |
DHA's document lists one row of voucher payment standards by bedroom size (0 to 6). The same document has DHA's utility allowances; see the source.
HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents: Denver County, CO
HUD area: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA. 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.
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.
Voucher Landlord Weekly
A free weekly email on FMR and payment-standard changes, with every item linked to its source. Voucher Pro coming soon adds alerts for the counties you own in.
Sources
- Denver Housing Authority, Section 8 Utility Allowance Schedule effective 1/1/2026 with 1/1/2026 Voucher Payment Standards (PDF) (retrieved October 21, 2026): https://www.denverhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Utility-Allowance-Schedule-Effective-1.1.2026-with-1.1.2026VPS.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