Section 8 application documents checklist

How to use this checklist

Treat the agency’s own request letter as the controlling list; this page helps you prepare in advance. Start a folder—paper, digital, or both—for each agency, and keep copies of everything you hand over. Never give originals unless the agency must see them in person, and ask for a receipt listing what you submitted.

Timing: most agencies require verification documents dated within 120 days of the date they are reviewed. Gather identity documents now; collect current pay stubs and statements when you are selected.

1. Household and identity

For every person who will live in the home:

• Full legal name and date of birth
• Birth certificate (or other proof of age accepted by the agency)
• Social Security card or other official record showing the number, for members claiming eligible status
• Government-issued photo ID for adults (driver’s license, state ID, passport)
• Proof of relationship when needed: marriage certificate, custody or guardianship order, adoption decree, foster placement letter
• Divorce or separation decree, if it determines custody or support
• Documents for a live-in aide, if requested (aides are not part of the family and their income is not counted)

2. Citizenship or immigration status

• Signed declaration of citizenship or eligible status for each member (the agency provides the form)
• For noncitizens claiming eligibility: the immigration documents listed in 24 CFR 5.508, such as a Permanent Resident Card (I-551), Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) with the relevant annotation, or an order granting asylum or withholding of removal
• For members not claiming eligible status: a signed statement choosing not to contend eligibility. No Social Security number or immigration documents are required for these members.

Citizens age 62 or older at admission may only need the signed declaration, plus proof of age.

3. Income

For each adult, and for unearned income received on behalf of children:

• Recent consecutive pay stubs (agencies commonly ask for four to eight weeks, or the last two months)
• Employer name, address, and phone number
• Self-employment: prior year tax return with schedules, profit-and-loss statements, and receipts for business expenses
• Gig and app-based work: annual 1099s and platform earnings statements
• Social Security, SSI, and SSDI award or benefit letters for the current year
• Pension, annuity, and retirement distribution statements
• Unemployment benefit statements
• Workers’ compensation or disability insurance statements
• Child support or alimony: court order plus a payment history from the state enforcement agency
• TANF or general assistance award letters
• Regular gifts or contributions from others: a signed statement from the person giving money
• Zero income: the agency’s zero-income certification and a description of how you meet basic expenses

4. Assets

• Current statements for checking, savings, and prepaid or payroll cards
• Statements for stocks, bonds, CDs, and money market accounts
• Cryptocurrency and payment-app balances if the agency asks
• Real estate: deed, mortgage statement, recent assessment
• Retirement accounts, education savings (529/Coverdell), and ABLE accounts (usually excluded from assets under HOTMA rules, but report them if asked)
• Trusts, life insurance cash value, and recent lump sums such as settlements or inheritances
• Records of assets disposed of for less than fair market value in the past two years

Do not leave out an account because its balance is small. Under HOTMA rules, households with total net assets at or below $52,787 (2026) can often self-certify instead of providing statements.

5. Deductions that lower your rent

• Childcare for children 12 and under: provider name, address, and tax ID; cost and schedule; statement of why care is needed (work, school, job search)
• Medical expenses (households whose head, spouse, or co-head is 62+ or has a disability): pharmacy printouts, insurance premiums including Medicare Part B/D, co-pays, dental and vision costs, medical transportation mileage, and payment plans for medical bills
• Disability assistance expenses: attendant care or equipment that allows a household member to work
• Full-time student status for adult dependents: school enrollment verification

6. Preferences

Only for preferences you are claiming, using the agency’s definitions:

• Residency: lease, utility bill, or official mail at a local address
• Working in the jurisdiction: employer letter or pay stubs showing the work location
• Homelessness: letter from a shelter, outreach worker, or coordinated-entry provider
• Veteran status: DD-214 or VA verification letter
• Disability: benefit letter or the agency’s verification form completed by a qualified professional
• Displacement: government order, disaster declaration letter, or notice from a property undergoing redevelopment
• Domestic violence: HUD form 5382 self-certification or third-party documentation (you may choose which)

7. Forms you will sign

• HUD-9886, Authorization for the Release of Information
• HUD-92006, Supplement to Application for Federally Assisted Housing, where you can name an emergency contact or organization for the agency to reach if it cannot reach you. It is optional to name someone, but the form must be offered.
• Debts owed and terminations acknowledgment (form HUD-52675), confirming you understand HUD’s EIV system records unpaid debts to housing agencies
• The agency’s own release forms and certifications

How the agency verifies what you give it

HUD requires agencies to follow a verification hierarchy, from most to least reliable: HUD’s Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system (Social Security, SSI, new-hire, and wage data), other up-front computer matches, written third-party verification, oral third-party verification, and finally your self-certification. EIV will show wages and benefits that were reported to government systems, so an application that omits a job is likely to be caught—sometimes years later, with a repayment demand.

Protect your information

• Hand documents over only through the agency’s secure portal, in person, or by the method in its official letter.
• Do not send Social Security numbers or ID images through social media messages or to anyone offering to “help” for a fee.
• Keep a list of what you submitted, when, and to whom.
• If you are a survivor of domestic violence, ask the agency how it protects your address and records; VAWA requires confidentiality.

Before you submit

Check every name, date of birth, and number against the source document. Make sure all household members are listed, including children and anyone who will join you. Read every certification before signing—you are attesting that the information is true and complete. If something does not fit the form, write a short explanation or ask the agency rather than guessing.

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