PlainVoucher uses Public Housing Authority (PHA) program data published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including the PHA Picture, A Picture of Subsidized Households (PSH), Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS), and the published list of 3,780 PHAs administering the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program nationwide.

HUD publishes most Section 8 datasets annually, typically in late Q4 or early Q1. SAFMRs are updated each fiscal year. PlainVoucher refreshes its database within four weeks of each new HUD release; the last full refresh date is shown in the footer of every page.

Yes. PlainVoucher is completely free. All data comes from publicly available federal sources. There is no registration, subscription, or payment required to view any page or use any tool.

All PHA, payment-standard, and tenant-share figures come directly from HUD with no editorial modifications. However, individual PHAs may set local payment standards that differ from the SAFMR published baseline, and waitlist status changes faster than HUD's annual data cycle. Always verify with the local PHA before making housing decisions. Source URLs are linked from each detail page.

Payment standards are set by each Public Housing Authority within a range from 90% to 110% of the published Fair Market Rent (FMR) — or, in metros with HUD-approved Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs), at the ZIP-level rather than the metro-level. PlainVoucher shows both the SAFMR and the locally-adopted payment standard where available across all 33,099 covered ZIPs.

PlainVoucher includes all 3,780 PHAs administering the HCV program based on HUD's published roster. If yours is missing, it may be a Public Housing or Project-Based program (not HCV) — those are out of scope for this portal. Tribal Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) and Indian Housing Authorities are also excluded. Check HUD's PHA Contact Information page for full program coverage.

We don't publish waitlist open/closed status because PHAs change it frequently — sometimes weekly. The detail page for each of our 3,780 PHAs links directly to the PHA's official contact + phone number so you can confirm waitlist status before applying.

Fair Market Rent (FMR) is HUD's metro-area baseline, set annually. Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) is a ZIP-level adjustment introduced to reflect within-metro rent variation. SAFMR is mandatory in 24 metros and optional in others. PlainVoucher displays both where they apply.