24 C.F.R. § 5.520
§ 5.520 Proration of assistance. (24 CFR Part 5)
Operative Text
(a) Applicability. This section applies to a mixed family other than a family receiving continued assistance, or other than a family who is eligible for and requests and receives temporary deferral of termination of assistance. An eligible mixed family who requests prorated assistance must be provided prorated assistance. (b) Method of prorating assistance for Housing covered programs—(1) Proration under Rent Supplement Program. If the household participates in the Rent Supplement Program, the rent supplement paid on the household's behalf shall be the rent supplement the household would otherwise be entitled to, multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is the number of people in the household and the numerator of which is the number of eligible persons in the household; (2) Proration under Section 235 Program. If the household participates in the Section 235 Program, the interest reduction payments paid on the household's behalf shall be the payments the household would otherwise be entitled to, multiplied by a fraction the denominator of which is the number of people in the household and the numerator of which is the number of eligible persons in the household; (3) Proration under Section 236 Program without the benefit of additional assistance. If the household participates in the Section 236 Program without the benefit of any additional assistance, the household's rent shall be increased above the rent the household would otherwise pay by an amount equal to the difference between the market rate rent for the unit and the rent the household would otherwise pay multiplied by a fraction the denominator of which is the number of people in the household and the numerator of which is the number of ineligible persons in the household; (4) Proration under Section 236 Program with the benefit of additional assistance. If the household participates in the Section 236 Program with the benefit of additional assistance under the rent supplement, rental assistance payment or Section 8 programs, the household's rent shall be increased above the rent the household would otherwise pay by: (i) An amount equal to the difference between the market rate rent for the unit and the basic rent for the unit multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is the number of people in the household, and the numerator of which is the number of ineligible persons in the household, plus; (ii) An amount equal to the rent supplement, housing assistance payment or rental assistance payment the household would otherwise be entitled to multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is the number of people in the household and the numerator of which is the number of ineligible persons in the household. (c) Method of prorating assistance for Section 8 covered programs—(1) Section 8 assistance other than assistance provided for a tenancy under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. For Section 8 assistance other than assistance for a tenancy under the voucher program, the PHA must prorate the family's assistance as follows: (i) Step 1. Determine gross rent for the unit. (Gross rent is contract rent plus any allowance for tenant paid utilities). (ii) Step 2. Determine total tenant payment in accordance with section 5.613(a). (Annual income includes income of all family members, including any family member who has not established eligible immigration status.) (iii) Step 3. Subtract amount determined in paragraph (c)(1)(ii), (Step 2), from amount determined in paragraph (c)(1)(i), (Step 1). (iv) Step 4. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph (c)(1)(iii), (Step 3) by a fraction for which: (A) The numerator is the number of family members who have established eligible immigration status; and (B) The denominator is the total number of family members. (v) Prorated housing assistance. The amount determined in paragraph (c)(1)(iv) (Step 4) is the prorated housing assistance payment for a mixed family. (vi) No effect on contract rent. Proration of the housing assistance payment does not affect contract rent to the owner. The family must pay as rent the portion of contract rent not covered by the prorated housing assistance payment. (2) Assistance for a Section 8 voucher tenancy. For a tenancy under the voucher program, the PHA must prorate the family's assistance as follows: (i) Step 1. Determine the amount of the pre-proration housing assistance payment. (Annual income includes income of all family members, including any family member who has not established eligible immigration status.) (ii) Step 2. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph (c)(2)(i) (Step 1) by a fraction for which: (A) The numerator is the number of family members who have established eligible immigration status; and (B) The denominator is the total number of family members. (iii) Prorated housing assistance. The amount determined in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) (Step 2) is the prorated housing assistance payment for a mixed family. (iv) No effect on rent to owner. Proration of the housing assistance payment does not affect rent to owner. The family must pay the portion of rent to owner not covered by the prorated housing assistance payment. (d) Method of prorating assistance for Public Housing covered programs. (1) The PHA must prorate the family's assistance;, except as provided in § 960.507 of this title, as follows: (i) Step 1. Determine the total tenant payment in accordance with section 5.628. (Annual income includes income of all family members, including any family member who has not established eligible immigration status.) (ii) Step 2. Subtract the total tenant payment from the PHA-established flat rent applicable to the unit. The result is the maximum subsidy for which the family could qualify if all members were eligible (“family maximum subsidy”). (iii) Step 3. Divide the family maximum subsidy by the number of persons in the family (all persons) to determine the maximum subsidy per each family member who has citizenship or eligible immigration status (“eligible family member”). The subsidy per eligible family member is the “member maximum subsidy.” (iv) Step 4. Multiply the member maximum subsidy by the number of family members who have citizenship or eligible immigration status (“eligible family members”). (2) The product of steps 1 through 4 of paragraphs (d)(1)(i) through (iv) of this section is the amount of subsidy for which the family is eligible (“eligible subsidy”). The family's rent is the PHA-established flat rent minus the amount of the eligible subsidy. (e) Method of prorating assistance when the mixed family's total tenant payment (TTP) is greater than the public housing flat rent. When the mixed family's TTP is greater than the flat rent, the PHA must use the TTP as the mixed family TTP. The PHA subtracts from the mixed family TTP any established utility allowance, and the sum becomes the mixed family rent.
Under 24 CFR Part 5 § 5.520, when a household contains both members who have established eligible immigration status and members who have not—known as a "mixed family"—federal housing assistance is not paid at the full rate. Instead, the subsidy is scaled down proportionally, based on the ratio of eligible members to total household members. This proration formula applies differently depending on the specific program involved, including the Rent Supplement, Section 235, Section 236, Section 8, and Public Housing programs, each with its own calculation steps. The contract rent or rent to owner is not reduced by proration; the family is responsible for covering whatever portion of rent the reduced subsidy does not cover.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 5.520, housing assistance payments received on behalf of a mixed family reflect only the prorated share of the subsidy, not the full amount that would otherwise apply. Compliant operators in Section 8 and similar programs understand that the contract rent or rent to owner remains unchanged regardless of proration—the family bears the gap between the prorated payment and the full rent obligation. Property managers working with public housing authorities or other administering agencies generally confirm the applicable proration method for the specific program covering the tenancy, since the calculation steps differ across the Rent Supplement, Section 235, Section 236, Section 8, and Public Housing covered programs addressed in § 5.520.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 5.520 establishes that eligible mixed families have the right to request prorated assistance rather than face full termination of benefits, and a qualifying family that makes such a request must be provided prorated assistance. Because the proration formula varies by program—Section 8 voucher, project-based Section 8, public housing, and others—tenants in mixed families can ask their public housing authority or program administrator to explain which calculation method applies to their household and how the eligible-member fraction was determined. Tenants who believe their assistance was not correctly prorated under § 5.520 may raise the issue with their administering agency, consult a local tenant-rights organization, or explore whether a formal grievance or complaint process is available through their housing program.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 4, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.