HUD Handbook 4350.3 § 3-33
Verifying Eligibility of a Student for Assistance (HUD Occupancy Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4)
HUD guidance — not codified law
In Force
Verified 9/24/2026 · Next check 10/1/2026
effective 9/24/2026FederalSection 8 HCVOperative Text
HUD Handbook 4350.3 § 3-33
A. Verification of Eligibility of Students for Section 8 Assistance
1. Verifying parents’ income.
a. Owners must verify parents income each time they determine the
eligibility of the student to receive Section 8 assistance unless the
student can demonstrate his or her independence from parents.
(See Paragraph 3-13 for determining a student’s eligibility.)
b. Owners may accept a signed declaration and certification of
income from the parents, which includes a penalty of perjury
clause.
(1) If the owner determines that the parents’ declaration and
certification of income or their eligibility is questionable, the
owner may request and review supporting documentation
including, but not limited to:
(a) IRS tax returns;
(b) Consecutive and original pay stubs;
(c) Bank statements;
(d) Pension benefit statements;
(e) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
(f) Social Security Administration award letters; or
(g) Other official and authentic documents from a
federal, State or local agency.
(2) If the student’s parents refuse to provide a declaration and
certification of their income, the student is not eligible for
Section 8 assistance unless the student can demonstrate
his or her independence from parents.
(3) Owners may adopt and implement the following criteria for
determining whether to obtain the declaration and
certification of income from parents individually or jointly:
(a) If the student’s parents are married and living with
each other, obtain the declaration and certification
of income from each parent.
(b) If the student’s parent is widowed or single, obtain
the declaration and certification of income from that
parent.
(c) If the student’s parents are divorced or separated,
obtain the declaration and certification of income
from each parent.
(d) If the student has been living with one of his or her
parents and has not had contact with or does not
know where to contact his or her other parent,
obtain from the student a certification addressing
the circumstances and that they have not received
any financial assistance, directly or indirectly, from
the absent parent. The certification must include a
penalty of perjury clause. The owner must also
obtain from the parent with whom the student has
been living or has contact with the declaration and
certification of income.
c. The owner should use the applicable low income limit for the
parents’ family size for the locality where the parents reside when
determining the parents’ income eligibility for Section 8
assistance. (See paragraph 3-6 E.4 for guidance on determining
family size for income limits and paragraph 3-6 F for applying the
income limit to determine eligibility for assistance.)
If the student’s parents live outside of the United States in areas
where income limits have not been established for the Section 8
program, the owner should use the applicable low income limit for
the parent’s family size for the same locality used in determining
the student’s eligibility.
2. Verification of student’s independence from parents.
When a student claims his or her independence from parents, owners
must verify the student’s independence from his or her parents by taking
into consideration all of the following. Owners must:
a. Review and verify previous address information to determine
evidence of a separate household, or
b. Verify the student meet’s the U.S. Department of Education’s
definition of independent student.
c. Review prior year income tax returns to verify if a parent or
guardian has claimed the student as a dependent (except if the
student meets the Department of Education’s definition of
independent student.)
d. Verify income provided by a parent by requiring a written
certification from the individual providing the support. Certification
is also required if the parent(s) is not providing support to the
student. Financial assistance that is provided by persons not
living in the unit is part of annual income.
e. Verify additional criteria established, if applicable, to use when
determining the student’s independence from parents. Verification
would be obtained in accordance with the owner’s policies.
f. Verify the amount of financial assistance the student receives
under the Higher Education Act of 1965, from private sources, or
from an institution of higher education.
3. Owners should also verify the following, if applicable:
a. Age (See paragraph 3-28 C and Appendix 3)
b. Dependent child (See the Glossary for definition of Dependent
Child)
c. Married
d. Institution of Higher Education. The owner will need to verify that
the school where the student is enrolled meets the Department of
Education’s definition for an institution of higher education. (See
the Glossary for the definition of Institution of Higher Education.)
e. Tuition (See the Glossary for the definition of Tuition.)
f. Veteran status (See the Glossary for the recommended definition
for Veteran.)
g. Disabled student was receiving Section 8 assistance on
November 30, 2005.
B. Verification of Eligibility of Students for Other Assistance Programs
1. Verification of student’s independence from parents.
a. Review and verify previous address information to determine
evidence of separate household from parents or legal guardians.
or
b. Verify the student meet’s the U.S. Department of Education’s
definition of independent student.
c. Review prior year income tax returns to verify if a parent or
guardian has claimed the student as a dependent (except if the
student meets the Department of Education’s definition of
independent student.)
d. Verify income provided by a parent by requiring a written
certification from the individual providing the support. Certification
is also required if the parent(s) is not providing support to the
student. Financial assistance that is provided by persons not
living in the unit is part of annual income.
e. Verify the amount of financial assistance the student receives
from other sources. (See paragraph 5-6 D and Exhibit 5-1 for
financial assistance excluded from annual income.)
2. Owners should also verify the following, if applicable.
a. Age (See paragraph 3-28 C and Appendix 3)
b. Institution of Higher Education. (See the Glossary for the
definition of Institution of Higher Education)Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
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Sep 24, 2026
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