HUD Handbook 4350.3 § 9-6
EIV Data (HUD Occupancy Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4)
Operative Text
A. Data in the EIV system comes from several sources including the following:
1. Tenant information in the EIV system is data from current, active forms
HUD-50059 transmitted to the Tenant Rental Assistance Certification
System (TRACS).
2. Employment and income information comes from two sources, 1) the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS’) National Directory of
New Hires (NDNH) and 2) the Social Security Administration (SSA).
a. NDNH
1. New Hires (W-4)
2. Quarterly wages for federal and non-federal employees
3. Quarterly unemployment compensation
b. SSA
1. Social Security (SS) benefits
2. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits
3. Dual Entitlement benefits
4. Medicare premium information
5. Disability status
B. Schedule of EIV Updates
1. SSA Updates
a. A quarterly match is conducted against SSA records for tenants
who pass the SSA identity test (See C.2 below).
b. Each quarter the entire tenant population is matched with SSA.
Each month during a quarter, a group of tenants are matched on
their next recertification month. (See Figure 9-2 below.)
c. The SSA match process begins at the beginning of each month
with all of the data being loaded into EIV by the second week of
the month.
d. Records that are new or that have been significantly updated are
matched in the next monthly SSA matching cycle.
e. Benefits that include the cost of living adjustments (COLAs) are
not available from SSA for uploading into EIV until the end of the
calendar year.
When processing recertifications with an effective date of January
1, February 1, March 1 and April 1, in order to complete the
Recertification Steps outlined in Chapter 7, Figure 7-3, and
provide the tenant with the required 30-day notice of any increase
in rent, the owner must use one of the methods below for
determining the tenant’s income.
(1) Use the benefit information reported in EIV that does not
include the COLA as third party verification as long as the
tenant confirms that the income data in EIV is what he/she
is receiving;
(2) Use the SSA benefit, award letter or Proof of Income Letter
provided by the tenant that includes the COLA adjustment
if the date of the letter is within 120 days from the date of
receipt by the owner;
(3) Determine the tenant’s income by applying the COLA
increase percentage to the current verified benefit amount
and document the tenant file with how the tenant’s income
was determined; or
(4) Request third party verification directly from SSA when the
income in EIV does not agree with the income the tenant
reports he/she is receiving. (See Paragraph 9-15)
(5) All recertifications effective after April 1 must reflect the
SSA benefit that includes the COLA.
f. EIV retains the last eight actions processed by SSA for a tenant.
Figure 9-2 Schedule of SSA Updates
Group Recertification Month Months Data Is Refreshed in EIV
I April, May, June, July January, April, July, October
II August, September, October, November February, May, August, November
III December, January, February, March March, June, September, December
For example, the SSA data for tenants with a recertification month
of April, May, June or July is refreshed in EIV in January, April,
July and October.
3. NDNH Updates
a. Tenants who pass the identity match with SSA are matched with
the NDNH new hires (W-4), wage and unemployment data.
b. There are two matches performed:
(1) Monthly match:
(a) Entire eligible tenant base is matched with the new
hires (W-4) data, and
(b) Newly admitted tenants are matched with the wage
and unemployment benefit data.
(2) Quarterly match of the entire tenant base with the new
hires (W-4), wage and unemployment benefit data.
See Figure 9-3 below.
c. The new hires (W-4), wage and unemployment benefit data is
loaded into EIV by the 20th of each month.
d. EIV retains the last 8 actions processed by HHS of the NDNH
employment and income data for a tenant.
Figure 9-3 Scheduled of NDNH Updates
Month Type of Match
January Monthly
February Quarterly
March Monthly
April Monthly
May Quarterly
June Monthly
July Monthly
August Quarterly
September Monthly
October Monthly
November Quarterly
December Monthly
C. Screening of Personal Identifiers
1. EIV Pre-screening
Prior to sending tenant information to SSA for validation of a tenant’s
personal identifiers (last name, DOB and SSN), a pre-screening is
conducted to identify tenants who are missing or have invalid personal
identifiers. These tenants are not sent to SSA for the identity match until
the personal identifier information has been corrected in TRACS.
2. SSA Identity Test
a. Tenants who pass the EIV pre-screening test are sent to SSA for
verification of their personal identifiers against SSA records.
Tenants whose personal identifiers do not match SSA’s records
cannot be matched against HHS’ NDNH or SSA’s records until the
personal identifier information has been corrected in TRACS.
b. Tenants whose personal identifiers match SSA’s records are
matched against HHS’ NDNH and SSA’s records to obtain
employment and income information.
See Paragraph 9-12.C for information on using the Failed EIV Pre-Screening and
Failed SSA Identity Test Reports for correcting discrepant data.HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 9-6 describes how the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system is built and maintained. Tenant data flows into EIV from HUD's own TRACS system, while employment and income data is drawn from the HHS National Directory of New Hires and the Social Security Administration on regular monthly and quarterly schedules. The section also explains how tenant identities are pre-screened and verified before their records can be matched against external income sources, and it outlines specific procedures owners must follow when SSA cost-of-living adjustment data is not yet available in EIV at the start of a new year.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 9-6, compliant property owners and managers ensure that tenant personal identifiers—name, date of birth, and Social Security number—are accurately entered and maintained in TRACS so that EIV matching can proceed without interruption. When processing recertifications effective January 1 through April 1, operators typically use one of the four approved methods for determining income when COLA-adjusted SSA benefit data has not yet been loaded into EIV, and they document the method used in the tenant file. Owners also confirm that all recertifications with effective dates after April 1 reflect the SSA benefit amount that includes the COLA, consistent with the update schedule described in § 9-6.B.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
HUD Handbook 4350.3 REV-1 CHG-4 § 9-6 governs how your income and benefit information is collected and verified by your subsidized housing provider through the EIV system. If your personal identifiers on file do not match SSA records, your income data cannot be matched, which may affect how your rent is calculated during recertification—so it can be worth confirming that your name, date of birth, and Social Security number are recorded correctly. If you believe your income has been calculated incorrectly during a recertification, tenant-rights organizations and HUD's own resources can help you understand the verification process and any options available to you under § 9-6.
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 30, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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