Documenting and Verifying Your Family's Income

What kind of income should I report to the Housing Authority:

• First, you report ALL income that anyone in your family receives, and ALL assets that anyone in your family has.

• The Housing Authority reviews the information and often contacts employers, banks, agencies, etc. directly to verify.

• Some types of income or assets may not be included in your rent calculation, but you are still required to report them.

What kind of income should I report to the Housing Authority?

You are required to report all income to us, even if you think we already know about it, or even if you think it “doesn’t count” for our programs.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Wages, salary, and tips

• Welfare, Social Security, and other benefits, even if the benefits are intended for a child.

• Child support, alimony, and other support from friends or family, including someone who pays bills, buys groceries, or provides other non-cash assistance

• Financial aid and student loans

• Self-employment income and work for cash, including side jobs like yard care, child care, selling merchandise at the flea market, etc.

• Workers compensation, unemployment, disability payments, etc.

What kind of assets should I report?

You must report all assets owned by anyone in your family to the Housing Authority. 

Generally, the value of the asset does not count as income.  Only the income (such as interest) produced by the asset will count.  If the asset does not produce any income, like money in a non-interest bearing checking account, the Housing Authority will use an assumed interest rate to estimate income.

• Bank accounts

• Pension and retirement accounts

• Real estate and other property

• Trusts, including special needs trusts

• Settlements, inheritance, and other lump sum cash awards

• Ownership in a business or partnership

What does “direct third party verification” mean?

When we say that we are going to obtain direct third party verification, that means that we will contact an employer, bank, agency, etc. directly and ask them to fill out a form verifying your income or assets and return that form directly to us.

“Direct third party verification” means that you, the tenant, cannot deliver the form.  It must go directly from the Housing Authority to the third party, and come directly back to us.  If a third party hands one of our forms to you and asks you to deliver it, please ask them to mail it to us instead.

We are also able to obtain direct third party verifications using computer systems that provide income information from many sources, including wages, benefits, child support, etc.

Direct third party verification is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

How do I document self-employment or cash income?

If you are self-employed, work for cash, or receive money or other support from friends or family, you must still document this income. 

• For self-employment (child care, yard care, freelance work, etc.), provide an income and expense statement or use our Self-Employment Verification Form.

• Keep a written log of cash received, including dates, amounts, and who provided the cash.

• Show bank statements that document that cash was deposited.

• Keep records throughout the entire year, and be prepared to provide this information to the Housing Authority annually.

What happens if someone in my family fails to report their income or assets?

The head of household is responsible for making sure that everyone in the family fully reports their income and assets.

Failure to report this information, as well as any changes, can result in your family being required to repay subsidy, and/or being terminated from the program, among other penalties.  See the Program Fraud Q&A for more information. 

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