PHA's new voucher rent limits: 41 ZIP codes went up, 10 went down

The Philadelphia Housing Authority changed the rent limits for its Housing Choice Voucher program on Nov. 1, and the change cuts both ways depending on ZIP code. The city flagged the new schedule in its latest announcements, and PHA posted it as a PDF.

The "payment standard" is the most PHA will count toward rent plus utilities when it calculates a voucher holder's assistance. If a unit costs more, the family pays the difference, up to a cap. For a family searching for an apartment, a higher payment standard opens up more units; a lower one can rule some out.

What changed

We compared the new schedule with PHA's November 2025 schedule. PHA still sorts every ZIP code into five groups, from "Basic Rents" to "High Opportunity Rents," but both the dollar amounts and the ZIP assignments moved.

For a two-bedroom voucher:

| Group | Nov. 2025 | Nov. 2026 | Change | |---|---|---|---| | 1 Basic | $1,420 | $1,552 | +9.3% | | 2 Traditional | $1,660 | $1,713 | +3.2% | | 3 Mid Range | $2,010 | $1,828 | −9.1% | | 4 Opportunity | $2,330 | $2,208 | −5.2% | | 5 High Opportunity | $2,720 | $2,724 | +0.1% |

Other bedroom sizes moved by similar percentages. Combining the new amounts with the new ZIP groupings, our count of the 51 ZIP codes on the schedule finds:

• 41 ZIP codes went up for a two-bedroom voucher. The biggest jump, about 17% ($2,330 to $2,724), is in five ZIPs moved into the top group: 19118, 19123, 19125, 19127 and 19146.
• Sixteen ZIP codes moved from Group 2 into Group 3, spread across the Northeast, North, Northwest, West and Southwest Philadelphia, including 19111, 19115, 19116, 19119, 19120, 19135, 19136, 19143 and 19144. Their two-bedroom standard rose about 10%, to $1,828.
• Ten ZIP codes went down. Eight that stayed in Group 3 fell about 9%, from $2,010 to $1,828: 19101, 19105, 19109, 19110, 19112, 19114, 19145 and 19153. ZIP 19128 fell about 5%. ZIP 19126 moved down from Group 2 to Group 1, a drop of about 6.5%, to $1,552.

Who it affects

The new schedule says the new payment standards apply to new leases and moves. Families already in a unit aren't automatically moved to the new amount mid-lease. PHA's 2025 schedule said that when a household's standard would fall at a regular recertification, PHA kept the higher standard applied at the previous recertification. The 2026 document doesn't repeat that language, so voucher holders in ZIPs that went down should ask PHA how their next recertification will be handled.

Other rules on the new schedule:

• PHA uses the smaller of the voucher size or the unit's bedroom count. A family with a two-bedroom voucher renting a three-bedroom unit gets the two-bedroom standard.
• A family moving into a unit priced above the standard can't pay more than 40% of adjusted monthly income at move-in.
• PHA's minimum rent is $50.
• Rent must be "reasonable" compared with similar unassisted units nearby.

PHA bases the groups on the federal government's small-area fair market rents, which HUD publishes each year by ZIP code, according to PHA's payment standards page.

What our records add

PHA is a separate authority, not a city department, but its rent rules land in the same neighborhoods where Council has been working on housing this fall. New renter protections from Council took effect Nov. 1, the same day (our story), and a federal judge dismissed a challenge to them (our story). PHA's own building continues too, including 63 senior apartments now under construction in Sharswood.

What's next

• Questions: PHA's voucher customer support line is 215-684-4300, according to the schedule.
• Utilities: The utility allowance, which counts toward the payment standard, is on a separate PHA schedule at pha.phila.gov.
• At City Hall: Council's Housing Committee holds a hearing on property assessments Nov. 9, and Council's next stated meeting is Nov. 12.