Quick answerIn New York City, as of October 7, 2026, HRA posts no single landlord package for state FHEPS. The owner supplies a 12-month lease, proof of ownership, the Landlord Utility Information form (DSS-8q), a signed and notarized Security Voucher (W-147N), a W-9 and, when a broker is used, a broker form. A Homebase or shelter worker adds the application (HRA-146a) and submits everything under a checklist, HRA-146m or HRA-146n. The two-bedroom maximum is $3,058.
Last checked: October 7, 2026, against HRA's FHEPS page and every English PDF it links: HRA-146q, HRA-146r, HRA-146a, HRA-146m, HRA-146n, HRA-146p, HRA-146z, W-137A, W-147N, W-147JJ, HRA-121, HRA-145, DSS-8q, DSS-31, DSS-85c, DSS-10k, DSS-10j and the Payee Designation Form; also HRA's landlord and Home Support Unit pages.
- $3,058two-bedroom maximum rent, HRA-146z, effective 08/01/2025
- 12 monthsminimum lease or written agreement
- 1 month + 3 monthsfirst month's rent plus three months of supplement, up front on a move
- 01/15/2025date on both HRA packet checklists, HRA-146m and HRA-146n
- 3 to 5 daysHRA's stated time for preclearance results, the only time it publishes
- 718-557-1399the number on HRA's landlord fact sheet
Key pointIf the tenant has CityFHEPS instead, stop here and use the CityFHEPS landlord package checklist. CityFHEPS has its own forms (DSS-8f and DSS-8g) and lower 2026 rents. A tenant's shopping letter names the program; FHEPS vs CityFHEPS explains how to tell them apart.
Who FHEPS Covers
FHEPS is the state-funded rent supplement, run in the city by HRA, for families with children who get Cash Assistance and have lost housing or are about to. It was formerly called FEPS. HRA's client fact sheet (HRA-146r, 08/20/2025) sets three tests.
- A child or pregnancy. a child under 18, a full-time student under 19, or a pregnant person
- Cash Assistance. an active case or, for a family in shelter, eligibility for one on leaving
- One housing trigger. in HRA shelter, or in DHS shelter on the terms HRA-146r lists; or being evicted, evicted in NYC in the last 12 months, or holding a rent demand letter
Two limits shape the owner's side.
- Five boroughs only"FHEPS can be used to rent an apartment within the five (5) boroughs of New York City" (DSS-31, 05/19/2025). FHEPS has no room or SRO amount; the SRO line on HRA's charts "only applies to CityFHEPS."
- Size follows the Cash Assistance casethe rent table is keyed to "CA Family Size," not to everyone who will live in the unit.
The family's steps are in how to apply for FHEPS.
Every form in the FHEPS packet, with number, date and signer
HRA's FHEPS page links the forms below, and its two checklists name three more (HRA-146j, HRA-146k and W-147m) that the page does not post.
| Form | Revision date | Who completes it | When it is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRA-146a FHEPS A and B Application | 06/30/2025, 9 pages | The household and a preparer, named in section 10 | Every case |
| HRA-146m FHEPS A Demographic Sheet | 01/15/2025 | Provider staff | FHEPS A packets: the checklist |
| HRA-146n FHEPS B Demographic Sheet | 01/15/2025 | Provider staff; a Director of Social Services or higher signs the review | FHEPS B packets: the checklist |
| HRA-146j or HRA-146k "Shopping Letter" | Not posted | Issued by HRA | On both checklists |
| W-137A Request for Emergency Assistance | 03/16/2020 | The tenant | On both checklists |
| HRA-146p Domestic Violence Action Form | 02/13/2019 | Client and provider staff | If applicable |
| Lease or agreement for 12 months | None | Landlord and tenant | Every case |
| DSS-8q Landlord Utility Information | 05/21/2025 on the FHEPS page | Landlord signs | On both checklists |
| W-147N Security Voucher | 05/07/2025 | Landlord or authorized agent; an HRA supervisor authorizes it | "If requested" |
| Form W-9 | IRS form | Landlord | Listed for shelter exits with incentives |
| Payee Designation Form | No number or date printed | Landlord signs | Only when someone else receives the ongoing payments |
| HRA-121 Broker's Request for Enhanced Fee Payment by Check | 06/30/2021 | Broker, with license number | Shelter exits with a broker |
| W-147JJ Broker's Statement for Fee Payment by Check | Rev. 4/28/11 | Broker, with license number | Community moves with a broker |
| W-147m Landlord/Managing Agent's Statement | Not posted | Not confirmed; no copy was found | "If broker fee," both checklists |
| HRA-145 Unit Hold Incentive Voucher | 08/08/2023 | Landlord or authorized agent | FHEPS only when leaving a DSS shelter |
| DSS-10a Apartment Review Checklist | 03/12/2019 | Staff who walk the unit | Shelter clients; "if applicable" on FHEPS B |
| DSS-85c Change in Tenancy | 05/13/2022 | Owner, payee or managing agent | After move-in, not in the packet |
What it means: compare the date in the corner of the copy in hand with this table before a lease signing.
Source: HRA's FHEPS page and each linked PDF. Compiled by VoucherMatch.
Four reference documents sit beside the forms.
- HRA-146q, 08/20/2025the Fact Sheet for Landlords, 3 pages. It is not a broker form, although some websites describe it as one.
- HRA-146z, 08/19/2025FHEPS Payment Standards, 2 pages: maximum rents and the utility allowance schedule.
- DSS-10k and DSS-10j, both 01/13/2025the preclearance and walkthrough FAQ, and the G704 FAQ.
Part 1: The Client Forms
The client forms are the application (HRA-146a), the shopping letter, the Request for Emergency Assistance (W-137A), 30 days of income proof and proof of the eviction or rent demand. An owner signs none of these, but the HRA-146a asks for facts only the owner has.
- Total monthly rent
- Whether the apartment is rent regulated, controlled or stabilized; if so, whether the rent is preferential and what the maximum legal rent is
- Number of bedrooms
- Whether there is a lease or agreement, and its renewal date
- If the lease runs under one year: proof the family can stay at least one year after approval
- Any roommate or outside contributor to the rent, with proof of ability to pay and a residency start date
HRA has not published a definition of "FHEPS A" and "FHEPS B." Ask the worker which sheet the case uses, because the two checklists differ.
Part 2: The Landlord and Broker Forms
The owner's half is a lease, proof of ownership, the utility form and the security voucher, plus a W-9 and broker forms on shelter exits. HRA's own list is on its two checklists, not on a landlord package.
- Lease or agreement for 12 months. on both checklists
- Landlord Utility Information (DSS-8q). on both checklists
- Landlord proof of ownership. "To move only"
- Landlord breakdown of arrears. "To stay only," if arrears are requested
- Security Voucher (W-147N). "if requested"
- Landlord W-9. listed under shelter cases where "Broker and/or Landlord incentives apply"
- Broker license, HRA-121 and W-147m. "if broker fee," shelter cases
What it means: neither checklist lists HPD registration, a deed by name, a voided check or the CityFHEPS Landlord Package. HRA's FHEPS page still links a W-9 for every landlord, so have one ready.
Source: HRA-146m and HRA-146n.
- Security VoucherHRA "does not issue cash security deposits," and the form warns that refusing the voucher "may constitute source of income discrimination." It covers up to one month's rent and "will not be honored until the front and back pages have been completed, signed, notarized, and returned to HRA."
- Utility formthe copy on the FHEPS page is the 4-page 05/21/2025 edition. HRA's CityFHEPS documents page carries a 5-page 01/14/2026 edition. The fields the landlord fills in are the same.
- Payee form"Only landlords who are designating a payee for ongoing rental payments must complete this form."
- Unit hold (HRA-145)one month's rent, for "FHEPS clients moving out of a DSS shelter." The City's rule to end the CityFHEPS hold payment still read "Proposed" when a sister article checked it on October 7, 2026. Whether HRA pays it on a FHEPS case today could not be confirmed; see NYC landlord incentives in 2026.
Which broker form applies
The type of move decides the broker form and the fee.
| Move | Form | Fee printed on HRA's documents |
|---|---|---|
| Family leaving HRA or DHS shelter | HRA-121, 06/30/2021 | "Up to 15% of the annual rent," for "as long as funding remains available" |
| Community move | W-147JJ, Rev. 4/28/11 | "50% of the monthly rent," issued as a Cash Assistance allowance |
What it means: on both forms the HRA check "represents the entire broker's fee," and the tenant owes nothing above it.
Source: HRA-146q, page 1; HRA-121; W-147JJ; HRA's FHEPS page.
The fee rules are in how brokers get paid on voucher deals and the FARE Act and voucher broker fees. Brokers who place voucher tenants can also see VoucherMatch for brokers.
FHEPS maximum rent by household size
The FHEPS maximum is $2,646 for a studio and $3,058 for two bedrooms, with all utilities in the rent. FHEPS did not move to the lower 2026 amounts that CityFHEPS adopted.
| Cash Assistance family size | Bedrooms | FHEPS maximum rent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Studio | $2,646 |
| 1 or 2 | 1 | $2,762 |
| 3 or 4 | 2 | $3,058 |
| 5 or 6 | 3 | $3,811 |
| 7 or 8 | 4 | $4,111 |
| 9 or 10 | 5 | $4,727 |
| 11 or 12 | 6 | $5,344 |
| 13 or 14 | 7 | $5,962 |
| 15 or 16 | 8 | $6,578 |
| 17 or 18 | 9 | $7,195 |
| 19 or 20 | 10 | $7,812 |
What it means: the January 2026 utility form says "All current FHEPS households and new FHEPS packages will continue to use 2025 payment standards and 2025 utility allowance amounts until further notice."
Source: HRA-146z, page 1; the same table is in HRA-146q (08/20/2025) and HRA-146r.
DSS-31 and DSS-8q print four of these rows $1 higher (for example $4,728 for five bedrooms); HRA-146z is the FHEPS document. Utilities the tenant pays come off the maximum, using the schedule on page 2 of HRA-146z.
View the data table
| Bedrooms | Maximum, all utilities included | Utility allowance | Most HRA will approve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2646 | 122 | 2524 |
| 1 | 2762 | 138 | 2624 |
| 2 | 3058 | 177 | 2881 |
| 3 | 3811 | 215 | 3596 |
| 4 | 4111 | 254 | 3857 |
What it means: a two-bedroom lease at $3,000 is $119 over when the tenant pays cooking gas and electric. Other fuel combinations are in utilities included vs. utility allowance.
Source: HRA-146z, pages 1 and 2; the subtraction is VoucherMatch's.
If the utility answers sworn on DSS-8q are wrong, DSS "will reduce the ongoing rent by the appropriate amount and recoup past over-payments."
Part 3: The Apartment Checks
A unit must pass an online preclearance and then a physical walkthrough before a lease is signed, according to DSS-10k.
- Preclearancethe unit is entered on the DSS Offer Registration site. DSS "checks for serious violations and confirms ownership" and emails the result in 3 to 5 days.
- Walkthroughscheduled once preclearance passes and recorded on the Apartment Review Checklist (DSS-10a).
- G704 alternativeon newly built HPD or HDC-financed units, a G704 with HPD's cover sheet replaces both checks (DSS-10j).
Watch outThe FHEPS A checklist lists preclearance and DSS-10a only under "For Clients in Shelter," and the FHEPS B checklist marks DSS-10a "if applicable." HRA's documents do not say whether a community FHEPS move needs both checks. Ask the worker.
What fails a walkthrough, item by item, is in why apartments fail the DSS walkthrough.
Who Submits It
A worker submits the packet, and the landlord does not file it alone. Which worker depends on where the family is.
- Community family that must move"Contact a Homebase provider to help with your FHEPS to move application" (HRA's FHEPS page).
- Family in shelter"your FHEPS provider or shelter housing specialist/case manager" (HRA-146r, page 4).
- Family staying in placeACCESS HRA or a Benefits Access Center.
- Landlord or broker with a vacant unitthe Home Support Unit, through its online form or 718-557-1399.
HRA posts no list of approved FHEPS providers and no address, email or portal for a FHEPS packet. The worker's name and phone go in section 10 of the HRA-146a.
- 1Confirm the programask for the shopping letter (HRA-146j or HRA-146k) and check the rent against HRA-146z. Time: none published.
- 2Preclearancethe unit is entered on the Offer Registration site. Time: results in 3 to 5 days.
- 3Walkthroughscheduled after preclearance passes. Time: none published.
- 4Lease and owner formsthe 12-month lease and the owner documents listed above.
- 5Worker submitswith the HRA-146a and client proofs, under HRA-146m or HRA-146n. Time: none published.
- 6HRA decidesthe supplement amount "is decided when the household's FHEPS application is approved by HRA." Time: none published.
- 7Up-front paymentfirst month's rent, three months of supplement and the security voucher.
- 8Monthly paymentsHRA pays the supplement and the shelter allowance to the landlord. The month they begin is not stated in HRA's FHEPS documents.
What it means: HRA publishes a time for one step of eight. No FHEPS approval or first-payment time was found.
Sources: HRA-146q; HRA-146r; DSS-10k. Compiled by VoucherMatch.
What the Landlord Receives
On a FHEPS move the landlord receives "the first month's rent in full plus the next three months' rent supplement up front, as well as a security voucher" (HRA-146q, page 1).
- At move-inthe up-front payment, the security voucher, and any approved unit hold check "along with all other initial rent and bonus payments"
- Each monththe FHEPS supplement and the Cash Assistance shelter allowance, paid by HRA directly; the tenant pays any difference
- When the family leavesthe owner must "notify HRA and return any overpayment"; a security voucher claim is due within three months
HRA's FHEPS documents do not say whether payments arrive by check or direct deposit. The Current NYC landlord portal guide covers enrollment. A move-out is reported on DSS-85c, by mail or by email to HPALandlordMGMT@hra.nyc.gov.
Watch outFHEPS to Stay is different money. HRA can pay "up to $20,000" in arrears, more case by case, when a tenant already in the unit is approved (HRA-146q). HRA's Home Support Unit page describes the Special Supplemental Assistance Fund for CityFHEPS tenancies.
FHEPS and CityFHEPS paperwork side by side
The two programs share the security voucher, utility form, HRA-121 and unit hold voucher, and differ on the package, the checklist and the rent table.
| Item | FHEPS | CityFHEPS |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord package | None posted | DSS-8f (apartments) or DSS-8g (rooms, SROs), April 2026 |
| Packet checklist | HRA-146m or HRA-146n, 01/15/2025 | Cover sheet DSS-8h or DSS-8i, 01/15/2025 |
| Rent table | HRA-146z, 08/19/2025: 2 bedrooms $3,058 | DSS-8r, 01/14/2026: 2 bedrooms $2,997 |
| Proof of ownership | "To move only" | Every package |
| HPD registration | Not on the checklists | Required for NYC units |
| W-9 | Listed with shelter-exit incentives | Required unless DSS has one |
| Broker form | HRA-121 (shelter exit) or W-147JJ (community) | HRA-121 |
| Unit hold voucher | HRA-145, DSS shelter exits only | HRA-145 |
| Rooms and SROs | No amount published | Yes, DSS-8g |
| Where it can be used | Five boroughs | New York State |
What it means: a CityFHEPS package handed to a FHEPS worker is the wrong paperwork, and the reverse. The 2026 CityFHEPS amounts are in the CityFHEPS payment standards guide.
Source: the FHEPS documents above and the CityFHEPS forms read for the CityFHEPS landlord package checklist.
Mistakes That Send FHEPS Packets Back
HRA publishes no list of reasons a FHEPS packet is returned. It does publish common preclearance failures.
- The apartment number is not listed on HPD Online
- The apartment description is wrong, or the unit count does not match the Certificate of Occupancy
- The building is in HPD's enforcement program, or has a heat, hot water or lead violation
The next list is VoucherMatch's, drawn from the fields on HRA's forms. It is not an HRA list.
- Apartment inside the five boroughs
- Lease or agreement for at least 12 months, with the full address and apartment number
- Rent at or below the HRA-146z amount for the Cash Assistance family size, after the utility allowance
- Rent-regulation answers ready for the HRA-146a
- DSS-8q complete on all four utility lines, signed and matching the lease
- Security voucher signed and notarized, with proof of ownership
- Owner name the same on the proof of ownership, lease, voucher and W-9
- Right broker form: HRA-121 for a shelter exit, W-147JJ for a community move, with the license
- No side deal: charging more than the lease rent "is strictly prohibited" (HRA-146q)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord submit a FHEPS packet directly?
No. The landlord supplies the lease and owner forms; a Homebase provider or the family's shelter worker prepares and submits the application.
Does FHEPS have a unit hold payment?
HRA-145 (08/08/2023) offers one month's rent for "FHEPS clients moving out of a DSS shelter." Community moves are not named, and whether HRA still pays it could not be confirmed.
How long does FHEPS last?
Up to five years. A family can apply for a good-cause extension (HRA-146r, page 2).
Can FHEPS be used outside New York City?
No. DSS-31 and DSS-8q both limit FHEPS to the five boroughs. CityFHEPS can be used anywhere in New York State.
What happens if the family stops getting Cash Assistance?
The supplement stops. HRA-146q says FHEPS ends when the tenant no longer has a Cash Assistance case or a child under 18, or under 19 and a full-time student.
How long does FHEPS approval take?
HRA has not published a time for FHEPS approval or the first payment. The only figure in its documents is 3 to 5 days for preclearance results.
Next step
Check the rent against HRA-146z for the family's Cash Assistance size, then give the worker the lease, proof of ownership and signed forms in one batch.
Owners with a vacant unit can list it on VoucherMatch or see current FHEPS apartments. Caseworkers can keep each family's documents together in VoucherMatch for organizations and find editable tools in the caseworker resource library.
Sources for this article (24)
- FHEPS page (nyc.gov)
- client fact sheet (HRA-146r, 08/20/2025) (nyc.gov)
- DSS-31 (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146a (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146m (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146n (nyc.gov)
- W-137A (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146p (nyc.gov)
- DSS-8q (nyc.gov)
- W-147N (nyc.gov)
- Form W-9 (irs.gov)
- Payee Designation Form (nyc.gov)
- HRA-121 (nyc.gov)
- W-147JJ (nyc.gov)
- HRA-145 (nyc.gov)
- DSS-10a (nyc.gov)
- DSS-85c (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146q (nyc.gov)
- HRA-146z (nyc.gov)
- DSS-10k (nyc.gov)
- DSS-10j (nyc.gov)
- 01/14/2026 edition (nyc.gov)
- DSS Offer Registration site (a071-dhsapps.nyc.gov)
- online form (nyc.gov)
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