How Long Can You Be Away From Your Section 8 Apartment?
Quick answerIn the United States, as of October 2026, you can be away from your Section 8 apartment for brief periods, and never more than 180 days in a row when nobody on the voucher is living there. Your housing agency's plan can set a shorter limit: in seven of ten plans read, assistance ends or may end between day 14 and day 120 unless the agency approved the absence. One member being away is a separate rule.
Last checked: October 7, 2026, against 24 CFR 982.312, 982.551, 982.552, 982.555, 982.402, 5.403 and 5.609 (eCFR current to October 6, 2026) and the current administrative plans of the housing agencies in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, New York City (NYCHA and HPD), Philadelphia, New Jersey (state program), Boston, Dallas and Seattle.
- 180 days in a rowfederal ceiling, "in any circumstance, or for any reason"
- 14 to 180 dayswhen assistance ends or may end without approval, in eight plans
- Over 30 dayswritten notice or approval needed in Boston, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Seattle and at HPD
- No member in the unitwhat "absence" means in the federal rule
- 1 yearLos Angeles readmission window after a verified medical absence
This is general information, not legal advice. Find your agency's plan through the housing authority directory.
The Rule
The federal rule, 24 CFR 982.312, allows brief absences, lets each agency set its own limit, and sets a ceiling no agency can exceed.
- Brief absences, (a)"The family may be absent from the unit for brief periods." The rule does not say how many days "brief" is.
- Longer absences, (a)the agency's administrative plan sets how long, up to the 180-day ceiling, and the agency "may allow absence for a lesser period".
- Going over, (b)housing assistance payments terminate, and "the term of the HAP contract and assisted lease also terminate".
- What absence means, (c)"no member of the family is residing in the unit."
- Information, (d)the family must supply what the agency asks for to verify it is living in the unit. The agency may use "letters to the family at the unit, phone calls, visits or questions to the landlord or neighbors".
- Local policy, (e)the plan must say when and how long a family may be away, for example for "vacation, hospitalization or imprisonment", and state any provision for resuming assistance afterwards.
Telling the agency is a family obligation of its own. Under 24 CFR 982.551(i) the family "must promptly notify the PHA of absence from the unit". Paragraph (h) adds two duties: the unit "must be the family's only residence", and the family must promptly tell the agency "if any family member no longer resides in the unit".
Key point"Promptly" has no number of days in the federal rule. The plan supplies it: 10 days in New Jersey, 30 in Chicago and Boston.
What Housing Authorities Allow
Eight of the ten plans read set a point, counted in days in a row, where assistance ends or may end, and it runs from 14 days to 180.
View the data table
| Housing agency | Before assistance ends or may end without approval | Longest with approval or a listed reason |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas (DHA) | 14 | 180 |
| Boston Housing Authority | 30 | 180 |
| Miami-Dade | 60 | 120 |
| Chicago Housing Authority | 90 | 90 |
| Los Angeles (HACLA) | 90 | 90 |
| New York City HPD | 90 | 180 |
| New Jersey DCA | 120 | 180 |
| NYCHA (New York City) | 180 | 180 |
What it means: a two-month absence that needs no approval at NYCHA can cost a family its voucher in Dallas or Boston if nobody asked first.
Source: each agency's plan, linked in the table below; comparison by VoucherMatch. Philadelphia counts days across a calendar year and Seattle's plan gives two figures, so neither is charted.
| Agency | Whole family away | One member away | Notice or approval | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Housing Authority | 90 consecutive days, then treated as abandoned | No day count found | In writing within 30 days of an extended absence or a member leaving | Plan, October 1, 2025, chapter 12 |
| Los Angeles (HACLA) | 30 days for any reason; 31 to 90 with approval; contract ends beyond 90 | Foster care placement still counts; no day count found | Prior approval for 31 to 90 days | Plan, January 2026, sections 6.1 and 6.17 |
| Miami-Dade | 60 consecutive days; 61 to 120 with approval; never over 120 | Child in foster care, kinship care or at school still counts | Prior written approval over 60 days; tell the owner | Plan, undated copy, sections 5.1, 5.4 and 5.7 |
| New York City HPD | May end after 90 consecutive days unless the reason is listed; must end at 180 | Permanently absent after 90 consecutive days unless the reason is listed | Report any absence over 30 consecutive days, and the return | Plan, April 15, 2025, sections 5.1.8 and 5.1.9 |
| NYCHA (New York City) | 180 consecutive calendar days | Still a member at 180 consecutive days or less, if expected back | No notice period stated | Plan, May 2026, sections V.D and XIV.F, Appendix B |
| Philadelphia Housing Authority | 183 total days in a calendar year | Still a member under 183 total days a year | Within 30 calendar days of a member leaving; none stated for the family | Plan, January 1, 2026, sections 6.7 to 6.13, 16.15 and 16.18 |
| New Jersey DCA (state program) | 120 consecutive days with notice; 60 more for illness or rehabilitation | No day count found | In writing over 30 consecutive days; obligations list says within 10 days | Plan, state fiscal year from July 1, 2026, chapter 1 and sections 7.2 and 7.3 |
| Boston Housing Authority | 30 days for any reason; longer with approval; never over 180 | Student away for the school year stays unless registered elsewhere | Written request with documents before 30 days | Plan, April 1, 2026, sections 10.1.4 and 11.6 |
| Dallas (DHA) | 14 consecutive days; longer with advance approval; never over 180 | Head away for hospital, nursing home, work or military service: payments continue at most 90 days | Owner approval and written notice; advance approval from owner and DHA over 14 days | Plan, file dated September 16, 2025, Section VII |
| Seattle Housing Authority | 60 consecutive days in chapter 3, 180 in chapter 12 | Temporarily absent under 60 days for the head, under 180 for others | Written notice at the start, over 30 calendar days | Plan, January 12, 2026, sections 3-I.L and 12-I.F |
What it means: the limit, the notice rule and the treatment of one absent member are three separate policies.
Source: the plans linked in each row. Notes: Chicago's limit applies "even if the family continues to pay rent and/or utilities". Los Angeles allows up to 180 days for a required renovation move. HPD may also end assistance at 180 total days in a year. Miami-Dade's copy is undated and New Jersey's file name says "draft".
Watch outNotice is not approval. Chicago's 90 days apply "regardless of any notice of absence". In Seattle, ask the agency in writing which of its two figures it applies.
Which Rule Applies When You Need to Be Away
The first question is whether anyone on the voucher will still be living in the unit, because that decides which rule applies.
- 1Will a family member on the voucher keep living there?If yes, the family is not absent under 24 CFR 982.312(c). Go to step 4. If no, or if you live alone, the whole-family rule applies.
- 2Whole family, short tripbrief absences are allowed. Check the plan's first threshold (14 days in Dallas, 30 in Boston and Los Angeles, 60 in Miami-Dade).
- 3Whole family, longergive written notice or ask for approval before leaving, as the plan requires, and return inside the plan's limit.
- 4One member awaythe plan decides whether that person is temporarily or permanently absent. Report it. Income and voucher size can change.
- 5Not coming backthat is a move or a change in the household. Tell the agency and the owner before moving out.
- 6Someone staying in the unit while you are gonethat person falls under the guest rule and cannot live there without approval.
What it means: for a family of one, any absence is a whole-family absence, as HPD's plan says directly.
Source: 24 CFR 982.312 and 982.551; thresholds from the plans in the table above.
Common Situations
Each reason for leaving is handled by local policy, and agencies treat the same reason differently.
- Vacation or visiting family abroadnothing in 24 CFR 982.312 turns on where the family goes. The day counts above apply.
- Hospital, rehab or nursing homeNew Jersey names hospitalization as the only situation in which an extended absence is permitted. HPD lists "prolonged hospitalization or rehabilitation", and Los Angeles and Boston may approve an absence for "health, rehabilitation, convalescence".
- Jail or prisonLos Angeles and Boston list incarceration among reasons an absence may be approved, and HPD lists "incarceration or detention". Dallas ends assistance for the whole household if the head, co-head, spouse or an adult child is absent "due to incarceration for drug related or violent criminal activity".
- Military servicePhiladelphia may, "at PHA's sole discretion", keep paying the owner "even though all members of the family are temporarily absent" on active duty (section 16.19).
- Work or schoolHPD lists a temporary employment assignment and "attendance at school for an otherwise eligible Head of Household".
What it means: a listed reason makes approval possible in these plans. None of them promises it.
Source: the plans linked in the table above.
Watch outA head of household who enters a nursing home and lives alone is a whole-family absence from the first day. Where other members remain, the question becomes who holds the voucher: see can you transfer a Section 8 voucher to another person.
One Family Member Away vs. the Whole Family
When one member leaves and others stay, the federal absence limit does not apply, and the agency's plan decides whether that person is still part of the household.
Federal rules settle one case only. A child "temporarily away from the home because of placement in foster care" is still a family member (24 CFR 5.403) and still counts toward voucher size (24 CFR 982.402(b)(4)). No definition of a temporarily or permanently absent member was found in 24 CFR 982.312, 982.551, 5.403 or 5.609.
| Situation | HPD (New York City) | Philadelphia | Seattle | NYCHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General line | Permanently absent after 90 consecutive days unless a listed reason applies | Permanently absent over 183 total days in a calendar year | Permanently absent over 180 consecutive days; the head of household at 60 | Temporarily absent at 180 consecutive days or less, if expected back |
| Student away at school | Stays a member beyond 180 days unless the family says the absence is no longer temporary | Stays unless the student has set up a separate household | Stays unless the student has set up a separate household | Not addressed separately |
| Hospital or nursing home | Prolonged hospitalization or rehabilitation is a listed reason | Not a member if confined "on a permanent basis" | Not permanently absent if expected back in under 180 days | Not addressed separately |
| Jail | Listed reason "for up to 180 days" | Not addressed separately | Named as a cause of absence; no separate day count | Not addressed separately |
| Military service | Listed reason; pay is counted except hostile fire pay | Stays a member if income is counted | A spouse's military pay is counted except hostile fire pay | Pay is counted except hostile fire pay |
| Child in foster care | Listed reason | Counted unless the foster agency confirms permanent removal | Removed if the placement will last over 12 months | Not addressed separately |
What it means: where a plan is silent, its general line governs.
Source: HPD plan sections 5.1.9 and 5.2.2.6; Philadelphia plan sections 6.7 to 6.11; Seattle plan section 3-I.L; NYCHA plan section V.D, all linked in the first table.
Two things change with the member's status.
- Income: HPD and Seattle stop counting a permanently absent member's income. All four plans keep counting it while the member is temporarily absent, apart from documented full-time students at HPD and NYCHA. See what happens when income changes.
- Voucher size: Seattle reduces the voucher size if all children are permanently removed from the home. Miami-Dade counts a child who is away at school, and Philadelphia may provide space for one who comes home during school recesses. For a child who leaves for college or moves out, see Section 8 when your child turns 18.
Watch outComing back is not automatic. Philadelphia and Seattle require approval, with eligibility screening, before an adult they found permanently absent returns. Adding any adult needs approval first: see can my boyfriend or girlfriend live with me on Section 8.
Before You Leave for More Than a Few Weeks
Before a long absence, read the plan, put the facts in writing to the agency, and keep the tenancy running while you are gone.
- Who is leaving and who, if anyone, will keep living in the unit
- The date you leave and the date you expect to return
- The reason, with a document: a hospital letter, military orders, school enrollment, an employer's letter
- A phone number, email and mailing address where you can be reached
- Who will collect mail at the unit, since recertification and inspection notices keep coming
- That your share of the rent and the utilities will keep being paid
- A request for written approval, where the plan requires it, and for the reply in writing
- A question: does the owner have to approve or be told? Dallas requires the owner's approval, and Miami-Dade requires the family to tell the owner
What it means: a dated letter sent before leaving is the record a hearing officer will look for later.
Source: items drawn from HPD section 5.1.8 (reason, documents, likelihood of return), New Jersey section 7.3 (estimated length of a hospital stay; tenant rent and utilities still due, as in Miami-Dade), Miami-Dade section 5.7 and the Dallas plan.
While away, two more duties continue.
- Keep up with mail. Miami-Dade requires inspection and recertification obligations to be met during an absence. See what annual recertification asks for.
- Report the return. HPD requires notice when the family is back after any absence over 30 days.
What Happens If You Stay Away Too Long
Past the plan's limit the agency ends assistance, and the family has a right to an informal hearing first.
- The hearing comes before payments stop. 24 CFR 982.555 lists a decision to terminate because the family "has been absent from the assisted unit for longer than the maximum period permitted" among those the agency must offer a hearing on "before the PHA terminates housing assistance payments".
- Not telling the agency is a separate violation. Breaking a family obligation is a ground the agency may use to end assistance (24 CFR 982.552(c)(1)(i)).
- Deadlines are local. Miami-Dade gives 30 days from the termination notice to ask for a hearing. Bring the notice you sent, any approval and proof of your dates.
The grounds and the hearing steps are in what can make you lose your Section 8 voucher.
Getting Assistance Back After an Absence Ends It
Whether assistance can resume after an absence ended it is left to each agency's policy (24 CFR 982.312(e)(2)), and only some of the plans read have one.
- Los Angelesif the family returns within 90 days and the unit is still available, the contract "may be continued". After that, readmission without the waiting list is possible within one year of termination only for a verified medical need. Everyone else reapplies (section 6.17.3).
- New York City HPDsubsidy "may be re-instated" going forward where the absence was no more than three years, the absent member or members have been released from a medical facility or nursing home or have a release date, the family has returned to the unit, and it has completed a recertification (section 5.1.8).
- Miami-Dadea family reinstated after a hearing gets a new voucher and signs a new lease and contract. The old ones are not resumed (section 5.7).
- Chicago, NYCHA, New Jersey, Boston, Dallasno readmission provision was found in the absence sections read.
What it means: outside the medical cases above, expect to start again from a waiting list, where a past termination is a ground an agency may use to deny: see Section 8 with an eviction or agency debt.
Source: the plans linked in the first table.
Absence Is Not the Guest Rule and Not a Move
The absence rule counts days when no approved member lives in the unit. The guest rule and the moving rules cover different facts.
- Absencethe family keeps the unit and intends to return. The clock is the plan's limit.
- Guestssomeone who is not on the voucher stays in the unit. Guest limits come from the plan and the lease and run on their own count: see how long a guest can stay. A friend who stays while the family is away does not end the absence, which is measured by family members, and the family may not sublease or let the unit (24 CFR 982.551(h)(6)).
- Moving outthe family is not coming back. It must tell the agency and the owner before it moves out or ends the lease (24 CFR 982.551(f)). Taking the voucher to another city is a transfer with its own steps: see how Section 8 portability works.
What Landlords Should Know
An owner must return any housing assistance payment for the period after assistance ends for absence (24 CFR 982.312(b)).
- Agencies ask owners. The federal rule names "questions to the landlord" as a way to verify occupancy. Los Angeles may require the owner to inspect the unit or to post a Notice of Abandonment.
- The tenant's share is still due during an absence under the Miami-Dade and New Jersey plans. If it stops, see what to do when a tenant does not pay their portion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can you leave your Section 8 apartment?
Never more than 180 days in a row with nobody from the family living there. Many plans allow less: 90 days in Chicago and Los Angeles, 60 in Miami-Dade without approval.
Can I travel out of the country on Section 8?
Yes. The federal absence rule does not mention destinations. What counts is the days the unit is without a family member and your agency's notice rule.
What happens to my Section 8 if I go to jail?
If other members stay in the unit, the family is not absent, and the plan decides whether you remain a member: HPD allows incarceration of up to 180 days. If you live alone, the whole-family limit applies.
What if I am in the hospital for a long time?
Tell the agency in writing and ask for an approved extended absence. The HPD, Los Angeles, Boston and New Jersey plans name health or hospital stays as a reason one may be allowed.
Do I have to tell Section 8 if I'm going away?
Yes, for anything beyond a brief trip. Federal rules require families to "promptly notify the PHA of absence from the unit", and several plans set the point at more than 30 days.
Can I keep paying rent while I'm away to keep my voucher?
Paying rent does not stop the clock: Chicago ends assistance after 90 days whether or not rent is paid. Miami-Dade and New Jersey still require it to be paid during an absence.
Sources
- 24 CFR 982.312, Absence from unit
- 24 CFR 982.551, Obligations of participant
- 24 CFR 982.555, Informal hearing for participant
The ten plans are linked in the comparison table.
Next step: open your agency's administrative plan from the housing authority directory, search it for "absence" and "absent", and write down the notice deadline and the limit. The national Section 8 guide covers the rest of the program.
Looking for a place that takes your voucher? Browse voucher-friendly listings on VoucherMatch.
Have a unit to rent? List your property and reach tenants who already have a voucher in hand.
Sources for this article (16)
- 24 CFR 982.312 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.551(i) (ecfr.gov)
- Plan (thecha.org)
- Plan (hacla.org)
- Plan (miamidade.gov)
- Plan (nyc.gov)
- Plan (nyc.gov)
- Plan (pha.phila.gov)
- Plan (nj.gov)
- Plan (bostonhousing.org)
- Plan (dhantx.com)
- Plan (seattlehousing.org)
- 24 CFR 5.403 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.402(b)(4) (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.555 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.552(c)(1)(i) (ecfr.gov)
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Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected
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