How Much Does Section 8 Pay in Virginia Beach? (FY2027 Payment Standards by ZIP)
Virginia Beach is one of the metros where HUD makes housing authorities set Section 8 rent ceilings ZIP code by ZIP code, so the number you are looking for depends on where the apartment is. For FY2027, the 2-bedroom Small Area Fair Market Rent runs from $1,240 in ZIP 23109 to $1,510 in ZIP 23163 across the 15 ZIP codes in Mathews County, a real gap.
This guide walks through the FY2027 figures by bedroom size, the math behind your share of the rent, and the housing authorities that administer vouchers in the Virginia Beach metro area.
The FY2027 Numbers: Low ZIP vs. High ZIP
Two ZIP codes at opposite ends of Mathews County show how far the FY2027 figures move:
| Bedrooms | ZIP 23109 | ZIP 23163 |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,090 | $1,310 |
| 1 BR | $1,110 | $1,320 |
| 2 BR | $1,240 | $1,510 |
| 3 BR | $1,710 | $2,100 |
| 4 BR | $2,020 | $2,490 |
The middle of the range: the median 2-bedroom SAFMR across the 15 ZIP codes in Mathews County is $1,320 (ZIP 23066). For reference, HUD's metro-wide FMR for the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area is $1,667 for a 2-bedroom, which is roughly what every ZIP would get if the metro weren't a Small Area FMR area.
One important caveat: these are HUD's FY2027 SAFMRs, the basis for payment standards. Each housing authority sets its actual payment standard within a band around these figures (typically 90% to 110%), so confirm the exact standard for your ZIP with your PHA before signing anything. You can browse the ZIP-by-ZIP numbers on our Virginia Beach Section 8 guide or straight from HUD's SAFMR dataset.
Beyond Mathews County: The Whole Metro
A voucher can often be used elsewhere in the metro through portability, and the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area is bigger than Mathews County: 165 ZIP codes in all, from $1,060 for a 2-bedroom in ZIP 23898 (Isle of Wight County) up to $2,360 in ZIP 23511 (Norfolk city). The metro-wide median is $1,550.
Five ZIP codes spaced across the metro show the whole ladder, from cheapest to most expensive:
| ZIP | County | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23898 | Isle of Wight County | $890 | $1,060 | $1,420 |
| 23523 | Norfolk city | $1,250 | $1,400 | $1,930 |
| 23669 | Hampton city | $1,380 | $1,550 | $2,140 |
| 23438 | Suffolk city | $1,580 | $1,800 | $2,520 |
| 23511 | Norfolk city | $2,110 | $2,360 | $3,250 |
FY2026 to FY2027: The Change Effective October 1, 2026
HUD's metro-wide 2-bedroom FMR for Virginia Beach went down 2.7% from FY2026 to FY2027: $1,713 to $1,667. Across the 152 ZIP codes HUD published in both years, the 2-bedroom figure rose in 11 and fell in 139, holding in 2. The steepest cut was ZIP 23438, $2,000 to $1,800; the biggest increase was ZIP 27958, $1,650 to $1,780. A lower FMR does not cut a current tenant's subsidy right away. The housing authority may keep a family's existing payment standard for as long as it stays in the unit, and any reduction cannot start sooner than two years after the decrease takes effect, and only after written notice (24 CFR 982.505(c)(3)). The people who feel it first are new voucher holders and families who move, whose new leases are measured against the lower ceiling.
What You Actually Pay as a Tenant
Your share is generally 30% of your adjusted monthly income; the voucher covers the difference between that and the rent, up to the payment standard for your ZIP and bedroom size. Take a household earning $2,400 a month. Its share is about $720. In a ZIP where the 2-bedroom standard is $1,320, the voucher can cover up to $600 of the rent.
Practical consequence: in Virginia Beach, where you search changes what your voucher is worth more than almost any other decision. Two similar apartments on opposite sides of a ZIP boundary can differ by hundreds of dollars in approvable rent, while your own contribution stays pegged to your income.
Virginia Beach Landlords: What the Standard Means for You
The economics vary block to block. In ZIPs near the bottom of the table, the standard often matches what the unit would rent for unassisted, with the housing authority's portion arriving every month on schedule. In the higher-cost ZIPs, the ceiling is high enough that a voucher tenant competes with anyone. Either way the PHA runs a rent reasonableness check against comparable unassisted units before approving the lease.
Also non-negotiable: refusing a voucher holder is illegal in Virginia under the Virginia Fair Housing Law (HB 6, 2020). Source of income is a protected class, so "no vouchers" in an ad is itself a violation.
If you own units in Virginia Beach, list them free on VoucherMatch and reach voucher holders searching by ZIP right now.
Who Administers Section 8 in Virginia Beach
Vouchers in the Virginia Beach metro area are administered by several authorities, and each sets its own payment standard inside HUD's band. The biggest ones:
- Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, (757) 623-1111, about 5,500 vouchers
- Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority, (757) 727-6337, about 3,300 vouchers
- Newport News Redevelopment and Housng Authority, (757) 928-2620, about 3,100 vouchers
- Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority, (757) 399-5261, about 2,700 vouchers
- Va. Beach Department. of Housing and Neighborhood Pres., (757) 385-5750, about 2,200 vouchers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a 2-bedroom Section 8 voucher worth in Virginia Beach in FY2027? It depends on the ZIP code: HUD's FY2027 Small Area FMRs for 2-bedrooms range from $1,240 (23109) to $1,510 (23163) across the 15 ZIPs in Mathews County, with a median around $1,320. Your PHA's payment standard is set from these figures.
Why does my voucher cover more in some neighborhoods than others? The Virginia Beach metro area is a mandatory Small Area FMR metro, so HUD publishes a separate FMR for every ZIP code instead of one metro-wide number. The ceiling moves with local rents.
Can a Virginia Beach landlord refuse my voucher? No. Refusing an applicant because they pay with a voucher is illegal in Virginia under the Virginia Fair Housing Law (HB 6, 2020).
Do these numbers include utilities? The standards assume rent plus a utility allowance fit within the ceiling. If you pay utilities yourself, the approvable rent drops by the allowance for your unit size. The mechanics are the same ones we cover in our utility allowance guide, with Virginia Beach's own allowance schedules.
Where can I see the number for my exact ZIP? Our Virginia Beach Section 8 guide list payment data ZIP by ZIP, or check HUD's SAFMR lookup and confirm with your housing authority.
For the rest of the state, see our Virginia Section 8 overview.
Have a voucher and looking in Virginia Beach? Browse voucher-friendly listings, filtered by ZIP and bedroom size.
Own property in the Virginia Beach metro area? List it free and reach tenants with guaranteed rent.
VoucherMatch Editorial Team
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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