How to Get a CityFHEPS Shopping Letter (and What to Do with It)

A CityFHEPS shopping letter is the document that shows you are potentially eligible for the program and tells you, your landlord and any broker the most CityFHEPS will pay for your household. DSS issues it, and your case manager or shelter housing specialist gives it to you. You'll use it every time you apply for an apartment.

If you've been told you may qualify for CityFHEPS but don't have the letter yet, contact the person managing your case. If yours has expired, you'll need a new one. This guide covers what the letter is, how to get it, how long it lasts, and how to use it.

Last checked: September 2026, against DSS's CityFHEPS FAQ for shelter residents (DSS-7n), the shopping letter notice (DSS-31), the landlord and broker FAQ (DSS-8j, January 2026) and the City Council's June 2025 CityFHEPS report.

What a Shopping Letter Is

The shopping letter is not a voucher, and it doesn't guarantee an apartment. DSS's own FAQ says receiving it "does not mean that you are definitely eligible for CityFHEPS. It only means that you are potentially eligible." Final eligibility is decided after you find a unit and your case manager submits the housing packet.

Per DSS-7n, the shopping letter tells you, the landlord and any broker:

• the highest rent CityFHEPS will allow for your household size and housing type (apartment, room or SRO);
• some of the financial incentives DSS may offer the landlord or broker;
• the documents DSS needs from the landlord or broker to continue the eligibility review.

It also has an expiration date. More on that below.

The Letter That Comes With It: the Household Share Letter

You'll get a second document at the same time: the Household Share Letter. It shows your potential CityFHEPS supplement, how much of the rent you might have to pay, the income DSS has on file for your household, and why you were found potentially eligible.

Don't hand this one to landlords or brokers. DSS-7n says the Household Share Letter "is for your use only." Read the income information on it carefully. If it's wrong, tell your case manager now, because the amount you actually pay is set later in your Approval Letter and can change if your information changed.

Who Issues Yours (Shelter vs. Community)

DSS issues the letters. Who hands them to you depends on where you're living.

If you're in a DHS or HRA shelter: your shelter housing specialist or case manager gives you the letters. Ask them directly.

If you're living in the community and facing eviction: start with Homebase, the network of DSS-funded nonprofit offices in every borough. HRA's Homebase FAQ lists "rental assistance eligibility assessment and support with renewal" among its services. Call 311 or use HRA's Homebase locator to find yours.

How to Request the Letter

Start with your case manager or housing specialist. Call or go in person and ask whether DSS has issued your Shopping Letter and Household Share Letter. If you don't know who that is, call the DSS OneNumber at 718-557-1399, or 311 for Homebase and HRA office locations.

If you have an ACCESS HRA account, you can check your case and upload documents there, though the letters are usually handed to you by your worker.

Lost contact with a case manager is one of the most common reasons a CityFHEPS case stalls. If you don't hear back within a few days, follow up again, in writing if you can.

Reading Your Letter: Maximum Rent and Household Size

Household size. This sets your maximum unit size. DSS pays for one bedroom or sleeping area for every two people. A household of three, for example, qualifies for a two-bedroom.

Maximum rent. The amount on the letter assumes all utilities (heat, hot water, electricity and cooking gas) are included in the rent, per DSS-31. If you'd pay any utilities yourself, the maximum rent is lower.

For CityFHEPS packages submitted on or after March 1, 2026, or leases starting April 1, 2026 or later, DSS-8j lists these maximums for moves within New York City:

These went down in 2026 compared with the July 2025 schedule. A letter issued before the change may show a higher number, so ask your case manager which schedule applies to your packet. Payment standards are set each year, so a new letter can show a different amount.

Expiration date. Write it down and put it in your phone.

How Long a Shopping Letter Lasts, and What Happens When It Expires

The City Council's June 2025 report says a shopping letter "is valid for 120 days and once expired, eligibility must be recertified." That's about four months to find an apartment.

The same report notes that DSS Commissioner Park testified that letters are renewed automatically for households whose eligibility continues, and that "this policy is not formally documented." In practice:

• Don't assume the renewal happened. Two to three weeks before the date on your letter, ask your case manager whether a new letter has been issued.
• Expect your information to be checked again. Recertifying eligibility means DSS looks at your household and income again. Have current pay stubs or benefit letters ready.
• Expect the maximum rent to change. A new letter is issued under whatever payment standards are current.
• If you're mid-application when it expires, tell the landlord or broker right away and ask your case manager to escalate. An expired letter can hold up the walkthrough or packet review.

Using the Letter to Apartment Hunt

Share the shopping letter with landlords and brokers. It's designed for them. It shows the rent ceiling and the paperwork DSS will need from them. You can email it, text a photo, or show it in person.

Look at apartments at or below your maximum. An apartment above your maximum generally cannot be approved. DSS also runs a rent reasonableness check after the packet is submitted, so the rent can't be higher than similar units nearby.

Check the utilities. The lease or listing should say which utilities are included. If the rent is at the all-utilities-included maximum but you'd be paying electricity or gas, DSS won't approve it at that rent.

Fewer or more bedrooms is possible. DSS-7n says that if you rent a smaller apartment than your letter allows, DSS pays up to the standard for the unit you actually rent. If you rent a larger one, the rent still has to fit the standard for the size your household qualifies for.

Never make a side deal. You cannot agree to pay the landlord the difference above the maximum, and a landlord or broker cannot ask you to. DSS-31 and DSS-7n are both explicit about this.

When you're ready to apply, browse CityFHEPS apartments on VoucherMatch or search all listings in your area. Once you've found a unit, our guide to moving to a new apartment with CityFHEPS walks through the next steps.

For Caseworkers and Housing Specialists

The shopping letter period is where most avoidable delays happen. A few habits help:

• Track every client's expiration date. A 120-day clock that nobody is watching is the most common way a search loses a unit. Set a reminder at 30 days and at 14 days before expiration.
• Confirm renewals in writing. Auto-renewal has been described in testimony but isn't documented as policy. Ask for the new letter; don't infer it.
• Review the Household Share Letter with the client. Wrong income on it now becomes a wrong share or a returned packet later.
• Send landlords and brokers the shopping letter, not the share letter. The share letter contains the client's income information.
• Escalate unusual units early. DSS-7n tells households to ask their case manager to escalate a particular unit for review when there are special circumstances, such as bedroom-size questions.
• Know what shelter clients can get help with. DSS-7n says DSS can possibly pay apartment application fees for households in DHS shelter.
• Watch for illegal asks. Tenants don't pay a security deposit, because DSS gives the landlord a security voucher, and DSS-7n tells tenants a broker shouldn't ask them for a broker fee. Report refusals or side-deal requests to the DSS Source of Income Discrimination Unit at 718-557-1399.

If you manage a caseload, VoucherMatch for organizations keeps each client's documents and deadlines in one record and lets you apply to voucher-friendly listings for them.

What Landlords Should Know

If a tenant shows you a shopping letter, it means DSS has found the household potentially eligible for CityFHEPS and will consider rent up to the amount shown for that household size, if the unit passes the rent reasonableness check, preclearance and walkthrough. Our CityFHEPS guide for landlords covers the rest of the process.

Refusing to rent to someone because they have CityFHEPS is illegal source-of-income discrimination under the NYC Human Rights Law. Common examples: saying the apartment is no longer available right after a tenant mentions the voucher, applying a "40x the rent" income rule only to voucher holders, or advertising "no programs."

For how CityFHEPS compares with other programs, see CityFHEPS vs Section 8.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a shopping letter in NYC? It's the DSS notice that tells a household it is potentially eligible for CityFHEPS or FHEPS and shows the maximum rent the program will allow for that household. It's used to search for an apartment. It isn't final approval.

How long is a CityFHEPS shopping letter good for? 120 days, according to the City Council's June 2025 report. After that, eligibility must be recertified before a new letter is issued.

What happens if my shopping letter expires? Contact your case manager, housing specialist or Homebase worker and ask for a new one. DSS has testified that letters are renewed automatically for households that are still eligible, but that isn't written policy, so confirm it. The new letter may show a different maximum rent.

Is there a sample shopping letter or PDF I can download? No blank version is published, because each letter is generated for a specific household. The public companion notice, DSS-31, explains what the amount on the letter means and how utilities affect it. DSS-7n lists what the letter contains.

What are the shopping letter amounts for 2026? For CityFHEPS packages submitted on or after March 1, 2026 or leases starting April 1, 2026 or later: $2,604 for a studio, $2,734 for a one-bedroom, $2,997 for a two-bedroom, $3,753 for a three-bedroom and $4,077 for a four-bedroom, all utilities included. The full table is above.

Do FHEPS households get a shopping letter too? Yes. DSS-31 covers both FHEPS and CityFHEPS shopping letters. FHEPS can only be used within the five boroughs, while a CityFHEPS apartment can be anywhere in New York State. FHEPS has its own payment standard sheet, so check that sheet rather than assuming it matches the CityFHEPS table. See FHEPS vs CityFHEPS.

Do I have to show my shopping letter to landlords and brokers? Yes, and it's meant for them. Keep your Household Share Letter to yourself.

What if the apartment I want costs more than my maximum rent? CityFHEPS generally won't approve it, and you can't pay the difference on the side. Ask your case manager whether the unit can be escalated for review if there's a special circumstance, but don't count on it.

Who gives me a shopping letter if I'm not in shelter? Start with your local Homebase office (call 311 to find it). Homebase assesses eligibility for rental assistance and works with DSS on your case.

Where do I call if I can't reach my case manager? The DSS OneNumber, 718-557-1399, or 311 for Homebase and HRA office locations.

---

Looking for an apartment that accepts your voucher? Browse voucher-friendly listings on VoucherMatch.

Are you a landlord? List your property free and reach voucher holders who are ready to move.