How to Remove Someone from Your Section 8 Household in NYC
Quick answerIn New York City, as of October 2026, the head of household removes a member by telling the voucher agency in writing. NYCHA and HPD give you 30 days from the day the person leaves; NYS HCR gives 10 business days. NYCHA asks for no proof unless the person leaving is the head of household. HPD asks for the person's new lease or utility bill, or a death certificate.
Last checked: October 4, 2026, against NYCHA's Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan (effective May 2026), NYCHA's Section 8 tenant FAQ, recertification checklist and Self-Service Portal guide, HPD's Administrative Plan (April 15, 2025) and Form 3, NYS HCR's Administrative Plan Version 2026-2 (October 1, 2026), and 24 CFR 982.308, 982.312, 982.315, 982.516 and 982.551.
- 30 daysNYCHA and HPD deadline to report that a member left
- 10 business daysNYS HCR deadline for the same report
- 180 daysan absence this short still counts as temporary at NYCHA and HCR
- 90 daysthe absence after which HPD treats a member as gone
- 12 monthshow long a returning NYCHA member waits to be permanent again
- 718-707-7771NYCHA Customer Contact Center, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When You Need to Remove Someone
You need to remove a person once they no longer live in the apartment: a relative or roommate moved out, someone died, or a member has been away longer than your agency treats as temporary. Federal rules say the family "must promptly notify" the agency "if any family member no longer resides in the unit" (24 CFR 982.551).
Someone who is away for a while and coming back usually stays on the voucher, and their income still counts.
- NYCHAabsent 180 consecutive days or less and expected to return is "temporarily absent" and still a household member. Their income counts, except for a full-time student who documented the absence.
- HPDreport any member's absence over 30 consecutive days. After more than 90 days the member is "permanently absent", unless the reason is a hospital or rehab stay, school away from home, Armed Forces service, a temporary work assignment, foster care, joint custody, or jail or detention of up to 180 days.
- NYS HCR180 consecutive days or less is temporary; more than 180 is permanent. A student away at school stays a member. Someone permanently confined to a nursing home or hospital does not.
What it means: a child at college or a relative in the hospital for a few months does not need to come off the voucher.
Source: NYCHA Administrative Plan, effective May 2026, section V.D; HPD Administrative Plan, April 15, 2025, section 5.1.9; HCR Administrative Plan Version 2026-2, section 3-I.L.
Watch outRemoval is hard to undo. At NYCHA a former member who wants to return is added as a "conditional" member and becomes permanent only after one year of continuous occupancy, and until then cannot take over the voucher. HCR requires new approval and screening for a returning adult. The steps are in the guide to adding someone to your Section 8 voucher in NYC.
What Proof Each Agency Asks For
The three agencies do not ask for the same thing, and NYCHA asks for the least. In every case the request comes from the head of household. Neither NYCHA nor HPD asks for the departing person's signature.
| Question | NYCHA | HPD | NYS HCR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who asks | The voucher holder, in writing | The head of household, who signs Form 3 | The family tells its local administrator |
| Form | Portal request, Form 059.645, a signed Affidavit of Income, or a written statement | Form 3, Request to Remove a Household Member | No form name published |
| Proof the person left | None, unless the person removed is the head of household | New lease or utility bill in the person's name. If you have neither, explain why on the form | Lease or utility bill at another address, if the administrator asks |
| If the person died | Death certificate only when the person was the head of household | Death certificate, or the date of death | Not stated |
| Deadline | 30 days | 30 days, or your annual recertification if that comes first | 10 business days |
What it means: check which agency is named on your voucher paperwork before you collect documents.
Source: NYCHA recertification checklist (2023), NYCHA Section 8 tenant FAQ and Administrative Plan, section XIX and Appendix B; HPD Form 3 and HPD Administrative Plan, sections 10.5.1 and 13.3.5; HCR Administrative Plan, sections 7-II.D and 11-II.B.
NYCHA's checklist says supporting documentation "is only required if the individual being removed is the Head of Household and voucher holder", for example "a death certificate, or a letter from a medical facility." HPD's plan adds that where the usual proof is not available, HPD "will use its discretion" to accept something else. HCR's plan is dated October 1, 2026 and says new policies take effect sixty calendar days after publication. VoucherMatch could not tell which of its policies are new.
No agency document lists military orders, jail records or shelter letters as proof of removal. Under HPD's rules, military service and a jail stay of up to 180 days are temporary absences, so the person stays on the voucher.
How to Remove Someone: NYCHA
At NYCHA you file an interim recertification online, or send a written notice, within 30 days of the person leaving.
- 1Log ingo to the Self-Service Portal and select "View Details" under your Section 8 case.
- 2Start an interimchoose "Interim Recertification", then "Start/Finish my Interim Recertification".
- 3Remove the personon the list of active household members, select "A request to remove Family Member(s)" and say why the person needs to be removed.
- 4Submitconfirm, submit, and upload any documents the portal asks for.
What it means: this is the answer to "can I do it online", but the guide's screens are from 2020 and the labels may have changed.
Source: NYCHA's guide to interim change requests on the Self-Service Portal (2020) and Reporting Changes to Income and Family Composition.
- During annual recertification. include a written notice asking for the removal with your recertification package.
- Any other time. use NYCHA Form 059.645, Voucher Holder's Request for Interim Change. Call 718-707-7771 to get it.
- By mail. NYCHA Leased Housing Department, PO Box 19201, Long Island City, NY 11101.
- Keep your recertification current. NYCHA says a past-due annual recertification can delay an interim change.
What it means: a signed, dated letter naming the person and the date they left meets the plan's "written statement" rule.
Source: NYCHA Section 8 tenant FAQ, recertification checklist and the portal guide above.
NYCHA's FAQ lists walk-in centers at 787 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn and 1 Fordham Plaza, Bronx, open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays for recertification packages. It does not say whether they take a removal request by itself, so call first.
How to Remove Someone: HPD
At HPD you send Form 3 with proof of the person's new address within 30 days, or with your annual recertification if that is sooner.
- 1Fill in Form 3Request to Remove a Household Member. It asks for the person's name and Social Security number and your signature.
- 2Attach proofthe person's new lease or utility bill, a death certificate, or the date of death, which HPD verifies with the Social Security Administration.
- 3Send itupload to the Document Upload Portal, email DTRIncomeDecrease@hpd.nyc.gov, or fax 212-863-5299.
- 4Watch for the noticeHPD notifies you and the owner of any change in your share of the rent.
What it means: the routing sheet is from 2023, and HPD's forms page says to use DTRAI@hpd.nyc.gov if you are unsure where a document goes.
Source: HPD Form 3 (2023), HPD Section 8 forms page, HPD email routing sheet (2023) and HPD Administrative Plan, section 13.3.
For questions, HPD Client Services is 917-286-4300. The office at 100 Gold Street in Manhattan is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (HPD, About Section 8).
If NYS HCR holds your voucher
HCR publishes the rule but no form.
- Deadline: tell your local administrator within 10 business days.
- What follows: an interim reexamination, whether or not your income changes.
- Phone: call center 833-791-2748, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Online: the MyHousing Portal lets residents send documents to their caseworker. Whether a removal can be filed inside it could not be confirmed.
Source: HCR Administrative Plan, section 11-II.B and HCR, Section 8 program page.
How Removal Changes Your Rent and Bedroom Size
Your share of the rent is recalculated first, and your voucher size is reviewed later, at the annual recertification. No agency publishes how long it takes to process a removal.
- Day the person leavesthe reporting clock starts.
- Within 10 business daysHCR's deadline.
- Within 30 daysNYCHA's deadline, and HPD's unless your annual recertification comes sooner.
- First of the next montha lower share starts at NYCHA if you reported within 30 days and sent what was asked. Report late and it starts the month after NYCHA has your documents.
- 30 days after a noticea higher share starts the first of the month after NYCHA gives you 30 days' notice.
- Next annual recertificationthe payment standard for your new, smaller voucher size applies.
What it means: report inside the deadline even when the change lowers your rent, because the lower share is tied to it.
Source: NYCHA Administrative Plan, sections IX.C and XIX; HPD Administrative Plan, section 13.3.5; HCR Administrative Plan, section 11-II.B.
At HPD a decrease goes back to the first of the month after you reported, as long as your proof arrives within 90 days of the report (HPD plan, section 13.3.2).
Your share of the rent
Once a member is removed, that person's income stops counting. Your share is roughly 30% of the household's adjusted monthly income, so it falls when an earner leaves and rises slightly when a dependent child leaves.
View the data table
| Household | Monthly tenant share |
|---|---|
| Mother and adult son | $1,050 |
| Mother alone | $450 |
What it means: in this example the mother earns $18,000 a year and her son $24,000, with no deductions and a rent at or below the payment standard. Thirty percent of $42,000, divided by 12, is $1,050. Thirty percent of $18,000, divided by 12, is $450.
Source: VoucherMatch's arithmetic on hypothetical figures, using the share formula in 24 CFR 5.628.
ExampleIf a dependent child moves out instead, the household loses the $500 dependent deduction for 2026. Thirty percent of $500, divided by 12, adds about $12.50 a month to the share. The figures and the formula are explained in how to report an income change to Section 8 in NYC.
Your voucher size
A smaller household can mean a smaller voucher, and the smaller payment standard applies from the next annual recertification at all three agencies. Neither NYCHA's nor HCR's plan orders a move for that reason; the cost of the extra room shifts to you.
| People left in the household | NYCHA voucher size | HPD voucher size |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 bedroom | 1 bedroom |
| 2 | 1 bedroom for spouses, partners or two people of the same sex; 2 bedrooms for two people of different sexes | 2 bedrooms; 1 if the two are married or partnered |
| 3 | 2 or 3 bedrooms, depending on who they are | 3 bedrooms; 2 if two are partnered |
| 4 | 2 or 3 bedrooms, depending on who they are | 4 bedrooms; 3 if two are partnered |
What it means: a family of four that becomes three does not drop to a one-bedroom voucher at either agency.
Source: NYCHA Administrative Plan, section XI, Table 2 and section IX.C; HPD Administrative Plan, sections 7.2.4, 10.5.1 and 13.3.5.
If you stay in an apartment larger than your new voucher size:
- NYCHA: you pay "any additional cost that is over and above" the payment standard.
- HPD: an overhoused family must "relocate to an appropriately sized unit or pay the additional cost out of pocket."
Current amounts are in Section 8 payment standards in NYC.
Watch outAt HPD, if you report a smaller household late, the subsidy difference "may be charged to the family retroactively from the first day of the month following the change", and HPD keeps the right to end assistance for failing to report.
Removing the Head of Household, or Splitting Up
A voucher cannot be divided between two households, so when the head leaves or a couple separates, one side keeps it. NYCHA's plan says "NYCHA is not permitted to bifurcate a voucher." HPD's says "only one party may have use of the voucher."
- Head of household moves out (NYCHA)the current head asks in writing to be removed and surrenders the voucher. The next head must already be a permanent household member. If the family does not choose, NYCHA picks the eldest eligible member.
- Separation (HPD)the voucher follows full legal custody of minor children, then where the children live more than half the year. Between two adult co-heads with no minor children, the original head keeps it.
- Court orderin a divorce or separation, the agency is bound by the court's decision on who keeps the assistance.
- NYS HCRonly one of the new families stays assisted. Without a court decision or an agreement, the local administrator decides.
What it means: if the head of household died, the rules and deadlines are in the guide to what happens to Section 8 when the head of household dies.
Source: NYCHA Administrative Plan, sections V.B, XXIII and Appendix B; HPD Administrative Plan, sections 2.5.5 and 5.1.4; HCR Administrative Plan, section 3-I.C; 24 CFR 982.315.
If the person you need removed is abusing you
Where a household breaks up because of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, federal rules say the agency "must ensure that the victim retains assistance" (24 CFR 982.315).
- NYCHA: with documentation that identifies victim and abuser, NYCHA processes a transfer for the victim and starts termination proceedings against the abuser. If the abuser is the voucher holder, you have 90 calendar days from the end of their subsidy to qualify as the new voucher holder.
- HPD: HPD can end the abuser's assistance and continue yours by transferring the voucher or issuing a separate one. VAWA requests go to DTR_VAWA@hpd.nyc.gov.
The forms and what stays confidential are in Section 8 emergency transfers in NYC. New York City's Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-621-4673. If you are in danger now, call 911.
What Landlords Should Know
No agency document reviewed for this article gives the owner an approval role when a member is removed. The tenant reports to the agency, and NYCHA and HPD both notify the owner if the tenant's share or the subsidy payment changes.
- Lease changes: if you and the tenant agree to change the lease, federal rules require the change in writing and a copy sent to the agency at once (24 CFR 982.308). Taking a name off does not need a new subsidy contract. None of the agency documents reviewed requires a lease amendment for a removal.
- A removed person who still lives there: only approved members may live in the unit. HPD can end assistance when an unapproved person stays more than 90 days.
Source: NYCHA Administrative Plan, sections V.C and XIX.A; HPD Administrative Plan, section 13.3 and chapter 15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove someone from my Section 8 voucher online? Yes at NYCHA and HPD.
- NYCHA: Self-Service Portal, interim recertification, request to remove a family member
- HPD: upload Form 3 through the Document Upload Portal
- HCR: no online removal step published
Can the head of household remove someone without their agreement? For the voucher, yes: only the head can ask, and neither NYCHA nor HPD requires the other person's signature. But the person has to be gone. HPD's Form 3 warns that false statements are punishable under federal law and can end your assistance.
What if the person won't leave the apartment? The agency documents do not solve this. Taking a name off the voucher does not make an adult move out, and an unapproved occupant puts the voucher at risk. Whether and how you can make the person leave is a question of New York landlord-tenant law, so speak with a legal services office before filing.
What if the household member died? Report it within the same deadline.
- HPD: a death certificate, or the date of death on Form 3
- NYCHA: a death certificate only when the person who died was the head of household, within 30 days of the death
Will removing someone change my rent? Usually.
- Income: the person's income stops counting, which lowers your share if they earned money
- Voucher size: it may shrink at the next annual recertification, which can raise your share if you stay in the larger apartment
How long does it take? No agency publishes a processing time for a removal. Federal rules say interim reviews should be done within a reasonable time, generally no more than 30 days after a change is reported (24 CFR 982.516).
How do I remove someone from my HRA case? That is a different agency. HRA runs Cash Assistance, SNAP and CityFHEPS, not Section 8. HRA announced in 2020 that Cash Assistance clients can ask to remove a case member in ACCESS HRA. Its current steps were not verified.
Which agency do I contact? The one named on your voucher paperwork: NYCHA, HPD or NYS HCR. If your household has shrunk and you are looking for a smaller place, you can browse apartments that accept vouchers.
Sources for this article (21)
- 24 CFR 982.551 (ecfr.gov)
- NYCHA Administrative Plan, effective May 2026, section V.D (nyc.gov)
- HPD Administrative Plan, April 15, 2025, section 5.1.9 (nyc.gov)
- HCR Administrative Plan Version 2026-2, section 3-I.L (hcr.ny.gov)
- NYCHA recertification checklist (nyc.gov)
- NYCHA Section 8 tenant FAQ (nyc.gov)
- HPD Form 3 (nyc.gov)
- Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info)
- NYCHA's guide to interim change requests on the Self-Service Portal (www1.nyc.gov)
- Reporting Changes to Income and Family Composition (nyc.gov)
- Document Upload Portal (a806-asap.nyc.gov)
- HPD Section 8 forms page (nyc.gov)
- HPD email routing sheet (nyc.gov)
- HPD, About Section 8 (nyc.gov)
- MyHousing Portal (section8.hcr.ny.gov)
- HCR, Section 8 program page (hcr.ny.gov)
- 24 CFR 5.628 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.315 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.308 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.516 (ecfr.gov)
- ACCESS HRA (nyc.gov)
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