According to the RGP manual, the tenant eligible related to income is the countable income that must be at or below 60% of the area's median income in the month of application, as determined by HUD HOME Income Limits. Count the earned and unearned income of every adult person in the household to determine financial eligibility for the program. Once income is certified, it does not need to be recertified prior to placement in permanent housing. Tenants have 18 months from tenant readiness education completion and tenant certification to final placement in permanent housing, in which to use the guarantee.
Examples of earned and unearned income that does count for this program:
- Gross Wages, salaries, and tips
- Overtime pay, bonuses, and commissions
- Net earnings from self-employment
- Income from day labor, seasonal work, or as an independent contractor
- Military pay
- Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Unemployment,
- Disability payments,
- Worker's compensation
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Tribal Benefits
- SNAP Benefits
- Veterans' Affairs (VA) payments
- Pensions and annuities
- Alimony and child support payments
- Any "other" assistance that exceeds the student's actual educational expenses is counted as income for the household.
Examples of earned and unearned income that doesn't count for this program:
- All student loans, like FASFA, are excluded from income because they are not a net gain in wealth.
- The full amount of federal HEA assistance is excluded from the household income calculation, regardless of the amount.
- Payments from a family's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) account
- Non-recurring income, such as lottery winnings or gifts for special events
- Gifted Funds
- Temporary, non-recurring, or sporadic payments
- Adoption assistance payments
- Distributions from trusts under specific conditions