Affordable housing income limits released for 2021

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, May 28, 2021

HONOLULU – The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) has released the 2021 affordable housing income limits. They serve as guidelines in qualifying purchasers and renters for affordable units as required under various city programs.

Income limits declined 4.0 percent, on average, from 2020. It is the third such drop since 2000; previous declines were in 2011 (-0.1%) and 2001 (-2.2%). In addition, allowable maximum rents for affordable units dropped this year by an average of 7.1 percent.

The affordable housing income limits are based on the multifamily tax subsidy project income limits set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Beginning this year, the DPP revised its method of calculating income limits to match that of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC), a state agency that oversees development and operation of many state-sponsored affordable units.

The DPP sets housing expenditure thresholds based on income limits to determine rent guidelines for various income groups and household sizes in Honolulu. For example, the income limit for a household of four at the median level (100 percent) in 2021 is $120,800, down from last year’s $125,850. The maximum monthly rent for this household is $2,720 for a two-bedroom unit, according to DPP calculations, down from last year’s maximum rent of $2,975.

A complete list of the 2021 affordable housing income limits and maximum rents by income groups and household size is available at https://bit.ly/3fLFQXs.

—PAU—