Income changes must be reported by completing the Income and Household Changes Form and submitting it to the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) by:
- Emailing the application to the household’s assigned Housing Assistant;
- Emailing the application to familychanges@sdhc.org; or
- Mailing the application to:
San Diego Housing Commission
Rental Assistance Division
1122 Broadway, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92101
You may also request an Interim Application to be mailed to you for completion by calling your Housing Assistant.
Increases in Income
Income increases must be reported on the “Personal Declaration” form during the recertification process that is conducted every two years.
Program participants are not required to report income increases that occur in between recertification years.
Exceptions
Zero-income households must report any income increases within 10 days of the change. A notice of rent change will be sent to the participant within 30 days of the notice.
Decreases in Income
Participants can report an income decrease, which may reduce the amount they pay toward their rent.
An Income Decrease notification must be made in writing.
When the participant reports an income decrease, the Housing Assistant will assess if the household is eligible for an adjustment to their portion of the rent. If the household is eligible, the Housing Assistant will send a “Personal Declaration – Decrease of Income” form, which must be completed and returned to SDHC.
The Housing Assistant will determine if the household is eligible for a reduction to their rent portion by verifying the new family income, replacement income and/or deductions for each household member experiencing the decrease in income.
If the total household income has decreased and the family is eligible for a reduction to their portion of the rent, the Housing Assistant will verify the new family income, replacement income and/or deductions for each household member experiencing the decrease in income.
The new verified income, along with income data from the last certification, will be used to calculate the revised rent portion.
If the household is eligible for a reduction in their portion of the rent, the reduction will take effect on the first day of the month after SDHC has received all of the required documents.
Reporting Replacement Income
The “Personal Declaration – Decrease of Income” must report replacement income. Replacement income is any income the family now receives in replacement of their previous income.
For example, if the family reports the loss of their welfare grant because they started a job, the income from their job is considered replacement income. A decrease in their rent portion will only occur if the replacement income is less than the amount of income they lost.
If the family is ineligible for a decrease in their rent portion, the Housing Assistant will send a “No Change Letter” to the participant.
The household’s portion of the rent will not be adjusted if:
- The income decrease is anticipated to last less than 90 days;
- The total household income has remained the same or increased;
- The income decrease is due to a welfare assistance reduction because of fraud, failure to participate in an economic self-sufficiency program, or non-compliance with work activity requirements; and/or
- The participant fails to provide the requested information by the required due date.
Additional Criteria for Work-Able Families
SDHC identifies a household as Work-Able if at least one adult is under 55, not disabled, and not a full-time student ages 18-23.
Effective July 1, 2024:
SDHC identifies a household as Work-Able if at least one adult is under 62, not disabled, and not a full-time student ages 18-23.
The Work-Able household’s rent portion will not be adjusted if:
- The family has already received an interim adjustment for decreased income within the last 12 months;
- The family is determined to be at least partially responsible for the loss of an income source (for example, voluntarily terminates an income source, terminated from job for cause, or fails to comply with eligibility guidelines for an income source); and/or
- The decreased income would reduce the family’s rent portion by less than 21 percent, unless the total household income has been reduced to zero.
Forms & Documents
Income and Household Changes
Interim Changes FAQ
Important Interim Policy Changes for Income Decreases
