How to count your household income for a housing lottery

Whether you qualify depends on your household's yearly income, so it has to be right on the application. This follows HPD's own income guide.

Whose income counts

Add up the income of everyone who will live in the apartment. Count what you earn now and expect to keep earning, not just last year's tax return: eligibility is based on what you'll make going forward.

Wages from a job

Use the amount before taxes and deductions (gross), including tips, overtime, vacation pay and regular bonuses or commissions. To turn pay into a yearly amount:

Hourly: hourly pay x hours per week x weeks you work per year.
Weekly: x 52. Every two weeks: x 26. Twice a month: x 24. Monthly: x 12.
Occasional or seasonal work: average the last three years, estimate this year, and use the higher number.

On Housing Connect you don't need to do the math: it converts your pay into a yearly amount as you fill in your profile.

Self-employment

Use your income after business expenses (net). If it changes from year to year, average the last two or three years of tax returns, counting a year with a loss as $0, or use this year's estimate if you expect it to be different. You need documents showing at least two years of self-employment in that work by the time you're picked; with less, you're likely not eligible. Include the income on the application anyway: it can take months to be picked, and you may have two years by then.

Other regular income

Count money you receive regularly (weekly, monthly or yearly), for the full year, even if it will stop soon:

Social Security or SSI (the amount before deductions), pensions and annuities.
Unemployment benefits, workers' compensation and disability insurance.
Public assistance, child support and alimony.
Interest and dividends, and net income from rental property.
Gifts: when someone who doesn't live with you regularly gives you money or pays your bills, for example a parent paying your electric bill every month.

What doesn't count

Earnings of children under 18.
Anything above $480 a year earned by a full-time student over 18 who is claimed as a dependent.
One-time payments, such as an inheritance, an insurance payout or a one-time gift.
SNAP (food stamps), free school lunch and meals for the elderly.
Payments for medical expenses, foster care payments and student aid.

Then compare it with the listing

Your total must be between the listing's minimum and maximum for your household size: see NYC housing lottery income limits 2026. If your income changes before you're picked, bring proof of the new amount; the building recalculates it.

Checked against official NYC sources on October 31, 2026.