The Housing Credit

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) is our nation’s primary tool to create and preserve affordable rental housing.

  • Since 1986, the Housing Credit has financed the development of more than 3.3 million affordable homes in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
  • These apartments have provided affordable homes to eight million low-income households, including veterans of the armed forces, senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, families with children, and low-wage workers.

The Housing Credit generates economic activity, tax revenue, and jobs

  • Since 1986 the Housing Credit has generated $593 billion in wages and business income and $206 billion in tax revenue, and has supported 5.2 million jobs, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The Housing Credit serves millions of households in need

  • Households living in Housing Credit properties have a median annual income of less than $18,000. Nearly 45 percent of households are extremely low-income, making 30 percent or less of area median income, according to HUD data.
  • These households have few options in the private market, and many are at risk of eviction and homelessness.

Housing Credit properties are safe, decent, and financially stable

  • Due to strong private-sector oversight stemming from the Housing Credit’s public-private partnership model, properties are built to durable, high-quality standards.
  • Since inception, the total foreclosure rate for all Housing Credit properties has been only 0.65 percent, which is lower than any real estate asset class, according to accounting firm CohnReznick.

The Housing Credit is designed to work in all types of communities

  • Housing Credit properties are built in large and small urban areas, suburban communities, rural towns, and in Native American communities.
  •  The Housing Credit is administered at the state level, and state allocating agencies set their own affordable housing priorities and award Housing Credits accordingly – for example, they may prioritize housing for seniors, veterans, rural areas, and other special populations or regions.
  • The Housing Credit has also been key to recovering from natural disasters – from Hurricane Katrina to the floods in Iowa.

The Housing Credit can and should serve even more households

  • There is a vast and growing demand for affordable housing. More than 10 million low-income households spend more than half of their monthly income on rent, cutting into other essential expenses like childcare, medicine, groceries and transportation, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
  • Meanwhile, there is a growing need for affordable housing: For every 100 extremely low-income households, there are only 36 affordable homes available, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
  • Virtually no new affordable housing can be constructed without the Housing Credit. As the affordable housing crisis continues to grow, it will be essential to expand and strengthen the Housing Credit.