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Author: Mark Ainely | Partner GC Realty & Development & Co-Host Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast
Between clients looking to hire GC Realty for property management and listeners of the podcast reaching out, one question comes up constantly: What rent can I get if I get a section 8 tenant in my rental? I usually end up walking people through the same explanation, that there isn't one number for the Chicagoland market, each county and some towns have their own agency and they are all ran very different, and then pointing them toward wherever that agency happens to publish its numbers. After doing that enough times, it made sense to put all that info in one place.
That's what this is. A word of caution before you use it. This is the most accurate information I could aggregate at the time of writing, pulled directly from each agency's own published documents, but these agencies update their numbers, sometimes without much notice, and I was not able to get a clean 2026 figure for every single one. Please double check online or call the housing authority directly before making any major purchasing or leasing decision based on what's below. My guess is that everything here is close, within a few percent at worst, but always double check what you read online. LOL.
Key Takeaways
Northeast Illinois is not covered by one Section 8 agency. It is covered by more than a dozen, and each one sets its own payment standard, even when they are pulling from the same underlying HUD rent data.
CHA runs Chicago proper. Everything else in the region is split across county level authorities (HACC, Lake County, DuPage, Kendall, Will, McHenry, DeKalb, Elgin, Aurora) plus a handful of small municipal authorities (Oak Park, Cicero) that predate the county consolidations and never merged in.
A few Cook County towns that look like they should fall under HACC do not. Maywood is administered by the Housing Authority of Joliet, a Will County agency, following Maywood's own authority dissolving in 2020. Harvey and Evanston no longer appear as independent PHAs at all in HUD's current registry.
Payment standards are set as a percentage of Fair Market Rent, usually somewhere between 90 percent and 120 percent, and some agencies (HACC, Oak Park, DuPage, Elgin, Lake County) use Small Area Fair Market Rents broken out by zip code rather than one flat number for the whole jurisdiction.
Know which agency actually covers your property's zip code before you quote a number to an applicant or a prospective Section 8 tenant. Guessing based on county lines alone will get you the wrong figure more often than you'd expect.
Why there is no single "Cook County number"
We covered Cook County's own payment standard mechanics in an earlier piece. Landlords who own outside Cook County, or across several counties like most of our owners do, kept asking us the same question: is there one place to look this up for the rest of the region? There isn't. It's worth understanding why, because the mechanics behind these numbers stay the same even after the dollar figures themselves get revised, which happens at least once a year.
Every Section 8 payment standard traces back to a Fair Market Rent published annually by HUD for the Chicago Naperville Elgin metro area. From there, each Public Housing Agency, PHA for short, independently decides what percentage of that Fair Market Rent it will actually pay out, typically somewhere between 90 percent and 120 percent. A well funded PHA in a higher cost pocket of the region might sit at 110 or 120 percent. A smaller or tighter budgeted PHA might sit closer to 90 or 100 percent. We don't see too many Chicagoland PHAs hit the higher end of that range, but downstate agencies like Champaign have been known to run in the upper end of the scale. Some PHAs also adopt Small Area Fair Market Rents, which break the number out by zip code instead of applying one flat rate across their whole jurisdiction.
That means two things for a landlord: the same three bedroom unit can have a meaningfully different payment standard depending on which PHA has jurisdiction over that address, and the number changes at least once a year, sometimes more.
Who actually administers Section 8 in northeast Illinois
Cook County
Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) covers the city of Chicago only. CHA does not use a published, uniform payment standard chart the way suburban agencies do. Each voucher and unit is evaluated individually, so there is no single number to quote for a Chicago address. A few things drive that case by case number:
Voucher size. CHA sizes the voucher to household composition, roughly one bedroom per two people, with the household's makeup (ages, relationships, gender) determining how bedrooms get allocated. HUD has historically allowed exceptions to that standard, but those exceptions have been getting scaled back in 2026 as HUD has reduced the funding available to CHA and Cook County housing programs.
Rent reasonableness. Before CHA approves a rent amount, it compares the landlord's asking rent against comparable unassisted units in that specific building or immediate area. The final number is negotiated within that comparison, not pulled off a published schedule.
Mobility Area incentives. CHA designates certain community areas as Mobility Areas, defined by a poverty rate under 20 percent and a low violent crime rate. Landlords new to the program who rent a unit in one of those areas to a CHA voucher holder receive a one time incentive payment equal to the full contract rent of the unit, on top of the normal monthly subsidy. A unit just outside a Mobility Area boundary does not qualify, no matter how close it sits.
Because the number comes out of a negotiation rather than a chart, a landlord can decline a voucher holder based on the rent CHA offers, but cannot decline based on credit score or income once CHA has approved the applicant for that unit.
Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) covers suburban Cook County, meaning everywhere in the county outside the city of Chicago and outside a small number of towns that run their own separate housing authority (see below). HACC uses Small Area Fair Market Rents broken out by zip code, grouped into lettered rent zones.
HACC's payment standard works off 26 lettered rent zones (A through Z), and every zip code in suburban Cook County is mapped to one of those letters. Here is the full 2026 schedule, effective January 1, 2026:
| Zone | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR | 6BR | 7BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $1,040 | $1,145 | $1,310 | $1,660 | $1,960 | $2,250 | $2,515 | $2,845 |
| B | $1,095 | $1,200 | $1,360 | $1,730 | $2,050 | $2,300 | $2,620 | $2,910 |
| C | $1,130 | $1,220 | $1,400 | $1,760 | $2,090 | $2,400 | $2,720 | $3,000 |
| D | $1,150 | $1,240 | $1,420 | $1,795 | $2,135 | $2,435 | $2,780 | $3,075 |
| E | $1,180 | $1,270 | $1,460 | $1,830 | $2,200 | $2,510 | $2,840 | $3,140 |
| F | $1,210 | $1,300 | $1,495 | $1,895 | $2,255 | $2,570 | $2,915 | $3,215 |
| G | $1,250 | $1,350 | $1,530 | $1,960 | $2,340 | $2,670 | $3,030 | $3,300 |
| H | $1,275 | $1,380 | $1,575 | $2,000 | $2,375 | $2,725 | $3,085 | $3,400 |
| I | $1,300 | $1,400 | $1,600 | $2,050 | $2,440 | $2,775 | $3,135 | $3,490 |
| J | $1,325 | $1,435 | $1,640 | $2,095 | $2,475 | $2,830 | $3,205 | $3,570 |
| K | $1,350 | $1,460 | $1,670 | $2,120 | $2,505 | $2,880 | $3,250 | $3,625 |
| L | $1,370 | $1,480 | $1,690 | $2,140 | $2,530 | $2,910 | $3,290 | $3,670 |
| M | $1,405 | $1,500 | $1,725 | $2,195 | $2,590 | $2,965 | $3,330 | $3,715 |
| N | $1,450 | $1,555 | $1,780 | $2,270 | $2,685 | $3,055 | $3,445 | $3,805 |
| O | $1,485 | $1,590 | $1,820 | $2,305 | $2,740 | $3,145 | $3,510 | $3,915 |
| P | $1,525 | $1,640 | $1,870 | $2,375 | $2,830 | $3,220 | $3,585 | $4,020 |
| Q | $1,585 | $1,680 | $1,930 | $2,430 | $2,930 | $3,310 | $3,690 | $4,145 |
| R | $1,620 | $1,720 | $1,975 | $2,505 | $3,025 | $3,395 | $3,825 | $4,270 |
| S | $1,670 | $1,775 | $2,040 | $2,600 | $3,090 | $3,550 | $3,915 | $4,380 |
| T | $1,715 | $1,840 | $2,090 | $2,660 | $3,185 | $3,625 | $4,010 | $4,535 |
| U | $1,760 | $1,880 | $2,140 | $2,735 | $3,250 | $3,715 | $4,125 | $4,660 |
| V | $1,800 | $1,935 | $2,195 | $2,800 | $3,330 | $3,810 | $4,290 | $4,755 |
| W | $1,870 | $2,000 | $2,280 | $2,900 | $3,400 | $3,900 | $4,400 | $4,910 |
| X | $1,950 | $2,100 | $2,350 | $2,990 | $3,540 | $4,100 | $4,520 | $5,135 |
| Y | $2,000 | $2,180 | $2,440 | $3,170 | $3,650 | $4,295 | $4,765 | $5,370 |
| Z | $2,035 | $2,245 | $2,570 | $3,200 | $3,800 | $4,425 | $4,950 | $5,545 |
Zone letters get reassigned each year, so match your zip code to its current zone using HACC's own published zip code list rather than assuming last year's zone still applies.
Here's the full zip code to zone lookup, straight from HACC's own 2026 published list, so you don't have to go hunting for it separately:
| Zip | Zone | Zip | Zone | Zip | Zone | Zip | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60004 | T | 60005 | O | 60006 | L | 60007 | P |
| 60008 | Q | 60009 | L | 60010 | Z | 60011 | M |
| 60015 | Z | 60016 | N | 60017 | L | 60018 | E |
| 60022 | Y | 60025 | R | 60026 | X | 60029 | U |
| 60043 | Z | 60053 | Z | 60056 | O | 60062 | W |
| 60065 | L | 60067 | S | 60068 | Q | 60070 | J |
| 60074 | N | 60076 | P | 60077 | N | 60078 | L |
| 60089 | X | 60090 | P | 60091 | Z | 60093 | Y |
| 60103 | W | 60104 | F | 60107 | X | 60120 | G |
| 60126 | V | 60130 | I | 60131 | B | 60133 | P |
| 60141 | A | 60153 | E | 60154 | T | 60155 | D |
| 60159 | L | 60160 | F | 60161 | L | 60162 | N |
| 60163 | C | 60164 | B | 60165 | F | 60168 | L |
| 60169 | Q | 60171 | G | 60172 | S | 60173 | W |
| 60176 | G | 60192 | Z | 60193 | U | 60194 | V |
| 60195 | S | 60201 | X | 60202 | T | 60203 | Y |
| 60204 | L | 60305 | N | 60406 | A | 60409 | D |
| 60411 | C | 60412 | L | 60415 | D | 60418 | I |
| 60419 | Q | 60422 | Z | 60423 | O | 60425 | U |
| 60426 | C | 60428 | R | 60429 | P | 60430 | K |
| 60438 | F | 60439 | J | 60443 | Q | 60445 | E |
| 60452 | G | 60453 | H | 60454 | L | 60455 | B |
| 60456 | K | 60457 | C | 60458 | H | 60459 | I |
| 60461 | Z | 60462 | N | 60463 | U | 60464 | Y |
| 60465 | G | 60466 | N | 60467 | V | 60469 | I |
| 60471 | I | 60472 | G | 60473 | V | 60475 | A |
| 60476 | F | 60477 | M | 60478 | T | 60480 | M |
| 60482 | E | 60484 | N | 60487 | K | 60499 | L |
| 60501 | A | 60513 | F | 60521 | Z | 60525 | J |
| 60526 | K | 60527 | U | 60534 | D | 60546 | H |
| 60558 | Z | 60633 | D | 60638 | F | 60643 | H |
| 60646 | L | 60655 | I | 60656 | M | 60706 | G |
| 60707 | I | 60712 | Z | 60714 | I | 60803 | C |
| 60805 | J | 60827 | C |
Oak Park Housing Authority (OPHA) is a separate, independent agency that has never been part of HACC. It publishes its own payment standard by zip code:
| Zip Code | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60301 | $2,442 | $2,607 | $2,937 | $3,784 | $4,378 | $5,034 |
| 60302 | $1,639 | $1,749 | $1,969 | $2,541 | $2,937 | $3,377 |
| 60303 | $1,430 | $1,530 | $1,730 | $2,220 | $2,610 | $3,001 |
| 60304 | $1,485 | $1,595 | $1,793 | $2,310 | $2,673 | $3,073 |
Housing Authority of the Town of Cicero and Housing Authority of Park Forest are also independent, separate from HACC. Neither publishes a public payment standard table, so landlords in either town should call the agency directly for a current figure.
Maywood, Harvey, and Evanston are commonly assumed to have their own housing authorities, or to have had one at some point. None of that is accurate today.
Maywood Housing Authority dissolved in 2020. Administration transferred to the Housing Authority of Joliet, a Will County agency, effective June 30, 2020. So a landlord in Maywood, which sits in Cook County, actually deals with a Will County PHA, not HACC. See the Will County section below for Maywood's actual, current numbers.
Harvey does not appear as an independent PHA in HUD's current registry. Older directory sites still list a Harvey Housing Authority, but it is not active in HUD's system today.
Evanston also does not appear as an independent PHA in HUD's current registry. Evanston voucher holders fall under HACC.
DuPage and Kendall Counties
DuPage Housing Authority (DHA) and Kendall Housing Authority (KHA) share one office in Wheaton and one administrative team, though they are two separate HUD listed agencies. DHA's 2026 schedule, effective January 1, 2026:
| Zip Code | Town | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR | 6BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60101 | Addison | $1,300 | $1,390 | $1,570 | $2,020 | $2,340 | $2,691 | $3,042 |
| 60103 | Bartlett | $1,900 | $2,030 | $2,290 | $2,950 | $3,410 | $3,922 | $4,433 |
| 60106 | Bensenville | $1,430 | $1,530 | $1,720 | $2,210 | $2,560 | $2,944 | $3,328 |
| 60108 | Bloomingdale | $1,690 | $1,800 | $2,030 | $2,610 | $3,020 | $3,473 | $3,926 |
| 60188 | Carol Stream | $1,500 | $1,610 | $1,810 | $2,330 | $2,700 | $3,105 | $3,510 |
| 60514 | Clarendon Hills | $1,280 | $1,370 | $1,540 | $1,980 | $2,290 | $2,634 | $2,977 |
| 60561 | Darien | $1,820 | $1,940 | $2,190 | $2,820 | $3,260 | $3,749 | $4,238 |
| 60515 | Downers Grove | $1,750 | $1,870 | $2,110 | $2,720 | $3,140 | $3,611 | $4,082 |
| 60516 | Downers Grove | $1,730 | $1,850 | $2,080 | $2,680 | $3,100 | $3,565 | $4,030 |
| 60126 | Elmhurst | $1,960 | $2,090 | $2,360 | $3,040 | $3,520 | $4,048 | $4,576 |
| 60137 | Glen Ellyn | $1,360 | $1,460 | $1,640 | $2,110 | $2,440 | $2,806 | $3,172 |
| 60138 | Glen Ellyn | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60139 | Glendale Heights | $1,600 | $1,710 | $1,930 | $2,490 | $2,880 | $3,312 | $3,744 |
| 60133 | Hanover Park | $1,570 | $1,680 | $1,890 | $2,430 | $2,820 | $3,243 | $3,666 |
| 60521 | Hinsdale | $2,040 | $2,170 | $2,450 | $3,160 | $3,650 | $4,198 | $4,745 |
| 60522 | Hinsdale | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60143 | Itasca | $1,770 | $1,890 | $2,130 | $2,740 | $3,170 | $3,646 | $4,121 |
| 60439 | Lemont / Woodridge / Willow Springs | $1,290 | $1,380 | $1,550 | $2,000 | $2,310 | $2,657 | $3,003 |
| 60532 | Lisle | $1,690 | $1,810 | $2,040 | $2,630 | $3,040 | $3,496 | $3,952 |
| 60148 | Lombard | $1,820 | $1,940 | $2,190 | $2,820 | $3,260 | $3,749 | $4,238 |
| 60157 | Medinah / Bloomingdale | $1,700 | $1,820 | $2,040 | $2,630 | $3,040 | $3,496 | $3,952 |
| 60540 | Naperville | $1,970 | $2,100 | $2,370 | $3,050 | $3,530 | $4,060 | $4,589 |
| 60563 | Naperville | $1,990 | $2,130 | $2,400 | $3,090 | $3,580 | $4,117 | $4,654 |
| 60564 | Naperville | $2,220 | $2,370 | $2,670 | $3,440 | $3,980 | $4,577 | $5,174 |
| 60565 | Naperville | $1,890 | $2,010 | $2,270 | $2,920 | $3,380 | $3,887 | $4,394 |
| 60566 | Naperville | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60567 | Naperville | $1,630 | $1,740 | $1,960 | $2,530 | $2,920 | $3,358 | $3,796 |
| 60523 | Oak Brook | $970 | $1,040 | $1,170 | $1,510 | $1,740 | $2,001 | $2,262 |
| 60172 | Roselle | $1,660 | $1,780 | $2,000 | $2,580 | $2,980 | $3,427 | $3,874 |
| 60181 | Villa Park / Oak Brook Terrace | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60555 | Warrenville | $1,790 | $1,910 | $2,150 | $2,770 | $3,200 | $3,680 | $4,160 |
| 60185 | West Chicago | $1,450 | $1,550 | $1,750 | $2,250 | $2,610 | $3,002 | $3,393 |
| 60186 | West Chicago | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60559 | Westmont | $1,580 | $1,690 | $1,900 | $2,450 | $2,830 | $3,255 | $3,679 |
| 60187 | Wheaton | $1,770 | $1,890 | $2,130 | $2,740 | $3,170 | $3,646 | $4,121 |
| 60189 | Wheaton | $1,820 | $1,940 | $2,190 | $2,820 | $3,260 | $3,749 | $4,238 |
| 60527 | Willowbrook / Burr Ridge | $1,670 | $1,780 | $2,010 | $2,590 | $2,990 | $3,439 | $3,887 |
| 60190 | Winfield | $1,710 | $1,840 | $2,090 | $2,660 | $3,150 | $3,623 | $4,095 |
| 60191 | Wood Dale | $1,740 | $1,860 | $2,100 | $2,700 | $3,130 | $3,600 | $4,069 |
| 60517 | Woodridge | $1,560 | $1,670 | $1,880 | $2,420 | $2,800 | $3,220 | $3,640 |
DHA also lists two Aurora zip codes, 60502 and 60504, at roughly $2,000 to $2,010 for a studio up to $4,140 to $4,680 for a six bedroom, but with an important caveat printed directly on their own document: those figures apply to current tenants only, DHA is not currently leasing new units in Aurora. New Aurora placements fall to the Housing Authority of the City of Aurora instead (see Kane County below).
Lake County
Lake County Housing Authority (LCHA) covers all of Lake County except the cities of Waukegan and North Chicago, which each run their own separate PHA. LCHA's 2026 schedule, effective January 1, 2026:
| Zip | Primary City | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60002 | Antioch | $1,250 | $1,340 | $1,510 | $1,940 | $2,280 | $2,622 |
| 60010 | Barrington | $2,190 | $2,340 | $2,670 | $3,440 | $3,980 | $4,577 |
| 60011 | Barrington | $1,470 | $1,570 | $1,770 | $2,500 | $2,800 | $3,070 |
| 60013 | Cary (Lake County only) | $1,450 | $1,550 | $1,750 | $2,250 | $2,619 | $3,012 |
| 60015 | Deerfield | $2,190 | $2,340 | $2,640 | $3,390 | $3,980 | $4,577 |
| 60020 | Fox Lake | $1,370 | $1,470 | $1,660 | $2,130 | $2,500 | $2,875 |
| 60021 | Fox River Grove (Lake County only) | $2,000 | $2,135 | $2,405 | $3,100 | $3,590 | $4,120 |
| 60030 | Grayslake | $1,630 | $1,740 | $1,970 | $2,700 | $3,020 | $3,415 |
| 60031 | Gurnee | $1,690 | $1,800 | $2,030 | $2,610 | $3,020 | $3,473 |
| 60035 | Highland Park | $2,070 | $2,220 | $2,530 | $3,220 | $3,810 | $4,381 |
| 60040 | Highwood | $1,860 | $2,000 | $2,240 | $2,880 | $3,340 | $3,841 |
| 60041 | Ingleside | $1,190 | $1,280 | $1,450* | $1,870* | $2,165* | $2,490* |
| 60042 | Island Lake | $1,685 | $1,800 | $2,025 | $2,610 | $3,045 | $3,500 |
| 60044 | Lake Bluff | $1,600 | $1,750 | $1,900 | $2,450 | $2,900 | $3,285 |
| 60045 | Lake Forest | $2,220 | $2,370 | $2,670 | $3,440 | $3,980 | $4,577 |
| 60046 | Lake Villa | $1,690 | $1,810 | $2,040 | $2,630 | $2,750 | $3,150 |
| 60047 | Lake Zurich | $1,970 | $2,110 | $2,390 | $3,060 | $3,600 | $4,140 |
| 60048 | Libertyville | $1,710 | $1,830 | $2,070 | $2,660 | $3,120 | $3,588 |
| 60050 | McHenry (Lake County only) | $1,425 | $1,525 | $1,750 | $2,225 | $2,600 | $2,985 |
| 60051 | McHenry (Lake County only) | $1,775 | $1,905 | $2,170 | $2,765 | $3,270 | $3,760 |
| 60060 | Mundelein | $1,660 | $1,770 | $2,000 | $2,600 | $3,020 | $3,475 |
| 60061 | Vernon Hills | $1,900 | $2,050 | $2,310 | $2,975 | $3,480 | $4,005 |
| 60064 | North Chicago (unincorporated) | $1,190 | $1,400 | $1,715 | $2,015 | $2,400 | $2,495 |
| 60069 | Lincolnshire | $2,000 | $2,135 | $2,405 | $3,100 | $3,585 | $4,120 |
| 60073 | Round Lake | $1,590 | $1,700 | $1,920 | $2,500 | $2,900 | $3,335 |
| 60074 | Palatine (Lake County only) | $1,425 | $1,525 | $1,715 | $2,205 | $2,550 | $2,930 |
| 60081 | Spring Grove | $1,375* | $1,474* | $1,661* | $2,134* | $2,475* | $2,845* |
| 60083 | Wadsworth | $1,730 | $1,845 | $2,100 | $2,685 | $3,160 | $3,635 |
| 60084 | Wauconda | $1,370 | $1,470 | $1,660 | $2,200 | $2,500 | $2,875 |
| 60085 | Waukegan (unincorporated only) | $1,280 | $1,370 | $1,540 | $1,980 | $2,290 | $2,633 |
| 60087 | Waukegan (unincorporated only) | $1,350 | $1,450 | $1,630 | $2,300 | $2,500 | $2,795 |
| 60089 | Buffalo Grove (Lake County only) | $1,990 | $2,140 | $2,440 | $3,110 | $3,680 | $4,232 |
| 60096 | Winthrop Harbor | $1,250 | $1,340 | $1,510 | $1,940 | $2,260 | $2,600 |
| 60099 | Zion | $1,280 | $1,380 | $1,570 | $2,000 | $2,370 | $2,725 |
An asterisk in LCHA's own document marks a decrease from the prior year's (2025) payment standard.
Waukegan Housing Authority and Housing Authority of the City of North Chicago each run their own separate program for their respective city limits, outside LCHA's jurisdiction. Neither publishes a public payment standard table we could locate, so call directly for current figures on either.
Kane County
Housing Authority of Elgin (HAE) covers the city of Elgin and a defined set of surrounding Kane County towns, including St. Charles. We could only confirm their real, published 2025 schedule (effective January 1, 2025). A 2026 update may exist but was not posted publicly as of this writing.
| Zip | Town | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR | 6BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60102 | Algonquin | $2,211 | $2,365 | $2,673 | $3,432 | $4,037 | $4,643 | $5,248 |
| 60109 | Burlington | $1,419 | $1,518 | $1,716 | $2,200 | $2,585 | $2,973 | $3,697 |
| 60110 | Carpentersville | $1,683 | $1,804 | $2,035 | $2,618 | $3,069 | $3,529 | $3,990 |
| 60118 | Dundee | $1,595 | $1,705 | $1,925 | $2,475 | $2,904 | $3,340 | $3,775 |
| 60119 | Elburn | $1,892 | $2,024 | $2,288 | $2,937 | $3,454 | $3,972 | $4,490 |
| 60120 | Elgin | $1,452 | $1,551 | $1,749 | $2,244 | $2,640 | $3,036 | $3,432 |
| 60123 | Elgin | $1,485 | $1,584 | $1,793 | $2,299 | $2,706 | $3,112 | $3,518 |
| 60124 | Elgin | $2,409 | $2,574 | $2,904 | $3,729 | $4,378 | $5,035 | $5,691 |
| 60134 | Geneva | $2,090 | $2,244 | $2,530 | $3,245 | $3,817 | $4,390 | $4,962 |
| 60136 | Gilberts | $2,002 | $2,134 | $2,409 | $3,102 | $3,641 | $4,187 | $4,733 |
| 60140 | Hampshire | $1,980 | $2,123 | $2,398 | $3,080 | $3,619 | $4,162 | $4,705 |
| 60147 | LaFox | $1,584 | $1,694 | $1,914 | $2,453 | $2,893 | $3,327 | $3,761 |
| 60151 | Maple Park | $1,815 | $1,958 | $2,299 | $3,564 | $3,564 | $4,099 | $4,633 |
| 60174 | St. Charles | $1,925 | $2,057 | $2,321 | $2,981 | $3,498 | $4,023 | $4,547 |
| 60175 | St. Charles | $2,409 | $2,574 | $2,904 | $3,729 | $4,378 | $5,035 | $5,691 |
| 60177 | South Elgin | $1,936 | $2,068 | $2,332 | $2,992 | $3,520 | $4,048 | $4,576 |
| 60510 | Batavia | $1,507 | $1,617 | $1,826 | $2,343 | $2,750 | $3,163 | $3,575 |
| 60511 | Big Rock | $1,474 | $1,573 | $1,782 | $2,288 | $2,684 | $3,087 | $3,490 |
| 60539 | Mooseheart | $1,617 | $1,738 | $1,958 | $2,519 | $2,959 | $3,403 | $3,847 |
| 60542 | North Aurora | $1,804 | $1,925 | $2,178 | $2,794 | $3,289 | $3,782 | $4,276 |
| 60554 | Sugar Grove | $1,364 | $1,463 | $1,650 | $2,123 | $2,486 | $2,859 | $3,232 |
Housing Authority of the City of Aurora (AHA) publishes its 2026 payment standards effective January 1, 2026, covering six Aurora area zip codes:
| Zip Code | Efficiency | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60502 | $1,910 | $2,043 | $2,299 | $2,964 | $3,420 | $3,933 |
| 60503 | $1,872 | $2,024 | $2,375 | $3,027 | $3,496 | $4,020 |
| 60504 | $2,000 | $2,140 | $2,662 | $3,432 | $3,780 | $4,140 |
| 60505 | $1,474 | $1,573 | $1,803 | $2,318 | $2,760 | $3,174 |
| 60506 | $1,540 | $1,650 | $1,944 | $2,442 | $2,822 | $3,246 |
| 60507 | $1,450 | $1,550 | $1,750 | $2,250 | $2,610 | $3,002 |
Worth noting: AHA's 60502 and 60504 numbers land noticeably higher than DuPage Housing Authority's legacy figures for those same two zip codes (covered above), which is another reminder that DHA's Aurora numbers only apply to existing tenants, not new placements.
Will County
Housing Authority of Joliet (HAJ) covers Will County and, since 2020, Maywood as well. Their 2026 schedule, effective October 1, 2025:
I'll be honest, this one still throws me every time I think about it. Joliet and Maywood are something like 30 miles apart, on basically opposite sides of the region, and there's no other overlap between HAJ and Cook County that I could find anywhere. Somehow one Cook County town just got adopted by a Will County agency and nobody moved the sign back.
| Zip | Town | Studio | 1BR | 2BR | 3BR | 4BR | 5BR | 6BR | 7BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60153 | Maywood | $1,386 | $1,485 | $1,672 | $2,156 | $2,486 | $2,859 | $3,232 | $3,605 |
| 60401 | $1,287 | $1,375 | $1,551 | $2,002 | $2,310 | $2,657 | $3,003 | $3,350 | |
| 60403 | $1,540 | $1,650 | $1,859 | $2,398 | $2,772 | $3,188 | $3,604 | $4,019 | |
| 60404 | $2,189 | $2,332 | $2,629 | $3,388 | $3,916 | $4,503 | $5,091 | $5,678 | |
| 60407 | $1,320 | $1,430 | $1,749 | $2,332 | $2,629 | $3,023 | $3,418 | $3,812 | |
| 60408 | $1,375 | $1,474 | $1,661 | $2,134 | $2,475 | $2,846 | $3,218 | $3,589 | |
| 60410 | $1,837 | $1,969 | $2,310 | $3,025 | $3,465 | $3,985 | $4,505 | $5,024 | |
| 60416 | $1,089 | $1,177 | $1,540 | $2,090 | $2,321 | $2,669 | $3,017 | $3,365 | |
| 60417 | $1,430 | $1,529 | $1,727 | $2,222 | $2,574 | $2,960 | $3,346 | $3,732 | |
| 60421 | $1,265 | $1,342 | $1,518 | $1,958 | $2,266 | $2,606 | $2,946 | $3,286 |
McHenry County
McHenry County Housing Authority (MCHA) does not publish a dollar figure payment standard table the way most of the other suburban agencies do. Their own program materials confirm that rent, including utilities, depends on Small Area Fair Market Rents, and that payment standards vary by zip code, but the actual dollar amounts aren't posted publicly. A few things drive what a specific address actually gets:
Zip code. Since MCHA uses Small Area Fair Market Rents rather than one flat county wide number, the payment standard is tied to the specific zip code the unit sits in, the same underlying approach HACC, DuPage, Elgin, and Lake County all use, just without a public chart to check it against.
Voucher size. As with every other agency in this piece, the number of bedrooms a household qualifies for is based on family size and composition, which sets the bedroom count the payment standard gets applied to.
Rent reasonableness. MCHA still compares the landlord's asking rent against comparable unassisted units before approving a lease, the same check every other agency runs, it's just not paired with a published reference table a landlord can look up in advance.
Because MCHA doesn't post the number, the only reliable way to get a current figure for a specific McHenry County zip code is to call their office directly and ask.
What this means for landlords
A few practical takeaways, regardless of which agency cover
Confirm the specific agency for your property's zip code before quoting a number. County lines are not a reliable shortcut, Maywood is the clearest example of why.
Every payment standard listed here assumes the owner covers all utilities. If you shift any utility cost back to the tenant, most agencies will subtract a set utility allowance amount from the maximum they'll pay, so your real ceiling is lower than the table shows.
These figures are a ceiling on the subsidy, not a guaranteed rent. Every agency still runs its own rent reasonableness check against comparable market units before approving a lease.
Numbers move every year, sometimes mid year if an agency hits a funding shortfall, as HACC did in 2025. Recheck before every new lease rather than relying on last year's figure.
FAQ
Does one Section 8 payment standard apply across all of Cook County? No. HACC covers most of suburban Cook County, but Chicago runs its own program through CHA, and Oak Park, Cicero, and Park Forest each run independent agencies with their own standards.
Which agency covers a Section 8 voucher holder in Maywood? The Housing Authority of Joliet, a Will County agency, not HACC. Maywood's own housing authority dissolved in 2020.
Do Harvey and Evanston have their own Section 8 agencies? Not currently. Both used to be associated with independent authorities in older directories, but neither appears in HUD's current PHA registry. Evanston voucher holders fall under HACC.
What is the difference between a Fair Market Rent and a payment standard? Fair Market Rent is the baseline figure HUD publishes annually for a metro area or a zip code. The payment standard is what a specific PHA chooses to actually pay, typically a percentage of that Fair Market Rent, and that percentage is decided independently by each agency.
Why would the same bedroom count pay differently in two towns five miles apart? Because each PHA sets its own percentage of Fair Market Rent, and several of them (HACC, Oak Park, DuPage, Elgin, Lake County) use Small Area Fair Market Rents that vary block by block within their own jurisdiction, not just agency by agency.
Don't Go At This Alone!
Section 8 in this region is not one program, it is more than a dozen local programs with their own rules, their own paperwork, and their own numbers that change every year. If you own or manage rental property across several of these counties, the smart move is not to memorize every agency's schedule, it's having a team that already knows which office to call.
That's what GC Realty & Development does every day for owners across roughly 1,500 units in Chicago and over 100 suburbs. My personal mission has always been simple: treat every property like it's my own, and make sure the owner never has to learn these systems the hard way. If you want help figuring out what a specific unit would actually net under whichever agency covers it, reach out to our team.
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