24 CFR § 882.515 - Reexamination of family income and composition.
(a) Regular reexaminations. The PHA must reexamine the income and composition of all families at least once every 12 months. After consultation with the family and upon verification of the information, the PHA must make appropriate adjustments in the Total Tenant Payment in accordance with part 813 of this chapter and determine whether the family's unit size is still appropriate (see § 882.213). The PHA must adjust Tenant Rent and the Housing Assistance Payment to reflect any change in Total Tenant Payment. At the time of the annual reexamination of family income and composition, the PHA must require the family to disclose and verify Social Security Numbers. For requirements regarding the signing and submitting of consent forms by families for the obtaining of wage and claim information from State Wage Information Collection Agencies, see part 5, subpart B, of this title. At the first regular reexamination after June 19, 1995, the PHA shall follow the requirements of 24 CFR part 5 concerning obtaining and processing evidence of citizenship or eligible immigration status of all family members. Thereafter, at each regular reexamination, the PHA shall follow the requirements of 24 CFR part 5 concerning verification of immigration status of any new family member. For a family with net family assets (as the term is defined in § 5.603 of this title) equal to or less than $50,000, which amount will be adjusted annually by HUD in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a PHA may accept, for purposes of recertification of income, a family's declaration under § 5.618(b) of this title, except that the PHA must obtain third-party verification of all family assets every 3 years.
(b) Interim reexaminations.
(1) A family may request an interim determination of family income or composition because of any changes since the last determination. The PHA must conduct any interim reexamination within a reasonable period of time after the family request or when the PHA becomes aware of an increase in family adjusted income under paragraph (b)(3) of this section. What qualifies as a “reasonable time” may vary based on the amount of time it takes to verify information, but generally should not be longer than 30 days after changes in income are reported.
(2) The PHA may decline to conduct an interim reexamination of family income if the PHA estimates the family's adjusted income will decrease by an amount that is less than ten percent of the family's annual adjusted income (or a lower amount established by HUD through notice), or a lower threshold established by the PHA.
(3) The PHA must conduct an interim reexamination of family income when the PHA becomes aware that the family's adjusted income (§ 5.611 of this title) has changed by an amount that the PHA estimates will result in an increase of ten percent or more in annual adjusted income or such other amount established by HUD through notice, except:
(i) The PHA may not consider any increase in the earned income of the family when estimating or calculating whether the family's adjusted income has increased, unless the family has previously received an interim reduction under paragraph (c)(1) of this section during the certification period; and
(ii) The PHA may choose not to conduct an interim reexamination in the last three months of a certification period.
(4)
(i) If the family has reported a change in family income or composition in a timely manner according to the PHA's policies, the PHA must provide the family with 30 days advance notice of any increase in the Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent, and such increases will be effective the first day of the month beginning after the end of that 30-day period. Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent decreases will be effective on the first day of the first month after the date of the actual change leading to the interim reexamination of family income.
(ii) If the family has failed to report a change in family income or composition in a timely manner according to the PHA's policies, PHAs must implement any resulting Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent increases retroactively to the first of the month following the date of the change leading to the interim reexamination of family income. Any resulting Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent decrease must be implemented no later than the first rent period following completion of the reexamination. However, a PHA may apply a Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent decrease retroactively at the discretion of the PHA, in accordance with the conditions established by the PHA in the administrative plan and subject to paragraph (c)(4)(iii) of this section.
(iii) A retroactive Total Tenant Payment and Tenant Rent decrease may not be applied prior to the later of the first of the month following:
(A) The date of the change leading to the interim reexamination of family income; or
(B) The effective date of the family's most recent previous interim or annual reexamination (or initial examination if that was the family's last examination).
(5) The PHA must adopt policies consistent with this section prescribing how to determine the effective date of a change in the housing assistance payment resulting from an interim redetermination.
(c) Obligation to supply information. The family must supply such certification, release, information or documentation as the PHA or HUD determine to be necessary, including submission of required evidence of citizenship or eligible immigration status, submission of social security numbers and verifying documentation, submission of signed consent forms for the obtaining of wage and claim information from State Wage Information Collection Agencies, and submissions required for an annual or interim reexamination of family income and composition. See 24 CFR part 5.
(d) Continuation of housing assistance payments. A family's eligibility for Housing Assistance Payments shall continue until the Total Tenant Payment equals the Gross Rent. The termination of eligibility at such point will not affect the family's other rights under its lease, nor will such termination preclude the resumption of payments as a result of later changes in income, rents or other relevant circumstances during the term of the Contract. However, eligibility also may be terminated in accordance with HUD requirements for such reasons as failure to submit requested verification information, including failure to meet the disclosure and verification requirements for Social Security Numbers, as provided by part 5, subpart B, of this title, failure to sign and submit consent forms for the obtaining of wage and claim information from State Wage Information Collection Agencies, as provided by part 5, subpart B, of this title, or because of the restrictions on net assets and property ownership as provided by § 5.618 of this title. For provisions requiring termination of assistance when the PHA determines that a family member is not a U.S. citizen or does not have eligible immigration status, see 24 CFR parts 5 and 982 for provisions concerning certain assistance for mixed families (families whose members include those with eligible immigration status, and those without eligible immigration status) in lieu of termination of assistance, and for provisions concerning deferral of termination of assistance.
(e) Family reporting of change. The PHA must adopt policies consistent with this section prescribing when and under what conditions the family must report a change in family income or composition.
(f) Accuracy of family income data. The PHA must establish procedures that are appropriate and necessary to assure that income data provided by applicant or participant families is complete and accurate. The PHA will not be considered out of compliance with the requirements in this section solely due to de minimis errors in calculating family income but is still obligated to correct errors once the PHA becomes aware of the errors. A de minimis error is an error where the PHA determination of family income deviates from the correct income determination by no more than $30 per month in monthly adjusted income ($360 in annual adjusted income).
(1) The PHA must take any corrective action necessary to credit or repay a family if the family has been overcharged for their Tenant Rent or Total Tenant Payment as a result of an error (including a de minimis error) in the income determination. Families will not be required to repay the PHA in instances where the PHA has miscalculated income resulting in a family being undercharged for Tenant Rent or Total Tenant Payment.
(2) HUD may revise the amount of de minimis error in this paragraph (f) through a notice published in the Federal Register for public comment.