Voucher Size Determinations and Changes

Depending on the program you are under and the make up of your family composition, our agency will determine the voucher size based on regulations. Please see the table below which breaks down how voucher size is determined for each program and how many bedrooms are allocated. 

	Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program	Section 8/MTW
Head of household	Allocated one bedroom. If they have a spouse, they shall share a bedroom. Head of Household if 21 or older, does not need to share a bedroom with their child.	Allocated one bedroom. If they have a spouse, they shall share a bedroom. Head of Household if 21 or older, does not need to share a bedroom with their child
Children of the opposite sex	Two children under the age of eight (8) shall share a bedroom, regardless of sex.	Family members of the opposite sex (other than spouses) will be allocated separate bedrooms.
Children of the same sex	Household members of the same sex shall share a bedroom, except: A Household member, aged 21 or over, may elect not to share a bedroom with their child, grandchild or legal ward.	Two children of the same sex will share one bedroom regardless of age. A child is considered under 21 years old.
Live-in-Aid/PCA	PCA will receive their own bedroom - They will not be allocated more than one bedroom. If a minor or other family member of the live in aid moves in, they shall share the bedroom. The household must be approved through reasonable accommodation to have an additional bedroom for the Live in Aid.	Will receive their own bedroom (1 room max). If a minor or other family member of the live in aid moves in, they shall share the bedroom.  The household must be approved through reasonable accommodation to have an additional bedroom for the Live in Aid.
Unborn Child	An unborn child will be included in the voucher size	An unborn child will be included in the voucher size

Examples of household compositions and their voucher sizes:

Example Households	Allocated bedrooms: MRVP	Allocated bedrooms: Section 8
The Smith Family: Mary Smith (Head of household - 56 years old, female) John Smith (Spouse - 57 years old)	1 bedroom: This family consist of the head of household and their spouse.	1 bedroom: This family consist of the head of household and their spouse.
The Jones Family: John Jones (Head of Housheold, 37 years old, female) Jane Jones (Spouse, 42 years old, male) Jacob Jones (Child - 7 years old, male) Janet Jones (Child - 2 years old, female)	2 bedrooms: One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. Per the program, the two children would share a bedroom because neither is 8 years old or older and must share a bedroom regardless of sex.	3 bedrooms: One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. Per the program, the two children would not share a bedroom and be allocated their own.
The Martinez Family: Joseph Martinez (Head of Household, 44 years old, male) Marie Martinez (Spouse, 47 years old, female) Antonio Martinez (Adult son, 18 years old, male) Javier Martinez (Child, 15 years old, male) Lisa Martinez (Child, 4 years old, female)	3 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. Per the program, the two males would share a bedroom.  An additional bedroom would be for the female child of the household.	3 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. Per the program, the two males would share a bedroom.  An additional bedroom would be for the female child of the household.
The Johnson Family Katie Johnson (Head of household, 20 years old, female)	1 bedroom.	1 bedroom.
The Green Family Betty Green (Head of household, 66 years old, female) Susan Green (Other adult, 64 years old) Elaine Green (Other adult, 32 years old, female, live in aid) Pearl Green (Child, 11 years old, female, live-in-aids child)	3 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. The other female adult will be allocated one bedroom. Per the program, the live-in-aid and their child shall share a bedroom.	3 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. The other female adult will be allocated one bedroom. Per the program, the live-in-aid and their child shall share a bedroom.
The Barnes Family Deborah-Lee Barnes (Head of household, 44 years old, female) Lacy Barnes (Child, 14 years old, female)	2 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. The child will be allocated one bedroom.	2 bedrooms.  One bedroom is allocated to the head of household and their spouse. The child will be allocated one bedroom.

What if I need more bedrooms? 

The only way for an additional bedroom is to find a unit which may have more bedrooms than on the voucher size but meets the payment standard of the voucher size you are approved for or through reasonable accommodation. If you apply for a reasonable accommodation, there must be a disability and connection to the reason an additional bedroom is needed.