Housing Support Rental Assistance Calculation Worksheet
Instructions: Use this worksheet to determine whether Housing Support can be considered rental assistance. Complete at initial occupancy and during occupancy when there are changes in the client obligation.
First read the General Information section beginning on page 9. Also included with this worksheet are two Housing Support Rental Assistance calculation examples as well as a sample MAXIS Housing Support Approval Letter.
Applicant/Tenant Name:      	Unit #:      
Number of Bedrooms:      
Tenant Income Certification Effective Date:      
I. Calculate the Non-Rent, Housing Related Costs Funded by Housing Support Room and Board
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	     	
b.	Lease rent for the unit (include all non-optional charges; do not include the utility allowance, if any)	$	     	
Non-rent, housing related costs (a minus b)	$	     	
II. Calculate Tenant-Paid Rent
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support client obligation	$	     	
b.	Non-rent, housing related costs (from section I, above)	$	     	
Tenant-paid rent (a minus b; enter $0 if this results in a negative number)	$	     	
III. Calculate State Rental Assistance Amount
Item	Amount	
a.	Lease rent for the unit (use same number from section I.b., above)	$	     	
b.	Tenant-paid rent (from section II, above)	$	     	
Rental assistance from Housing Support (a minus b)	$	     	
If the rental assistance in this section is $0 or a negative number, no state funds are assisting the resident with rent; the lease rent plus utility allowance plus any charges that are not optional must be below the applicable rent limit(s) for the unit. If the rental assistance is $1 or more, Housing Support is treated as rental assistance.
IV. Calculate Annual Income from Public Assistance
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	     	
b.	Client obligation	$	     	
c.	Lease rent	$	     	
d.	Utility allowance	$	     	
e.	Monthly income from public assistance (a minus b, c, and d)	$	     	
Amount to be included in annual income (e times 12; cannot be less than $0)	$	     	
V. Entering Tenant-Paid Rent and Rental Assistance Data in PORT

•	From section II, above, enter the amount of Tenant-Paid Rent in the field titled “Tenant Contribution.”
•	In the field titled, “Non-Optional Charges,” enter the amount that is required to be paid, in addition to rent, as a condition of occupancy such as mandatory renter’s insurance, mandatory laundry fees, month-to-month lease fees, etc. Enter $0 if there are no mandatory charges.
•	From section III, above, enter the amount of Rental Assistance from Housing Support in the field titled “Rental Assistance Amount.” If the amount in section III is a negative number, enter $0. Do not enter a negative number.
•	If the Rental Assistance Amount is $1 or higher, on the pull-down menu for Assistance Type, select “State or Local Government Rental Assistance.” If the Rental Assistance Amount is $0, select “No rental assistance.”

Housing Support Rental Assistance Calculation Example #1
The Housing Support Room and Board (HSRB) rate is $954 per month. The HSRB verification indicates the client obligation is $800. The lease rent for the unit is $754 per month. Under the lease, tenants must pay separately for electric. The utility allowance for the unit size is $54. The unit is restricted to the 30% MTSP rent limit for Housing Tax Credits. The 30% MTSP rent limit for the unit size in Hennepin County if $590. 
I. Calculate the Non-Rent, Housing Related Costs Funded by Housing Support Room and Board
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	954	
b.	Lease rent for the unit (include all non-optional charges; do not include the utility allowance, if any)	$	754	
Non-rent, housing related costs (a minus b)	$	200	
II. Calculate Tenant-Paid Rent
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support client obligation	$	800	
b.	Non-rent, housing related costs (from section I, above)	$	200	
Tenant-paid rent (a minus b)	$	600	
III. Calculate State Rental Assistance Amount
Item	Amount	
a.	Lease rent for the unit (use same number from section I.b., above)	$	754	
b.	Tenant-paid rent (from section II, above)	$	600	
Rental assistance from Housing Support (a minus b)	$	154	
IV. Calculate Annual Income from Public Assistance
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	954	
b.	Client obligation	$	800	
c.	Lease rent	$	754	
d.	Utility allowance	$	54	
e.	Monthly income from public assistance (a minus b, c, and d)	$	-654	
Amount to be included in annual income (e times 12; cannot be less than $0)	$	0	
Is HSRB treated as rental assistance?
Yes. Section III indicates that at least $1 of state funds are assisting the household in paying rent. In this scenario, the owner may collect the full $754 in lease rent even though it exceeds the 30% MTSP rent limit. Section V indicates none of the state funds are counted as income.

Housing Support Rental Assistance Calculation Example #2
The HSRB rate is $954 per month. The client obligation is $954. The lease rent for the unit is $800 per month. Under this lease, the owner pays all utilities. The unit is restricted to the 50% MTSP rent limit for Housing Tax Credits and 30% National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) rent limits. The 50% MTSP rent limit for the unit size in Hennepin County is $984. The NHTF rent limit is $590.
I. Calculate the Non-Rent, Housing Related Costs Funded by Housing Support Room and Board
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	954	
b.	Lease rent for the unit (include all non-optional charges; do not include the utility allowance, if any)	$	800	
Non-rent, housing related costs (a minus b)	$	154	
II. Calculate Tenant-Paid Rent
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support client obligation	$	954	
b.	Non-rent, housing related costs (from section I, above)	$	154	
Tenant-paid rent (a minus b)	$	800	
III. Calculate State Rental Assistance Amount
Item	Amount	
a.	Lease rent for the unit (use same number from section I.b., above)	$	800	
b.	Tenant-paid rent (from section II, above)	$	800	
Rental assistance from Housing Support (a minus b)	$	0	
IV. Calculate Annual Income from Public Assistance
Item	Amount	
a.	Housing Support Room and Board rate	$	954	
b.	Client obligation	$	954	
c.	Lease rent	$	590	
d.	Utility allowance	$	0	
e.	Monthly income from public assistance (a minus b, c, and d)	$	-590	
Amount to be included in annual income (e times 12; cannot be less than $0)	$	0	
Is HSRB treated as rental assistance?
In this scenario, no. None of the state funds are assisting the tenant in paying rent; however, the lease rent of $800 is below the 50% MTSP rent limit of $984, so the owner is not in violation of the Housing Tax Credit rent restriction. However, the lease rent of $800 does exceed the NHTF rent limit of $590. The owner may only charge $590 lease rent to comply with the NHTF rent restriction. When calculating the income from state HSRB in Section IV, you must use $590 as the actual lease rent, because the owner cannot charge more than the NHTF rent limit.

SAMPLE: MAXIS Housing Support Approval Letter
Olmstead County Family Support
2117 Campus Dr. SE
Suite 100
Rochester, MN 55904-4825
June 06, 2020
Jane Doe
1234 Main St.
Rochester, MN 55906-3765
Re: Case Number 972***

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONR REGARDING THIS DOCUMENT
•	This information is available in other forms to people with disabilities by calling your county worker, Financial Worker name, at 507.328.1234.
•	For TTY/TDD users, contact your county worker through the Minnesota Relay at 711 or 800.627.3529. For the Speech-to-Speech Relay, call 877.627.3848.
•	The back of this page lists your appeal rights and responsibilities.

NOTICE: A DECISION ABOUT YOUR GROUP RESIDENTIAL HOUSING
The following changes have been made to your Group Residential Housing for July 2020:
•	Your GRH Rate has increased (Auth: 20, MN Statute 256I).
•	GRH rates are adjusted in July of each year. The amount you must pay is not impacted by this change (Auth 20, MN Statute 256I).
For July 2020 your GRH grant will be $934.00 (Housing Support Room and Board rate). The amount you must pay from your income towards room and board will be $0.00 (client obligation) (Auth: 20, MN Statute 256 I).
Group Residential grants are paid directly to the residence (Auth: 20, MN Statute 256 I).

BUDGET FOR JULY PAYMENT
Unearned Income	$	0.00
Earned Income	$	0.00
Income Disregards	$	0.00
Income Deductions	$	0.00
Personal Needs	$	104.00
Counted Income	$	0.00
Vendor Number: 246***

General Information
Housing Support is a state income supplement program funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and administered by counties and Tribes to help pay for housing and housing-related expenses. Housing Support may be used in apartments in the community or in project-based settings.
The county or Tribe pays Housing Support Room and Board (HSRB) funds to a vendor on behalf of a Housing Support client. The vendor uses HSRB funds to pay the client’s rent, utilities, food, household supplies, and other housing-related expenses. These funds may not be used for services, clothing, or medical costs. A vendor may be a service provider, Tribe, county, management agent, or the property owner.
Some Housing Support clients may also receive Housing Support Supplemental Service Rate funds to cover health-related and supportive services. These funds are administered by the county or Tribe to the vendor.
When is Housing Support treated as rental assistance?
Minnesota Housing will treat Housing Support as state or local government rental assistance if $1 or more of state funds (not the client obligation) is assisting the household with rent. The client obligation is the portion of the client’s monthly income that is part of the HSRB, as determined by the Housing Support vendor.
When Housing Support is treated as state or local rental assistance on a unit assisted with Minnesota Housing’s amortizing and/or deferred loans, Housing Tax Credits, Section 1602, and HOME or National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) funds, the gross rent may exceed the rent limit.
For both HOME and NHTF, households cannot be required to participate in or receive services as a condition of occupancy. The required Form 22 HOME/NHTF Lease Addendum must be retained in the tenant’s file and is subject to compliance review by Minnesota Housing. Additionally, prior to April 4, 2025, the following requirements were in place:
•	For HOME, the Housing Support must be project-based, the unit must be designated as Low HOME, and the household’s gross annual household income must be at or below the HOME 50% income limit. If a household’s gross annual household income exceeds the HOME 50% income limit, the gross rent may not exceed the applicable HOME rent limit.
•	For NHTF, the Housing Support must be project-based. Unlike HOME, there was no income requirement relative to allowing rent to exceed the allowable NHTF rent limit.
Any state HSRB funds exceeding the amount required to assist a tenant with rent and utilities must be included as public assistance in the calculation of gross annual household income for programs that use the Section 8 definition of income.
The Supplemental Service Rate is never treated as rental assistance. Inclusion or exclusion from annual income will depend on what the Supplemental Service Rate is paying for. Consult the HUD Handbook 4350.3 for certifications done prior to implementation of the Housing Opportunities Through Modernization Act (HOTMA). For certifications done consistent with HOTMA, consult HUD Notices 2023-10 and 2024-9, and any successor guidance found on HUD’s HOTMA webpage.
Use the calculation worksheet on pages 1and 2 to determine whether Housing Support can be treated as state or local government rental assistance and the amount, if any, of state HSRB funds that would be considered income to the tenant. Retain completed worksheets in the tenant file; it will be helpful to the compliance officer during a compliance review. Two calculation examples are provided (refer to Calculation Examples 1 and 2, above).
Some clients receiving HSRB may choose to transition to the Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) Housing Assistance Program, also funded by DHS. Once a client transitions onto MSA Housing Assistance, they are responsible for paying their own housing and housing-related costs. Because MSA Housing Assistance is paid directly to the client and all of it may be used for non-rent housing-related costs, it cannot be considered state or local government rental assistance. The full amount of MSA Housing Assistance must be included as public assistance in the calculation of gross annual household income.
Where can I find additional information?
For information on DHS programs, visit the DHS website.
For the current HSRB rate or information on Housing Support, visit DHS’s Housing Support webpage or email dhs.dhs.grh@state.mn.us. The HSRB rate is updated annually on July 1.
Visit DHS’s MSA Housing Assistance webpage for information on MSA Housing Assistance.