How to Transfer Your Section 8 Voucher to Illinois (2026)

Quick answer: You can move a tenant-based Section 8 voucher to Illinois from any state. Ask your current housing authority in writing to port your voucher to Illinois. It sends your file to the Illinois housing authority for the area you pick, which gives you a new voucher and uses its own payment standard. You do not have to join a Illinois waitlist.
Illinois Income Limits →Find My PHA →All States →

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Steps to port your voucher to Illinois

  1. Pick your city in Illinois. Find the housing authority that covers it in the list below or with Find My PHA.
  2. Tell your current housing authority in writing. Say you want to port to that Illinois housing authority. Keep a copy.
  3. Your current office sends your file. It sends form HUD-52665 and your paperwork to the Illinois office.
  4. Contact the Illinois office quickly. Call them yourself. Some require a briefing before they issue your voucher.
  5. Get your new voucher and search. Your search time runs at least 30 days past your old voucher's end date.
  6. Lease up. The unit passes inspection, you sign the lease, and assistance starts.

The 12-month rule

If you or your spouse did not live in your current housing authority's area when you applied, it can make you wait 12 months after you first lease up before you move. If you already lived there when you applied, this rule does not apply. Survivors of domestic violence can move sooner under VAWA.

What your voucher may cover in Illinois

After you move, the Illinois housing authority uses its own payment standard, usually 90% to 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent. Your voucher could cover more or less than it does now.

Area1BR FMR2BR FMR3BR FMR
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI$1,313$1,507$1,900

Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents. Look up an exact ZIP code with the Section 8 calculator.

Largest voucher programs in Illinois

Your new housing authority is the one that covers the city you move to. Illinois has 106 housing authorities. These run the most vouchers:

  1. Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago - (312) 742-8500 CLOSED
  2. Housing Authority Cook County, Chicago - (312) 542-4721 CLOSED
  3. Dupage Housing Authority, Wheaton - (630) 690-3555 CLOSED
  4. Housing Authority Of The County Of Lake, Il., Grayslake - (847) 223-1170 CLOSED
  5. Housing Authority Of Joliet, Joliet - (815) 727-0611 CLOSED
  6. St. Clair County Housing Authority, Belleville - (618) 277-6988 CLOSED
  7. Springfield Housing Authority, Springfield - (217) 753-5757 CLOSED
  8. Housing Authority Of Champaign County, Champaign - (217) 378-7100 LIMITED
  9. Rockford Housing Authority, Rockford - (815) 489-8520 CLOSED
  10. Peoria Housing Authority, Peoria - (309) 676-8736 CLOSED

A closed waitlist does not stop a port. You already have a voucher, so you do not go on the waitlist.

Can I transfer my Section 8 voucher to Illinois?
Yes. A tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher can be moved to any area of Illinois that has a voucher program. Ask your current housing authority in writing to start the port.
Do I have to get on a Illinois waiting list?
No. You already have a voucher, so the Illinois housing authority takes you through portability, not its waitlist.
Will my voucher pay the same in Illinois?
Not always. The Illinois housing authority uses its own payment standard and bedroom rules, so the amount can go up or down. Your share is still based on your income.
Can my housing authority say no to my move?
Sometimes. It can deny a move if you owe it money, have broken program rules, fall under the 12-month rule, or if a move to a higher-cost area would leave it short of funding.
Portability GuideIllinois Landlord GuideVoucher ClockSection 8 Calculator