How to Fill Out and Submit USDA Form RD 3560-8: Tenant Certification

USDA Form RD 3560-8 is the tenant certification your property manager uses to verify your household’s income, assets, and composition and to set your rent in a USDA Rural Rental Housing, Rural Cooperative Housing, or Farm Labor Housing property. You complete it with the manager when you first move in and again each year, and the manager transmits it electronically to USDA Rural Development for approval. A blank copy and the official line-by-line instructions are posted on the USDA eForms site, but in practice the form comes from your management office.¹

When You Complete a Certification

Three events trigger a new Form RD 3560-8. An initial certification happens at move-in. An annual recertification happens once a year to confirm you still qualify and to recalculate your rent. An interim recertification is required between annual dates when your gross monthly income changes by $100 or more, or when your household size changes because someone moves in, moves out, or a child is born.² If your income drops by at least $50 a month but less than $100, the manager will process an interim only if you request one.

The effective date of any certification is always the first of a month. Move in mid-month and your certification takes effect the following first.²

Documents to Gather Before Your Appointment

Every piece of income, asset, and deduction data on the form has to be verified. Bring the following so the appointment moves quickly.³

Social Security numbers for every household member age six and older. If a member does not have one, you certify that in writing; the field can be filled with zeros or an alien registration number for a member who is otherwise eligible.¹
At least two current, consecutive pay stubs for each earner. The manager may also request a W-2 or verification directly from your employer.³
For self-employment or rental income, your most recently filed Form 1040 with schedules, a business financial statement, and (for rental property) lease agreements, rent checks, and Schedule E.³
Official award or benefit letters for Social Security, SSI, pensions, or public assistance.
A current statement for each bank, CD, or investment account, and a property tax statement for any real estate you own. When third-party verification is genuinely not possible, a signed self-certification of cash value is accepted.³
For elderly or disabled households only: medical bills, canceled checks, prescription receipts, insurance premium statements, medical transportation costs, and a physician’s written recommendation for any over-the-counter medications you want to claim.³
Childcare receipts for expenses that let a household member work or attend school.

You and every adult in the household will also sign a consent form authorizing the manager to collect and verify the information. Without a signed consent, the certification cannot be processed and rental assistance cannot be provided.³

Filling Out the Form

The manager usually walks you through the form during a scheduled appointment. Knowing what each block does helps you spot problems before they lock in a wrong rent.

Household Information (Lines 1–14)

List the name, date of birth, and Social Security number for every person who will live in the unit, including children.¹ Foster children and unborn children expected during the certification period go on a separate line; they count only toward unit-size eligibility, not toward income. Line 14 asks whether the household qualifies as elderly or disabled, which unlocks two deductions described below.

Income (Lines 15–18)

Annual income includes everything received by household members 18 and older, plus unearned income received on behalf of dependents under 18. Wages, Social Security, pensions, public assistance, self-employment net income, and recurring gifts all count.⁴ The form separates these into employment income, Social Security and pensions, and other annual income, then totals them at Line 18f.

Assets

Report the net value of checking and savings accounts, CDs, stocks, bonds, and any real estate other than your primary residence. If net family assets exceed $52,787 in 2026, imputed income is calculated on those assets using the local passbook savings rate, even when your actual return is lower.⁵ Below that threshold, only the actual interest or dividends count.¹

Deductions (Line 19)

Deductions come off your annual income before rent is calculated, so documenting every eligible expense pays off. The form recognizes four categories.

Dependent allowance of $480 per year for each dependent, generally a child under 18, a full-time student, or a disabled household member who is not the head or spouse.¹
A flat $400 elderly or disabled household deduction when the head, spouse, or sole member is 62 or older or has a qualifying disability. Only one deduction applies per household.¹
Medical and disability-related expenses, available only to elderly or disabled households. You deduct unreimbursed medical costs above 3 percent of annual income. If your income is $15,000 and medical expenses are $2,000, the floor is $450 and the deduction is $1,550. Attendant care and auxiliary apparatus costs that let another household member work are deductible above the same floor.¹
Reasonable childcare expenses that allow a household member to work or attend school.⁶

The manager totals the four categories and subtracts from annual income to produce adjusted annual income on Line 20. A negative result is recorded as zero.

How the Numbers Set Your Rent

Your rent is the highest of four figures and can never exceed the property’s note rent:⁷

30 percent of adjusted monthly income (Line 20 ÷ 12 × 0.30)
10 percent of gross monthly income (Line 18f ÷ 12 × 0.10)
The welfare shelter portion, if your public assistance designates an amount for housing
The basic rent for the unit, unless you receive USDA rental assistance

For most tenants with rental assistance, 30 percent of adjusted income is the operative number. That is why deductions matter: every substantiated dollar lowers adjusted income and the monthly payment with it.

Signing and Submitting

After you and the manager review the completed form, the head of household and the landlord or management agent both sign. That dual signature certifies under penalty of law that the information is accurate.

The manager then transmits the certification electronically through USDA’s Management Interactive Network Connection, or MINC. Transmission can happen within the 90 days before the effective date but must be sent no later than the tenth of the effective month.⁸ For annual recertifications, most managers reach out 75 to 90 days before the effective date, with a second reminder around 30 days out.⁹ There is no fee to you. Once MINC receives the file, USDA Rural Development reviews it and confirms the rent. If the office asks for additional documents, respond quickly so your rental assistance does not lapse.

Reporting Changes Between Certifications

Your lease requires you to notify management of changes in income, assets, the number of people in the unit, or your qualifications for deductions.¹⁰ An interim is mandatory when gross monthly income changes by $100 or more, or when anyone joins or leaves the household. If a co-tenant becomes the sole tenant, that also triggers a new certification.²

Report changes promptly. Waiting can result in retroactive rent adjustments and back rent owed, and unreported changes can put your lease at risk. The interim process mirrors the annual one: updated documentation, a new Form RD 3560-8, and a new effective date transmitted through MINC.

If the Information Is Wrong

The certification is signed under penalty of law. When rental assistance was provided based on inaccurate information, USDA will seek to recover the entire amount of unauthorized assistance.¹¹ Civil monetary penalties can be added, and the Office of Inspector General investigates every case where false information is known or suspected.

The federal criminal statute covering false statements for housing benefits carries penalties of up to $1,000,000 in fines and up to 30 years of imprisonment.¹² Those maximums are reserved for the most egregious fraud, but even an honest mistake left uncorrected can produce a repayment demand. If the overpayment truly was not your fault and you cannot afford to repay, USDA has discretion to waive collection when doing so serves the federal government’s interest.¹¹ Report income and household changes accurately, keep copies of what you submit, and tell management as soon as something changes.

One boundary worth knowing: if you disagree with how management handled your certification, you can file a written grievance within ten calendar days of the adverse action. The grievance process does not cover rent changes authorized by USDA itself, discrimination complaints, lease violations leading to eviction, or tenant-versus-tenant disputes that do not involve the borrower.¹³

1
United States Department of Agriculture. Instructions for RD 3560-8
2
United States Department of Agriculture. USDA Form RD 3560-8 Tenant Certification
3
United States Department of Agriculture. USDA Rural Development HB-2-3560 – Chapter 6 Project Occupancy
4
eCFR. 24 CFR 5.609 – Annual Income
5
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Notice PIH 2026-15
6
eCFR. 24 CFR 5.611 – Adjusted Income
7
eCFR. 7 CFR Part 3560 Subpart E – Rents
8
United States Department of Agriculture. Processing Tenant Recertifications
9
United States Department of Agriculture. Tenant Certification Process
10
eCFR. 7 CFR 3560.156 – Lease Requirements
11
U.S. Department of Agriculture. HB-3-3560 Chapter 9 – Unauthorized Assistance and Civil Monetary Penalties
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1014 – Loan and Credit Applications Generally
13
eCFR. 7 CFR 3560.160 – Tenant Grievances