You can now file Change of Circumstance requests through the THA service portal. See our Service Portal page for more information on how to register on the portal.
If you have trouble accessing the service portal, please reach out to your property manager or case manager.
Reporting a Change of Circumstance
To file a change of circumstance, log in to your account and select “Report a Change” from the dashboard.
You’ll be taken to an introduction page for the change request form.
If you started an earlier report from your resident dashboard but didn’t submit it, you can find it listed on this page.
To start a new filing, click the “Report a Change” button at the bottom of the page.
After language selection and the welcome page, the form will take you through a series of pages, where you can report changes in your:
- Household Members
- Income
- Assets
- Expenses
- Criminal history
Household Members
The Household Members page lets you report new or departing household members and edit the information of people already in your household.
To add someone to your household, click the Add Household Member button. This brings up a new window where you can enter the details of your new household member.
Except for birth, adoption or court-awarded custody of a child, you must get THA and landlord approval to add someone to your household.
At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a list of all the members we already have listed in your household. You can click the Edit button to update their information, or if they have left your household, click the Delete button to remove them.
Income
The Income page lets you report new or departing household members and edit the information of people already in your household.
To add someone to your household, click the Add Household Member button. This brings up a new window where you can enter the details of your new household member.
Please note the following are excluded from our income calculations:
- Earned income (wages) from children under 18;
- SNAP benefits;
- Income of a live-in aid; and
- Medical reimbursements.
At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a list of all the members we already have listed in your household. You can click the Edit button to update their information, or if they have left your household, click the Delete button to remove them.
Assets
The Assets page lets you report new or departing household members and edit the information of people already in your household.
Assets include:
- Cash value of real property, savings, stocks, bonds, and other forms of capital investments, after deducting reasonable costs that you would have after disposing of them.
- Any monies in banks, credit union accounts, real estate, stocks, bonds, retirement funds, certificates of deposit, personal property such as coin collections, gems, jewelry or antiques used for investment.
- Value of any business disposed of for less than fair-market value (including any held in trust, but not in a foreclosure or bankruptcy sale) during the two years before the reexamination, may be counted.
Assets do not include:
- Furniture and automobiles,
- Interests in Indian trust land
- Equity in a housing cooperative unit or in a manufactured home in which you live.
A trust fund will not be considered an asset so long as the fund continues to be held in trust. In the case of a separation or divorce settlement, it will not be considered to be for less than fair-market value if the household has received something meaningful other than cash.
Expenses
The Expenses page lets you report new or departing household members and edit the information of people already in your household.
Learn more about:
Childcare Expense: Childcare for household members 12 years old or younger.
If you pay childcare expenses for household members who are 12 years old or younger, you may be eligible for a deduction.
Only reasonable, unreimbursed expenses will be considered, and those expenses must be less than the total earned by the working adults.
To be eligible, all adults in the household must either be working, looking for work, or attending school full-time or part-time during the designated hours. Adult household members who do not meet this criteria must demonstrate why they are unable to care for the child.
Medical Expense: Eligible medical expenses that exceed 3 percent of your annual gross income.
If you have HUD-approved medical expenses that exceed 3 percent of your annual gross income, you may be eligible for a deduction. If you qualify as an elderly household, you may claim the medical expense deduction for every member of your family.
Landlords have the choice of using either 12 months of prior eligible expenses or projecting the expenses forward 12 months. In either case, you should provide your landlord with proof of expenses for the following:
- Doctor visits;
- Hospital, dental or other healthcare services;
- Medical insurance premiums;
- Prescription and nonprescription medications;
- Medical care assistance;
- Medical health products and equipment; and
- Any payments made within the last year on past medical bills
Typically, expenses are only considered once per year during your annual recertification.
Disability Expense: Unreimbursed disability assistance expenses for a disabled household.
If you qualify as a disabled household, you may qualify to deduct disability assistance expenses. Any unreimbursed expenses in excess of 3 percent of your adjusted gross income are deductible.
Much like the childcare deduction, the disability deduction allows the disabled resident or other household members to work. If the disability expense meets the same conditions as childcare expenses, the cost for dependent care, auxiliary apparatus, or both can be deducted.
Criminal History
Update the Member Criminal History page if a member of your household:
- Has current or pending criminal charges, or criminal convictions
- Is registered as a lifetime sex offender
Note specifically if a household member has been convicted of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance, fraud, embezzlement, or bribery.
Required Documents
Make sure to include any documents associated with new household members, income, or expenses, such as:
Identification (for newly added household members)
- Adults: Current photo ID and Social Security Card
- Children: Birth certificate and Social Security Card
- Alien Registration or Permanent Resident Card (if applicable)
Income Documentation (if applicable)
- Social Security/SSI Income: Current Year Award Letter
- Employment: 3 months consecutive paystubs & employer’s fax number
- Child Support: Statement from Support Enforcement
- Unemployment: 3 months consecutive paystubs
- TANF, GAU, or VA: Current Statements or Current Year Award Letter
- Pension, Retirement (IRA, 401(k)): 3 months consecutive statements or Current Year Award Letter
- Self Employed: Most Recent Completed income tax documents with profit and loss statement
- All Other Sorurces of Income (Savings accounts, Ebay, Etsy etc)
Expenses & Deductions (if applicable)
- Childcare: DSHS Current Award/Change Letter
- Medical: Receipts for expenses not covered by insurance in the past 3 months
- Paid Child Support Statements: Through a local or state agency such as Support Enforcement or DSHS
Finishing Up
Next, you’ll be given a chance to review the information you’ve entered. RentCafe will check your form for errors and then show you a summary of your information. If you need to make a change to any section, you can click the “Add/Edit” button and update the information from there.
After the review page, you’ll be asked to Sign and Submit your Change of Circumstances. Once you click the blue buttons and sign the documents, you will be able to submit the form.
