State · LIHTC 2026
LIHTC in Ohio: 2026 allocations, QAP and data
Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) allocates Ohio's housing tax credits. The population-based part of Ohio's 2026 9% credit ceiling, before carryforwards and returned credits, is $40,652,142. That is $3.416 times 11,900,510 residents. Its 2026 private activity bond cap, which 4% deals compete for, is $1,606,568,850 ($135 per person).
Agency and qualified allocation plan
| Allocating agency | Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) |
|---|---|
| Tax credit program page | OHFA LIHTC page |
| Current QAP | 9% LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plan Program Year 2026-2027 (2026-2027) |
| QAP status | Base QAP PDF: ohiohome.org link ; year-two Technical Amendment board approved 8/20/2026. Separate 4% LIHTC QAP. No 2028 QAP draft seen. |
Agency and QAP links checked 2026-10-30.
2026 credit ceiling and bond cap
| Item | 2026 | Per resident |
|---|---|---|
| Population (IRS Notice 2026-22) | 11,900,510 | 7th of 52 |
| 9% ceiling, population amount | $40,652,142 | $3.42 |
| Formula | greater of $3.416 × pop or $3,953,600 | per-capita applies |
| Private activity bond cap | $1,606,568,850 | $135.00 |
| Formula | greater of $135 × pop or $397,625,000 | per-capita applies |
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 secs. 4.08 and 4.19 (the 9% amounts already include the 12% increase from Pub. L. 119-21 sec. 70422); IRS Notice 2026-22 (2026-15 I.R.B.). Computed by us and rounded to the dollar; agencies may round differently.
Only the population amount is shown. The full 2026 ceiling adds credits unused from 2025, credits returned by projects and any share of the national pool, which the agency reports in its allocation materials. See every state side by side on the 2026 ceilings and bond caps table.
Basis boost areas: 2027 QCTs and DDAs
HUD's 2027 lists, which apply from January 1, 2027, put 683 Ohio census tracts in qualified census tracts, spread across 55 counties. No nonmetropolitan county is a 2027 DDA. In metro areas, 19 ZIP code areas (ZCTAs) are Small Area DDAs. A building in either can take 130% of eligible basis. Check an address with the QCT and DDA lookup.
| County | 2027 QCT tracts |
|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County | 147 |
| Franklin County | 94 |
| Hamilton County | 73 |
| Lucas County | 50 |
| Montgomery County | 46 |
Metro areas with Small Area DDAs: Akron, OH MSA; Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area; Cleveland, OH HUD Metro FMR Area; Columbus, OH HUD Metro FMR Area; Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA; Springfield, OH MSA; Toledo, OH HUD Metro FMR Area.
Every Ohio qualified census tract, with its population, poverty rate and median income, is on the Ohio QCT list by county.
Source: HUD 2027 QCT and DDA designations, FR Doc. 2026-20390 (91 FR 63573, Oct. 6, 2026).
Tax credit properties in Ohio
HUD's database lists 1,804 Ohio properties financed with housing tax credits that the allocating agency still monitors, with 115,289 income-restricted units. The largest city totals are below; see all cities on the Ohio apartments page.
| City | Properties | Restricted units |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 198 | 15,268 |
| Cleveland | 201 | 14,860 |
| Cincinnati | 137 | 10,519 |
| Toledo | 81 | 5,649 |
| Dayton | 77 | 5,467 |
| Akron | 70 | 4,699 |
| Youngstown | 37 | 1,455 |
| East Cleveland | 12 | 1,451 |
| Warren | 17 | 1,135 |
| Elyria | 10 | 986 |
| County | Properties | Restricted units |
|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County | 240 | 19,948 |
| Franklin County | 243 | 19,866 |
| Hamilton County | 149 | 11,063 |
| Montgomery County | 112 | 8,178 |
| Lucas County | 86 | 5,913 |
| Summit County | 83 | 5,160 |
| Butler County | 28 | 2,873 |
| Clermont County | 21 | 2,206 |
| Lorain County | 24 | 1,886 |
| Mahoning County | 43 | 1,737 |
For buyers and lenders: the Ohio Year 15 and Year 30 list shows which of these properties reach the end of the compliance period or the 30-year extended use minimum from 2022 to 2034, by county.
Source: HUD's national LIHTC database (LIHTCPUB, revised May 28, 2026; projects placed in service through 2024). City pages cover cities with at least five properties; county links go to that county's 2026 income and rent limits.
Financing a LIHTC deal in Ohio
A 9% deal in Ohio competes for OHFA's 2026 ceiling of $40,652,142 (population amount) under the 9% LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plan Program Year 2026-2027. A 4% deal needs an award from the state's $1,606,568,850 private activity bond cap: tax-exempt bonds must finance 50% of the aggregate basis of the building and land, or at least 25% if one or more of those bonds, from an issue dated after December 31, 2025, together finance at least 5% of that basis (the 25% bond test, for buildings placed in service in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025). Sites in Ohio's 683 qualified census tracts for 2027 can take the 130% basis boost.
On HUD's records for the 1,329 Ohio properties on this site's city pages, 14% of those reporting the field were financed with tax-exempt bonds and 81% took 9% (70% present value) credits; 206 received allocations in 2015 or later.
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32; HUD 2027 QCT list; HUD's national LIHTC database (LIHTCPUB, revised May 28, 2026; projects placed in service through 2024), bond and credit-type fields. What to read in a QAP: state LIHTC programs. Sizing a Ohio deal: get a financing quote.
State housing tax credit
Yes. Ohio LIHTC (OLIHTC), R.C. 175.16: $100M per state fiscal year (10-year amount), must pair with a federal LIHTC reservation; OHFA may reserve it July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027. (primary source)
More Ohio data
- Ohio 2026 income and rent limitsby county
- Ohio tax credit apartmentsby city
- Ohio QCTs and DDAs2027 lists by county
- Year 15 and Year 30 propertiesby county
- QCT and DDA lookupby address
- Monthly credit ratesIRS
- LIHTC in Northern Mariana Islandsprevious
- LIHTC in Oklahomanext
- All statescompare
Questions people ask
How much 9% LIHTC does Ohio get in 2026?
The population part of Ohio's 2026 housing credit ceiling is $40,652,142: the greater of $3.416 per resident or $3,953,600, applied to the 11,900,510 population in IRS Notice 2026-22. The agency's actual 2026 authority also adds unused and returned credits and any national pool share, so its own published figure can be higher.
Who allocates housing tax credits in Ohio?
Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA). It awards 9% credits under its qualified allocation plan (9% LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plan Program Year 2026-2027, 2026-2027) and sets the rules 4% bond deals must meet to receive credits.
Does Ohio have a state low-income housing tax credit?
Yes. Ohio LIHTC (OLIHTC), R.C. 175.16: $100M per state fiscal year (10-year amount), must pair with a federal LIHTC reservation; OHFA may reserve it July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027.
Financing a Ohio tax credit deal?
Construction, bond, bridge-to-equity and permanent debt for Ohio 4% and 9% deals.