STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

Indiana
QAP scoring guide.

Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) · 2026-2027 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Sep 12, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

39 categories

Not stated in the QAP or a published scoring summary; IHCDA does not publish per-application scores alongside award announcements. The QAP itself sets 85 of 165 points as the "must clear" score for 9% competitive applications and a case-by-case floor (never below 50 points) for competitive 4%/bond/AWHTC deals — those are stated thresholds, not reported "typical winning" scores.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

6.1(A) Rent Restrictions

16 pts

Points for committing to rent targeting below the minimum set-aside, scored on % of LIHTC units at or below 30% AMI rent and total % at or below 50% AMI rent (16 pts for 20%/50%, 12 for 20%/40%, 8 for 20%/33%, 4 for <20%/33%). Not scored for competitive 4%/bond/AWHTC applications.

6.1(B) Income Restrictions

3 pts

3 points if income restrictions match the elected rent restrictions; mandatory election for the Average Income minimum set-aside. Not scored for competitive 4%/bond/AWHTC applications.

6.1(C) Additional Years of Affordability

4 pts

2 points for committing to a 35-year Extended Use Period (15 + 20), 4 points for a 40-year Extended Use Period (15 + 25).

6.2(A) Amenities

6 pts

Up to 6 points (2+2+2) for selecting minimum counts/column mixes of amenities from three charts: Common Area, Apartment Unit, and Safety & Security.

6.2(B) Accessible or Adaptable Units

5 pts

1/3/5 points for exceeding minimum required percentages of Type A (accessible) or Type B (adaptable) units, tiered by new construction/rehab/age-restricted status.

6.2(C) Universal Design Features

5 pts

3/4/5 points for adopting a minimum of 8/9/10 universal design features from each design column, beyond the Part 5.4(F) threshold minimum.

6.2(D) Redevelopment of Vacant Structure

6 pts

6 points for fully redeveloping a 100% vacant structure into housing, commercial space, and/or common areas (mutually exclusive with 6.2E and 6.2F).

6.2(E) Preservation of Existing Rental Housing

9 pts

4-6 points depending on preservation type (expiring/expired LIHTC project, HUD/USDA-assisted housing, other affordable housing, or market-rate-to-affordable conversion), plus separate bonus points (1-3) scaled to number of units preserved. Mutually exclusive with 6.2D and 6.2F.

6.2(F) Infill New Construction

6 pts

6 points for new construction meeting infill site-adjacency and existing-utility-connection criteria. Mutually exclusive with 6.2D and 6.2E.

6.2(G) Development is Historic in Nature

3 pts

1-2 points if 25%/50%+ of units are in a nationally/state/locally designated historic building, plus 1 additional point for an approved Part 2 federal historic tax credit application.

6.2(H) Foreclosed and Condemned Properties

3 pts

3 points for demolishing/redeveloping or rehabilitating a foreclosed or condemned property covering at least 50% of the development's units.

6.2(I) Internet Access

4 pts

Up to 3 points for free high-speed internet in every unit (or including internet in the utility allowance), plus 1 additional point for free common-area Wi-Fi.

6.2(J) Lease-Purchase

2 pts

2 points for offering homeownership to qualified tenants after the 15-year Compliance Period via a qualifying lease-purchase structure (single-family/townhome/duplex units only).

6.2(K) Building Certification

2 pts

1 point for a base green certification (e.g., LEED Certified, NGBS Bronze) or 2 points for a higher tier (LEED Silver, NGBS Silver, Enterprise Green Communities, Passive House).

6.2(L) Onsite Recycling

1 pts

1 point for offering onsite recycling at no cost to residents.

6.3(A) Desirable Sites

6 pts

Up to 6 points for proximity to fresh produce (2), positive civic/retail/healthcare land uses (2), and fixed transit (2); minus 1 point per undesirable site within a quarter mile.

6.3(B) Unit Production in Areas Underserved by the 9% LIHTC Program

6 pts

Up to 3 points for the local unit of government/unincorporated area going 5/10/15 years without a 9% LIHTC allocation, plus up to 3 points for the same at the county level. 9% applications only.

6.3(C) Census Tract without Active Tax Credit Projects

3 pts

3 points if no other active LIHTC project of the same occupancy type exists in the census tract; 1.5 points if exactly one other exists; special preservation carve-out.

6.3(D) Opportunity Index

4 pts

1 point each (up to 4) for high-median-income tract, low-poverty tract, low county unemployment, and strong primary-care-physician access; minus 1 point if located in a HUD R/ECAP (waived for Preservation set-aside).

6.3(E) Housing Need Index

8 pts

1 point each (up to 8) for meeting housing-need indicators: county population growth, high rent-burden rate, high severe-housing-problem rate, high extreme-low-income renter share, low LIHTC-unit-to-renter-household ratio, pre-1940 housing stock share, low vacant-and-available-unit rate, and age-restricted housing desert designation.

6.3(F) 10-Year Projected Job Growth by Economic Growth Region

5 pts

0-5 points on a sliding scale based on the Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development's 2022-2032 projected job growth for the development's Economic Growth Region.

6.3(G) Five-Year Actual Job Growth Percentage by County

5 pts

0-5 points on a sliding scale based on actual county job growth percentage, 2019-2023 data.

6.3(H) Ratio of New Jobs to Housing Permits

3 pts

0-3 points based on net jobs added per new housing permit issued (2014-2023 data); only available if 6.3(G) scored above zero.

6.3(I) Community Revitalization Plan for Developments Located in a QCT

2 pts

2 points for a qualifying, sufficiently recent community revitalization plan covering a QCT site where at least 50% of units are within the QCT.

6.4(A) Leveraging Capital Resources

4 pts

Up to 4 points on a sliding scale (1.00% to 10.00%+ of total development cost) for firm commitments of non-IHCDA public or private capital funding.

6.4(B) Leveraging the READI Program

4 pts

Up to 4 points for being part of an approved IEDC READI regional development plan and receiving READI funds that reduce the need for additional IHCDA gap resources.

6.4(C) Non-IHCDA Project-Based Rental Assistance

2 pts

1 point for a committed non-IHCDA project-based rental assistance contract covering at least 10% of units, or 2 points for at least 20% of units.

6.4(D) Tax Credit Per Unit / Bond Volume Per Unit

4 pts

Percentile-ranked points (0-4) for the lowest 9% tax credit request per program unit; competitive 4%/bond applications are instead ranked on lowest bond volume per unit.

6.5(A) Certified Tax Credit Compliance Specialist

3 pts

Up to 2 points if the Management Entity contact holds an approved compliance certification (C3P, HCCP, TaCCs, NPCC, SHCM, or TCS/TCSA), plus 1 point if the Owner/Developer contact also holds one.

6.5(B) Unique Features

3 pts

1-3 points awarded at IHCDA's sole discretion for unique development/resident-benefiting features not already scored elsewhere.

6.5(C) Resident Services

5 pts

Up to 5 points (0.5 or 1 point per qualifying service) for committing to onsite resident services across health/wellness, financial capability, workforce development, community/leisure, and children/youth categories.

6.5(D) Resident Service Coordinator for Supportive Housing

2 pts

2 points for committing to a dedicated or third-party Resident Service Coordinator working at least 20 hrs/week onsite, available only to Supportive Housing set-aside/Integrated Supportive Housing applicants.

6.5(E) Integrated Supportive Housing for Persons Experiencing Homelessness

3 pts

3 points for designating 20-25% of units as supportive housing for persons experiencing homelessness, developed/operated by a team that previously completed the Indiana Supportive Housing Institute.

6.5(F) Developments from Previous Supportive Housing Institutes

3 pts

3 points for a Supportive Housing set-aside application tied to a development from the 2024-or-earlier Indiana Permanent Supportive Housing Institute cohort.

6.5(G) Eviction Prevention Plan

2 pts

2 points for committing to a qualifying, IHCDA-approved Eviction Prevention Plan with individualized, last-resort eviction practices.

6.5(H) Low-Barrier Tenant Screening

4 pts

Up to 2 points for reduced criminal-background screening (misdemeanors and older felonies) and up to 2 points for a reduced prior-eviction look-back window (12 or 6 months).

6.5(I) Readiness to Proceed

5 pts

Up to 5 points across readiness indicators: clean Phase I ESA (1), completed Phase II ESA (1), uncommitted non-IHCDA sources ≤10% (1) or ≤5% (2) of total sources, final (not draft) HUD PCNA for rehab deals (1), and a 6-month post-approval closing commitment (1).

6.5(J) Owners Who Have Requested Release Through Qualified Contract

-4 pts

Negative points (-2 to -4) if the Applicant/Owner/Developer or a principal has requested a Qualified Contract release (one or multiple projects) or experienced a related foreclosure releasing an extended use period in Indiana after January 25, 2021.

6.6(A) Indiana Bond Experience

4 pts

4%/bond applications only: 4 points if the Developer entity has an IRS Form 8609 for a prior Indiana tax-exempt-bond/4% LIHTC deal placed in service within the last 5 years, or 2 points if placed in service 5-10 years ago.

Scoring source

Indiana 2026-2027 QAP (Final v.3), Section 6 "Scoring Criteria," pp. 56-93 (in.gov/ihcda/files/2026-2027-QAP-FINAL-v.3.pdf); set-aside pool percentages from Section 4, p.11; noncompetitive-bond scoring carve-outs from companion Schedule D v.3 §D (in 2026-2027-QAP-Schedules-v16-7.17.26.zip).

WHEN SCORES ARE CLOSE

Tie-breakers

Review the agency’s tie-breaker rules alongside the scoring criteria.

No LIHTC award (4% or 9%) to that community/LUG in the past 3 years
Lowest tax credits per unit (9% apps) or lowest bond volume per unit (4% apps)
Lowest average rent restriction across all units
Highest number of set-asides the application competes under

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

Indiana 2026-2027 QAP (Final v.3), Part 5.2 "Underwriting Guidelines," pp. 34-37, and Part 5.3 "User Eligibility and Limitations," pp. 38-40 (in.gov/ihcda/files/2026-2027-QAP-FINAL-v.3.pdf). Bond-specific test and fee detail from the companion Schedule D v.3, "Noncompetitive Private Activity Tax-Exempt Bond Financing (25% Test)," Sections B, C and E (in 2026-2027-QAP-Schedules-v16-7.17.26.zip). Fee schedule from QAP Part 7.2, pp. 95-96.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: No single statewide default. IHCDA imposes a mandatory hierarchy by building/unit funding status: RD-assisted buildings must use the RD-approved UA; HUD-regulated buildings (e.g., Section 8 PBRA) must use the HUD-specific UA; units with HUD tenant-based assistance (Section 8 HCV) must use that PHA's UA schedule. Only buildings outside those categories get to choose freely among: the local PHA's UA schedule, IHCDA's own published county-specific UA schedule, a utility company letter, or a project-specific model (Energy Consumption Model / HUD USM / IHCDA-approved Qualified Engineer Estimate) - the latter three requiring IHCDA pre-approval, a $100 fee, and a 90-day tenant notice period.

IHCDA Utility Allowances (annual county-specific Single-Family and Multi-Family UA schedules, published separately from the QAP) ↗

IHCDA Rental Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Compliance Manual (July 2025), Part 4.4(D) "Approved Utility Allowance Sources," pp. 49-51; the 2026-2027 QAP (Sec. 6.2(I), Internet Access) cross-references this Part 4.4 rather than restating the UA menu itself.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for Indiana

PHASE 1Site sourcing and screening PHASE 2Site control, title, and the diligence clocks PHASE 3Electing the entitlement pathway PHASE 4Picking a credit program and competition bucket PHASE 5Restricted rents and the operating pro forma PHASE 6Cost, construction type and the labor package PHASE 7Building the capital stack and closing the gap PHASE 8Assembling and filing the application PHASE 9The post-award clock: reservation to carryover PHASE 10Construction, the 10% test, and getting to 8609 PHASE 11Compliance monitoring through the Indiana extended use period

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →