STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

Louisiana
QAP scoring guide.

Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) · 2025-2026 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Sep 12, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

16 categories

Not stated as a policy target in the QAP itself, but LHC's actual "2025 LIHTC Final Rankings" (Exhibit A, as of 10/15/25) shows funded/winning scores clustering at 48-51 points across the various pools — e.g., Pecan Grove led the Non-Profit/CHDO pool at 51 (the single highest score awarded, matching this QAP's 51-point ceiling); most other pool winners scored 48-50. The published waiting list (unfunded due to insufficient pool dollars, not low score) ran from 49 points down to 40 points — 40 being the QAP's own hard minimum threshold score (Section IV.A.18). In practice this means roughly 48+ points was competitive/fundable in the 2025 round, though actual funding also depends on each pool's available dollars versus the applicant's LIHTC request.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

I.A — Community Redevelopment

3 pts

Select one (max 3): Redevelopment Project (distressed/redevelopment/owner-occupied-with-plan), New Construction within a Concerted Community Revitalization Plan, or a PHA-sponsored project — each worth 3 points. Must be in a qualified census tract within a Concerted Community Revitalization Plan area.

I.B — Rehabilitation & Preservation

8 pts

Select one project type (max 8, mutually exclusive with I.C New Construction): Existing LIHTC property (8), Existing USDA/LHC/other federally-funded project (8), Existing non-historic residential building (7), Blighted housing remediation/replacement (7), Rehab infill/scattered site — not eligible for community-facility points (7), or Preservation of a residential historic property (3).

I.C — New Construction

8 pts

Select New Construction (single-family/multifamily/duplex, 7 pts) with an optional Homeownership Project add-on (+1 pt, must sell units by year 16 of the compliance period), OR select New Construction Infill/Scattered-Site single-family or duplex (7 pts) instead. Mutually exclusive with I.B Rehabilitation & Preservation. NOTE: I.A + I.B + I.C combine under 'Targeted Project Type,' which is capped at an overall maximum of 11 points even though B and C individually list up to 8 each.

II.A — Special Needs Households

6 pts

Serve homeless, disabled, single-parent, veteran, or domestic-violence-victim households (does not apply to Permanent Supportive Housing) at 30% of units (6 pts), 20% of units (5 pts), or 10% of units (4 pts); requires a supportive-services plan, annual cost/free-service commitment, and taxpayer experience documentation. Only one selection allowed between II.A and II.B.

II.B — Elderly Households

6 pts

100% of project units designated for Elderly Households. Mutually exclusive with II.A Special Needs Households; combined 'Targeted Population Type' category is capped at 6 points total.

III.A — Extended Affordability Agreement

5 pts

Only one selection: extend the project's affordability restriction beyond the standard period to year 35 (3 pts), year 40 (4 pts), or year 45 (5 pts). Lease-to-own projects and projects executing the Corporation's Option to Purchase/Right of First Refusal are ineligible.

III.B — Governmental Priorities

4 pts

Select all that apply: project located in a Difficult Development Area (DDA), Qualified Census Tract (QCT), or federally/state-recognized Tribal Census Tract (2 pts); project located in a parish that has not received a LIHTC award in the last 20 years — Grant, La Salle, St. Charles, or St. Helena (2 pts).

III.C — Additional Financial Support

4 pts

Only one selection. Non-LHC philanthropic donations, CDBG/HOME funds, or other governmental assistance (fee waivers, tax abatement/foregone taxes, contributed land, below-market financing, etc.) reducing total development cost by: 7%+ of TDC (4 pts), 4%-<7% of TDC (3 pts), or 2%-<4% of TDC (2 pts). Must be evidenced by a signed funding commitment. NOTE: III.A+B+C combine under 'Priority Development Areas and Other Preferences,' capped at an overall maximum of 13 points.

IV.A — Neighborhood/Location Features

5 pts

Points awarded per qualifying nearby service verified by the market analyst (grocery store, fresh produce market/fruit stand, hospital/doctor office/clinic, bank/credit union with live tellers, elementary/secondary/post-secondary school, 4-yr college/university/vocational/technical/community college, pharmacy, public transportation, licensed adult/child day care, public park, police or fire station). Urban projects: 1 point per service within 1 mile, 0.5 point within 1-2 miles. Rural projects: 1 point per service within 5 miles, none beyond. Overall category capped at 5 points.

V.A — Community Facilities

2 pts

On-site community facility consistent with the QAP's definition. Homeownership and non-contiguous scattered-site projects are not eligible for these points.

V.B — Optional Amenities (Dishwashers)

1 pts

Dishwashers maintained in each unit; requires architect certification.

V.C — Project Amenities

2 pts

1 point each (capped at 2 total) for any of: playground, computer center (min. 5 computers), exercise room (must have equipment), picnic area with permanent grill, courtyard with seating. All amenities must be new/improved and located on the project site.

V.D — Additional Accessible Units

3 pts

Only one selection, above the Section 504 baseline (5% mobility-accessible / 2% hearing-or-vision-accessible, which applies to all projects regardless of points): units accessible in excess of 15% but not exceeding 20% of total units, or units exceeding 20% of total units. NOTE: the source PDF's own scoring table has the point values printed one row out of alignment with the two selectable tiers (a '2' aligns with the >20% row and a '3' aligns with the adjoining documentation-instruction row rather than a selection row), so the exact point split between the two tiers is ambiguous on the face of the document; 3 points is the highest value shown in this subsection.

V.E — On-Site Security

3 pts

Security cameras, security gate, and/or on-site security guard (capped at 2 points for this sub-selection regardless of how many are chosen), plus +1 point if security cameras are also tied into a local town crime-surveillance initiative. Detailed camera-density (1 per 20 units), 30-day footage retention, and fencing-material requirements apply.

V.F — HUD Defensible Space

2 pts

Project incorporates HUD Defensible Space design principles.

V.G — Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) On-Site

3 pts

Owner agrees to host an FQHC on-site providing preventive health, dental, mental health, and/or substance-abuse services: once a year (1 pt), twice a year (2 pts), or quarterly (3 pts).

Scoring source

2025 QAP (Final as amended 01-13-26 -- the current operative document; originally Final as of 02-14-25), Appendix A "Selection Criteria and Evidentiary Materials," pp. 37-39; pools defined at Section II.A, pp. 4-6; 40-point minimum threshold at Section IV.A.17, p. 16; tie-breaking procedure at Section III.B.3.h, p. 10; 9%-vs-4% scoring distinction at Section III.C, pp. 10-11. Actual award outcomes cross-checked against LHC's "2025 LIHTC Final Rankings" (Exhibit A, as of 10/15/25), https://www.lhc.la.gov/hubfs/Document%20Libraries/Housing%20Development/Funding%20Opportunities/LIHTC/Final%202025%20QAP%20Rankings%20as%20of%2010.15.25.pdf.

WHEN SCORES ARE CLOSE

Tie-breakers

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

Application requesting the lowest amount of LIHTCs wins the tie
If still tied, earliest application submittal date wins

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

2025 QAP (Final as of 02-14-25), Section IV.D "Underwriting Guidelines," pp. 20-23 (PDF pp. 20-23); fee schedule at Section III.D "Non-Refundable Fee Schedule," pp. 11-12; further clarified by LHC's companion document "2025 QAP Underwriting FAQs" (as of 02/28/25), https://www.lhc.la.gov/hubfs/Document%20Libraries/Tax%20Credit%202025/LHC%202025%20QAP%20Underwriting%20FAQs.pdf.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: No single mandated default for unassisted buildings — owner may pick any of 5 listed methods (LHC/LHA statewide UA schedule, local PHA UA, utility company estimate, HUD USM, or energy consumption model). But the choice is NOT free for regulated buildings: if any unit receives HUD rental assistance, the applicable local PHA's Section 8 Existing Housing UA is mandatory; if the building has Rural Housing (RD) assistance, the method defined by USDA's Rural Housing Service is mandatory instead.

Louisiana Housing Authority (LHA) / LHC Statewide Utility Allowance Schedule (published annually by unit type: Apartments, Duplex, Single Family) ↗

LHC Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Manual (Jan. 2026 ed.), Sec. 4.9 "Utility Allowances (UA)," Subsection A "Utility Allowance Determination" and Subsection B "Tenants Receiving HUD Rental Assistance" (pp. 31-33). The 2025 QAP PDF itself contains no UA subsection — the operative UA rules live in this companion Compliance Manual, not the QAP.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for Louisiana

PHASE 1Site sourcing and screening PHASE 2Site control and due diligence PHASE 3Entitlement pathway election PHASE 4Program election (9% vs. 4% vs. hybrid)PHASE 5Rents, income limits, and the operating pro forma PHASE 6Cost, construction type, and the labor package PHASE 7Off the QAP: HOME, NHTF, a storm-tied CDBG-DR loan, and someone else's tax credit PHASE 8A pre-submission gate in March, the real deadline in May, and a 40-point floor PHASE 9A December carryover date, an April 1 audit deadline, and a QAP silent on the 10 percent test PHASE 10Construction monitoring, cost certification, and getting to Form 8609 PHASE 11Compliance, Year 15, and Louisiana's 30-year extended-use floor

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →