HUD QCT LIHTC Boost Screener — 130% Basis by Coordinate

Batch-check any list of coordinates against HUD Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) and get a clean, per-site answer to the question every affordable-housing underwriter asks first: is this site in a QCT, so my LIHTC project qualifies for the 130% eligible-basis boost?

Give it a list of {lat, lon, label} points; it returns one row per site with in_qct, the containing 11-digit tract GEOID (state FIPS + county FIPS + tract), the state, and a ready-to-use lihtc_130_basis_boost_eligible flag. Points are screened server-side (point-in-polygon) against HUD's official QCT feature layer — no API key, no shapefiles, no GIS desktop.

Who it's for

• LIHTC / affordable-housing developers running site selection and pre-development screens across a pipeline of parcels.
• Affordable-housing finance & underwriting teams sizing eligible basis and the 30% basis boost before an application.
• Tax-credit syndicators and investors verifying boost eligibility in a deal's due diligence.
• CRE analysts and acquisition teams flagging basis-boost upside across a portfolio of candidate sites.
• AI agents that need a chainable "is this coordinate in a QCT?" tool (see MCP note below).

What a QCT is (and why the boost matters)

A Qualified Census Tract is a census tract where at least 50% of households earn below 60% of Area Median Gross Income, or the tract has a poverty rate of at least 25%. Under IRC §42(d)(5)(B), a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project placed in a QCT gets its eligible basis increased to 130% — a materially larger credit. This actor tells you, per coordinate, whether that boost applies.

Example input

{
  "assets": [
    { "lat": 40.815, "lon": -73.904, "label": "South Bronx, NY" },
    { "lat": 34.073, "lon": -118.400, "label": "Beverly Hills, CA" }
  ],
  "maxAssets": 500
}

Output fields (one row per asset)

Field	Description
asset_label	Your label, echoed back.
asset_lat / asset_lon	The screened coordinate (WGS84).
in_qct	true if the point is inside a Qualified Census Tract, else false; null on error rows.
tract_geoid	11-digit tract GEOID of the containing QCT (null if not in a QCT).
state	USPS state abbreviation (from the 2-digit state FIPS).
county_fips	3-digit county FIPS.
tract	6-digit census tract code.
qct_year	HUD QCT designation vintage screened against (currently FY2025).
lihtc_130_basis_boost_eligible	true when the site qualifies for the LIHTC 130% eligible-basis boost (equals in_qct).
error	Populated only on invalid/failed rows; one bad point never fails the run.
source_url	HUD QCT FeatureServer layer queried.
checked_at	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of the run.

Use as an MCP tool

This actor is a clean, chainable tool for AI agents via mcp.apify.com. Each output field is described in the dataset schema, so an agent can call it with a coordinate and read back in_qct / lihtc_130_basis_boost_eligible to gate a downstream LIHTC feasibility step.

Notes on vintage and DDA

• QCTs are re-designated annually. This actor screens against HUD's currently-published QCT layer (FY2025 as served). The qct_year field records the vintage used; always confirm the applicable program year for your application.
• DDA is a separate designation. The 130% basis boost also applies inside a HUD Difficult Development Area (DDA), which HUD publishes as ZIP-code / county lists rather than a point-queryable feature layer. This actor (v1) covers QCT only; DDA screening is a planned v1.1 add. Because a site can qualify via either QCT or DDA, an in_qct: false result does not by itself rule out the boost.
• This is an informational intersection screen, not legal or tax advice. Confirm against HUD's official QCT dataset (huduser.gov/portal/datasets/qct.html) and your tax-credit counsel before relying on boost eligibility.

FAQ

Is this address in a QCT? Geocode it to a lat/lon, pass it in assets, and read in_qct.

Does a QCT mean I get the 130% basis boost? Yes — a LIHTC project placed in a QCT qualifies for the 130% eligible-basis boost under IRC §42(d)(5)(B). This actor sets lihtc_130_basis_boost_eligible accordingly.

What if my site isn't in a QCT? It may still get the boost via a Difficult Development Area (DDA). This actor screens QCT only (DDA is coming in v1.1), so verify DDA status separately.

Which year's QCTs are used? The currently-published HUD QCT layer (FY2025 as served); see the qct_year field on every row.

Do you need an API key? No. The source is HUD's public ArcGIS feature service.

How is it billed? One result row per screened asset (Pay Per Event). Empty input costs nothing beyond the tiny actor start.

Source

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — Qualified Census Tracts (LIHTC), ArcGIS FeatureServer, services.arcgis.com/VTyQ9soqVukalItT/.../Qualified_Census_Tracts/FeatureServer/0.