FAQ: Direct Housing Rental Payment Process

If you are a survivor of the 2023 Maui wildfires, and you are in FEMA’s Direct Housing Program, the following information may help guide you through the rental payment process.

Q&A: Rental Payment Options & Instructions

Q.When will Direct Housing participants be required to begin paying rent? 

A. As of March 1, 2025, all Direct Housing households are required to begin paying monthly rent to FEMA.

Q. How will I receive my rent statement? 

A. Households will receive their rent statements at their current mailing address, and the applicant can obtain their billing statements by signing into their FEMA account online and looking under current communications. 

Q. How do I send in my rent payment? 

• Phone:           
  • Call 866-804-2469 Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (EST is currently six hours ahead of Hawaiʻi time.)
  • Accepted phone payment methods:
  • Bank account (ACH)
  • Debit or credit card
• Check or Money Order Payable to FEMA:   
  • U.S. Mail: FEMA, PO Box 6200-16, Portland, OR 97228-6200

OR 

• Overnight Delivery/Courier Payments:   

  U.S. BANK-Government Lockbox, ATTN: DHS-FEMA-6200-16,

  17650 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97230

• Return U.S. Department of the Treasury Checks by U.S. Mail:

  • U.S. Department of the Treasury, ATTN: Treasury Check Return, 

  PO Box 51318, Philadelphia, PA  19115

• Electronic Payment:
  • Online at www.pay.gov
  • Accepted online payment methods:
  • Bank account (ACH)
  • PayPal account
  • Venmo account
  • Debit or credit card

Q.  How do I make an electronic rent payment, or e-payment?

1. Go to www.pay.gov
2. Type “FEMA” into the search box (white box located at top right of page)
3. In Search Results, look for FEMA Finance Center – Payment Form
   • Click [Continue]
   • Click [Continue to the Form]
4. Complete the Agency Form
   • Notice and Debt Letter (NDL) # is on your letter under the address. This number will change monthly.
   • Click [Continue]
5. Complete Payment Form
   • Option to enter email address to receive email confirmation
   • Click [Continue]
   • Process is complete

Q.  Can I set up automatic electronic rent payments, or auto-pay?

A.  Auto-pay is not an available option at this time.

Q.  When is the rent payment due?

A.  Rent payment is required within 30 days of the due date.

Q.  What if I make a payment after 30 days?

A.  After 30 days, the debt is considered delinquent and FEMA will begin collection action as required by the Debt Collection Act of 1982, the Debt Collections Improvement Act (DCIA) of 1996, and the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act).

Q.  Who do I contact if I have questions on how to pay?

A. Call FEMA Finance at 866-804-2469, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (EST is currently six hours ahead of Hawaiʻi time) or email FEMA-Finance-AccountsReceivable-Deposits@FEMA.dhs.gov. If you use video relay service, captioned service, or other communication services, please provide FEMA with the specific number assigned for that service.

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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.