Reporting Income - what types?

[Anonymous]

Okay, so after the lovely people at Chase whacked my CL because I (gasp) used credit cards, I got to thinking: 3 of the 12 cards that "carry" balances are work-related. I charge my gas (I get reimbursed by my company) Cell phone (diff. credit card) and parking (diff. credit card) So since those "balances" (even though they're paid in full Chase apparently considers it carrying a balance because every month there's X on the card), are actually being paid for in addition to my paid income, can I report expense reimbursements as income in a credit card application? I average approximately $7,000/year in expenses that are reimbursed by my employer. Doesn't show up on my taxes, as income (because it's not), but it DOES offset the charges/balances on the credit cards. Any ideas?

[fused]

With regards to your Chase CC, did you state your individual income or HHI (household income)?

[Anonymous]

I stated my personal income, I kinda forgot about "household". I have a roomate that pays $500/month for rent plus half utils. I had stated to them my income from my personal W2 forms. For example, I may spend $90/month in gas, but I'll get reimbursed about $300/month in mileage plus parking, etc. I never really thought about this stuff until they whacked my CL So my mortgage shows up as $1600/month, etc. and I've just been stating my personal income from W2 and nothing else (wasn't sure if expenses, etc. got considered as "income").

[smallfry]

Unless your roomie cooks and performs other household duties (if you get my drift) I would not include their income on my apps. As a matter of fact I never do but that's me. I would only include salary and commissions on apps as income.

[yoreljm]

This is what Bank of America says about income (for a college credit card):

You need not reveal income from alimony, child support, or separate maintenance payments. You may include income from your parents, summer job(s), savings, spouse, salary, and loans.

When applying, just find out what you can report as income.

They like to say income does not factor into FICO score, however, income determines how much credit you get, and that impacts you FICO (or at least your chances of getting the good cards). When reporting my income, I include everything I can.

[Anonymous]

If you're renting a room to your roommate then I'll count that as part of your income.