If your mother has a steady, regular stream of other income, besides SS, you should include that as another source. But don't worry if she doesn't!
I don't. I just have SS. I had to retire early due to illness, so first I had SSDI then when I hit full retirement age, it changed to regular SS. All along the only income and source I've provided has been SS, with no issues. However, if I NEEDED to prove that I have access to more money, it's a simple matter of providing a statement from AIG, where I have an annuity I can draw from as needed. Although I rarely withdraw money from it--so it's not a regular, monthly source or anything like that--it DOES bolster my overall financial situation, so it could be used to add to my [paltry] SS. Note, though, that I've never been asked to provide anything else--and almost all of my cards have 5-figure limits, so my income has not been an issue in getting credit limit increases.
Good luck with your mom! I'd like to know what she ends up applying for. Oh, also be aware that some banks only provide space for *one* source of income; in that case, you want to provide her MAIN source (which I'm guessing is SS) when applying, but keep in mind what I said about proving other sources if the need ever arises.
@PlenopticAeon wrote:Thanks for your reply, I'm in the process of filling out her application for the Chase Freedom Unlimited (as she's excited to get the SUB). However for primary source of income field, should I choose UNEMPLOYED or OTHER (as in being retired and receiving her monthly SS benefit)? I know one can still be approved if UNEMPLOYED but I wasn't sure if I should just choose that because technically she's unemployed. I understand I'm overthinking this but thanks for any additional help.
You're welcome. And, no, you're really not overthinking it! It's very important to get things right, so you're doing a good job, taking your time, asking questions, etc.
If Chase doesn't have a 'retired' option under employment, I would choose 'other'--but be prepared to explain that if necessary, i.e., retired. I don't think I've ever put 'unemployed' but I could be wrong. I'd rather put 'other' and then explain that I'm retired, rather than put 'unemployed' which makes it look like I'm still in the workforce, but without a job right now.
@PlenopticAeon wrote:My 86 year old mother is wanting to apply for the Chase Freedom Card (excellent credit score of 830) and I was going to help her submit the application. I'm wonder which sources I should add as her annual income (other than the obligatory SS monthly benefit). She only has a Venture Card (Originally a Capital One Visa signature which was opened back in the early 2000's) and only has a $15,000 credit limit.
I'm hoping with this app, she can get a higher credit limit but as she's now retired, wanted to know what other sources I can submit to buff up her credit limit (more than the current Cap1 card)
Appreciate any info and help (and thanks for understanding if this is a repeat question as I searched for this topic prior to posting, to no avail)
This is not a difficult question.
You need to go with what her income tax returns say.
@SouthJamaica wrote:
@PlenopticAeon wrote:My 86 year old mother is wanting to apply for the Chase Freedom Card (excellent credit score of 830) and I was going to help her submit the application. I'm wonder which sources I should add as her annual income (other than the obligatory SS monthly benefit).
This is not a difficult question.
You need to go with what her income tax returns say.
Sorry, but no. 
Many retired people, including myself, are not required to file income tax returns. So this is not an option, nor should it be, since SS benefits are not taxable and would not be included on a tax return. Some retired people do file, for various reasons, but even in their cases SS is not taxable and therefore wouldn't be included in their total TAXABLE income.
@Save-n-Invest wrote:Social Security benefits are taxable at certain modest income levels. The last time they *saved* Social Security in 1983 that tax was established. The fun thing is that income thresholds established in 1983 have not been indexed for inflation. A new (higher) threshold was added years later. Still no indexing.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/taxes.html
I guess I've been very lucky. My attorneys told me at the time my SSDI claim was approved that I would not be required to pay income tax going forward. And that's been true all along, even after it changed to regular SS. Because my other income is from an annuity that was funded with post-tax money, I'm not taxed when I make withdrawals. And its interest, while very good, doesn't put me over the threshhold for paying income tax.