What does annual income mean when applying for a credit card?

A good annual income for a credit card is more than $39,000 per annum for a single individual or $63,000 per year for a household. Anything lower than that is below the median yearly earnings for Americans. However, there’s no official minimum income amount required for credit card approval in general. It varies by credit card company and from individual card to card.... read full answer

For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card requires at least $425 more in income per month than you spend on rent or mortgage payments. Generally, the top 10 issuers either have no minimum income requirements or do not publicly disclose that information.

Reasons Why Income Is Required

By law, credit card companies are required to ask for your income. Lenders can only issue you a credit card if they’re confident you can make at least the minimum monthly payments and that you have the ability to repay any balance you may incur. In addition to employment income, you should also report any alternative sources of income. This includes alimony, Social Security or pension payments, and investment income, among other sources.

Applicants under 21 years old can only report “personal income.” This may include money earned from a job, of course, as well as things like investment income, inheritance distributions, or even an allowance that someone regularly deposits into your bank account. You cannot include your parents’ income unless they co-sign for your card, and major issuers don’t allow co-signers anymore. If you’re over the age of 21, you can add in someone else’s income that you may have reasonable access to, such as the salary of a working spouse.

There’s still another part of the equation, and that’s how much debt you have. Issuers will review your debt in relation to your income to determine how much more you can afford to borrow and how risky you would be as a borrower. Issuers set your credit limit based on this information and other factors like your credit history. There’s no specific cutoff for credit cards, but you’ll want to maintain as low of a debt-to-income ratio as possible.

Finally, you should always be honest and accurate when reporting income on a credit card application. Knowingly entering false info is illegal.

You can get a credit card without a job. Most credit card applications have a section for employment information, but you can also put student, homemaker or unemployed. Annual income and assets are more important than employment status when applying for a credit card, though.

Income is usually from a job, but it can also come from other sources like an inheritance or investments. Your assets are anything of value that you own. For example, if you have a rental property, the property would be an asset. And the rent you charge would be part of your income.... read full answer

If you’re under 21 years old, you’ll need your own income source to qualify for a credit card. That could include a regular allowance from your parents, though. If you’re over 21, you can list household income that you have reasonable access to. For example, a stay-at-home parent could list their spouse’s income. Without a job or any income, a credit card will be much more difficult to get.

How to get a credit card without a job:

• Put down non-employment income: You can list alimony, disability benefits, certain scholarships, and investment or rental income, for example.
• List shared income: If you have consistent access to someone else’s income, you can list that. For example, it could be an allowance from a relative (if you’re under 21 years old) or your partner’s pay (21+).
• Become an authorized user or get a joint account with someone else: An authorized user can make charges on someone else’s account. But the primary cardholder owns the account and is legally responsible for paying the bills. This option is the easiest way to get a card and start building credit. You can also get a joint credit card from U.S. Bank without a job, as long as the co-owner has enough income. But in a joint credit card arrangement, both people are liable for the debt.
• Get a secured card: To get a secured card, you must put down a security deposit (usually $200+), which serves as the credit limit. Since there is no possibility of borrowing more than you can pay, secured cards are easier for people with limited income or bad credit to get.

You can get a credit card without a job as long as you have enough income or assets to pay your bills. So being out of work doesn’t mean losing out on the opportunity to improve your credit score or enjoy the convenience of plastic.