I-864 - questions about current income

[Minkybear 8]

Hi

 

We are currently filling out form I-864. My husband is employed by the NYC DOE, and works as a substitute teacher, while he goes to college at night to become a qualified teacher. He made well over the poverty guideline for our household size (2) for the previous two tax years in a permanent position at the same school. However this year is a little different. Prior to the summer break, he has made just under the guideline amount as a permanent sub. The second half of this year is tricky as he will be student teaching a lot, and doesn't know how much paid work as a substitute he will be able to get. We would be able to comfortably use assets to make up the difference.

 

1. What should he put as his current annual income, since we don't know exactly what it will be?

2. Due to our change in circumstances this year, and his work no longer being "guaranteed", can we go it alone, or are we going to need a joint sponsor?

 

Thanks!

[pushbrk 12,877]

1 minute ago, Minkybear said:

Hi

 

We are currently filling out form I-864. My husband is employed by the NYC DOE, and works as a substitute teacher, while he goes to college at night to become a qualified teacher. He made well over the poverty guideline for our household size (2) for the previous two tax years in a permanent position at the same school. However this year is a little different. Prior to the summer break, he has made just under the guideline amount as a permanent sub. The second half of this year is tricky as he will be student teaching a lot, and doesn't know how much paid work as a substitute he will be able to get. We would be able to comfortably use assets to make up the difference.

 

1. What should he put as his current annual income, since we don't know exactly what it will be?

2. Due to our change in circumstances this year, and his work no longer being "guaranteed", can we go it alone, or are we going to need a joint sponsor?

 

Thanks!

It's an interesting situation you describe.  I would tend to use his last pay stub as evidence of current income.  In that case, you would take the gross from a pay period times the number of pay periods in a full year.  That's how we advise every other "employed" person to state their current income.  It is also true that every other employed person does not know if they will have a job the rest of the year.  They could be fired, layed off, disabled or any number of other things could happen.  Just because you have a pretty good idea he'll make less the rest of the year doesn't really matter.  The question is not "what will he make in 2023?" or during the current year.  It's about current income.  If a person who never worked before, started a job August 1st at a thousand a week, their current income is 52k.  It really is that simple.

[Minkybear 8]

19 hours ago, pushbrk said:

It's an interesting situation you describe.  I would tend to use his last pay stub as evidence of current income.  In that case, you would take the gross from a pay period times the number of pay periods in a full year.  That's how we advise every other "employed" person to state their current income.  It is also true that every other employed person does not know if they will have a job the rest of the year.  They could be fired, layed off, disabled or any number of other things could happen.  Just because you have a pretty good idea he'll make less the rest of the year doesn't really matter.  The question is not "what will he make in 2023?" or during the current year.  It's about current income.  If a person who never worked before, started a job August 1st at a thousand a week, their current income is 52k.  It really is that simple.

 

Thank you for the reply! That makes a lot of sense when you put it in those terms. Perhaps we are overthinking things!