Am I allowed to have an income if my mom has Section 8?
I’m 20 and I’d like to be able to save up money for moving out eventually. My mother receives Section 8 and I suppose I’m still technically a dependent in Housing Authority’s eyes? Can I have a job and my own checking/savings account without it being lumped in with my mother’s income or is there no chance of me being independent?
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The household income is lumped together, so since you live there, you can have a job but they will count your income toward the total income of the household.
You’re allowed to have savings and checking and that’s not counted, as it’s not income.
@jca2 Talk about a Catch-22! You can have a savings and checking account, you just can’t earn the money to put in it without it counting against you.
@smudges: A savings or checking account can consist of more than just earned income. It can consist of birthday money or money given to you (inherited, etc.).
Section 8 was no doubt taken by your mother who is on the lease. If you are a minor you are not responsible for the lease. However, if the landlord wants to, he can insist on putting you on a renewed lease. That is when things will change. If the landlord hasn’t bothered to do so in the last 2 years then section 8 only applies to your mother’s income as head of household. Most landlords don’t care where the payment comes from. A section 8 is a secure payment for them. You landlord has nothing to do with the application. They only have to report what was reported to them. So if you are not on the lease as a co-signer then you do not have to report your income to the landlord. I do not know however if you are required to report it to the government. If its a part-time job then it probably won’t change anything.
I used to work for Section 8.
The OP is 20 so not a minor. The income does not get reported to the Landlord, it gets reported to Section 8. Regardless of who is on the lease, all income for residents in the household has to be included on the application to S8.
@Pandora Your advice put the mother in jeopardy of losing her benefits. Her HUD application requires her to say that she has reported all income coming to those at her address.
My daughter did not have to count her income as a minor. If she had stayed beyond her eighteenth birthday, her income would have counted.
Since you are not employed already, perhaps there is a grace period. Ask HUD It is the only way to be sure.
@Patty_Melt: New income has to be reported within 30 days.
@jca2 True. It just struck me as ironic. thanks for the $5 grandma!
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