USC parents co-sponsoring I864.....income when filed jointly - how does that work?

[ljandjl 1]

Hi guys, maybe you can help me out.

I'm the USC, my husband the beneficiary. We're prepping our I-864 & know we need co-sponsors. My US parents are willing, but we want to be sure we fill it out right & don't incur any unnecessary delays.

My dad is self-employed, as a farmer. My mom is also "a farmer" - meaning she gets paid from the farm. So, when filling out the I-864, we can easily list my dad's current individual annual income - but since my parents file jointly, do we list an income for my mom? I mean yes, she has an income, but their return is a joint return, so wouldn't that be double dipping?

PS - the annual individual income is above what will be required of them, so there's no reason to cheat/stretch/etc. Just don't want to do it wrong!

Thanks for any advice!!

[Bron Chase 1]

Hi guys, maybe you can help me out.

I'm the USC, my husband the beneficiary. We're prepping our I-864 & know we need co-sponsors. My US parents are willing, but we want to be sure we fill it out right & don't incur any unnecessary delays.

My dad is self-employed, as a farmer. My mom is also "a farmer" - meaning she gets paid from the farm. So, when filling out the I-864, we can easily list my dad's current individual annual income - but since my parents file jointly, do we list an income for my mom? I mean yes, she has an income, but their return is a joint return, so wouldn't that be double dipping?

PS - the annual individual income is above what will be required of them, so there's no reason to cheat/stretch/etc. Just don't want to do it wrong!

Thanks for any advice!!

If your father's portion of the earned income is enough to qualify then just have him fill out an I-864 with only his income. If you wanted to include your mother's income then you'd have to break it apart separately and have your dad do an I-864 and your mom do an I-864A (which is the "household member" contract saying she's willing to put up her salary along with dad's to help his income be enough to qualify), which you are only supposed to do if dad's income alone isn't enough. You're fine with the joint IRS transcript; they can see the breakdown. Good luck to you!!

- Bron