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You do not need a job to apply for a credit card, but issuers must check that you can make the payments. Here is what counts as income and how the rules change at age 21.

This article is general information and isn’t financial or legal advice. Card terms, fees and rules change, so check the issuer’s current terms and official sources such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission before you decide.

The essentials

1. The CARD Act of 2009 requires card issuers to check that you can make minimum payments before approving an application or raising a credit limit.
2. Income from freelancing, benefits, retirement accounts, rentals and support payments can all count, as can household income for applicants 21 or older.
3. Applicants under 21 must show individual income or assets, and a cosigner who is 21 or older is the main exception.
4. Authorized users are not legally responsible for payments, but the account holder’s habits can affect their credit.
5. Issuers may verify income with paystubs or tax returns, so list only amounts you can document.

A job helps a credit card application, but federal law does not make one a requirement. What issuers are required to check is whether you can make your payments, and income can come from many places besides a paycheck. The rules also differ sharply for applicants under 21, which is where much of the confusion starts.

Do You Need a Paycheck to Get a Credit Card?

No. Employment is not itself a requirement, but card issuers will want to see that you can afford the monthly payments. Applications ask about annual income, debts and other financial obligations, and people who are retired, working part time, freelancing or between jobs can be approved if they show a reliable source of income or assets. Income does not appear on your credit report, so the application is where you report it yourself. List only money you actually receive or reasonably expect to keep receiving.

What Does the CARD Act Require Before an Issuer Approves You?

It requires a check of your ability to pay. The CARD Act, a federal statute passed in 2009, obliges card companies to weigh whether a consumer can handle the required payments before they issue a new card or raise an existing credit line. Under the regulation that implements the law, an issuer must consider whether you can make the required minimum payments based on your income or assets and your current obligations. Issuers may also look at credit reports, credit scores and other factors. The review is based on the facts known when you apply, and the same check applies to credit limit increases, whether you request one or the issuer initiates it.

What Income Sources Can You List on an Application?

More than wages. Any legitimate, consistent income you can document and reasonably expect to continue can generally go on the form. Common examples include:

• Self-employment and gig earnings, including freelance projects, tips and independent work.
• Government benefits. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, lenders cannot refuse to consider or discount income from public assistance programs, including Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Social Security disability insurance, unemployment compensation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). They can still weigh the amount and how likely it is to continue.
• Investment and savings income, such as interest, dividends or distributions.
• Retirement and trust income, such as regular money you draw from pension plans, individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans or funds held in trust.
• Support payments such as alimony or child support.
• Rental income from property you own, and leftover scholarship, grant or student loan money remaining after education expenses.
• Household income from a partner or parents, if you are 21 or older and can reasonably expect to draw on it.

Two limits worth knowing. Lottery and gambling winnings are generally not considered viable income sources by lenders. Some issuers also ask for documentation, such as paystubs or tax returns, so list only amounts you can support with records if asked.

Can a Stay-at-Home Spouse or Partner Qualify Using Household Income?

Often, yes, if you are 21 or older. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau changed its rules, in an update first proposed in October 2012, so issuers may count money a nonworking applicant who is 21 or older shares with a spouse or partner, as long as the applicant can reasonably expect to draw on it. The amendment applies regardless of marital status. The choice still belongs to the issuer. A card company can evaluate your ability to pay as an individual, using only your personal income and assets, or as part of a couple, using combined income and assets. That is why one issuer may decline an application while the next approves it: the first may have counted only individual income, while the second counted combined household income. Census figures cited by the CFPB put the number of married people without jobs outside the home at more than 16 million, so the rule touches roughly one married couple in three.

What Are the Rules If You Are Under 21?

Stricter ones. Credit card companies must look only at your individual income and assets, even if you have a spouse or partner who is 21 or older. Your individual income can include money you earn yourself, income or assets from a company or property you own independently or jointly with someone else, and money someone else regularly deposits into an account where you are an account holder. If you are younger than 21, federal rules require proof of sufficient income unless you apply with a cosigner. If you are a full-time student who is not in the workforce, a student card built for that situation may fit, and our guide to how student credit cards work explains who qualifies.

What Are Your Options If You Have No Income of Your Own?

Three main routes exist, each with trade-offs.

Cosigner. Someone 21 or older, including a spouse or partner, can cosign on a credit card with you. The issuer then looks at both incomes, but the cosigner becomes responsible for the debt if you stop paying. Our explainer on what cosigning really means covers those obligations in detail.

Authorized user. A trusted family member or friend can add you to an existing account. You typically get your own card but are not legally obligated to make the payments, and the account’s payment history may be added to your credit report, which can help a thin file. The trade-off runs both ways: if the account holder maxes out the card or keeps balances high, that can hurt your credit standing too.

Secured card. A secured credit card asks for a refundable deposit up front, typically sized to match the credit limit you receive, which lowers the issuer’s risk and makes approval easier without a job or credit history. Our walkthrough of secured credit cards covers deposits and the path to an unsecured card.

Whichever route you take, a card approved without steady earnings may come with a lower credit limit or a higher annual percentage rate, reflecting the risk the issuer sees.

What Happens If You State Income Incorrectly?

The application can fail, and the consequences can follow you. Issuers may ask for paystubs or tax returns or attempt to confirm your employment status, so inflated figures can surface and lead to a denial. Even if an overstatement slips through, a card you cannot afford is the worse outcome, because late payments damage the very history you were trying to build. Understating income can also cost you an approval you would have qualified for. If you are denied anyway, the issuer must give its reasons, and our guide to what to do if your first card application is denied walks through the next steps.

Before you apply, write down every income source you can document, confirm whether you are 21 or older, and match the path that fits, whether that is individual income, household income, a cosigner, authorized user status or a secured card.

Questions and answers

Can I get a credit card with no income at all?

Possibly, but not on income alone. Options include a cosigner who is 21 or older, becoming an authorized user on someone else’s account, or a secured card, where a refundable deposit you pay up front generally sets your credit limit.

Can I list my spouse’s income if I do not work?

If you are 21 or older, an issuer can choose to evaluate you based on combined household income as long as you can reasonably expect to use it. The issuer can also choose to look at your individual income only.

What income counts if I am under 21?

Issuers must consider only your individual income and assets. That can include money you earn, income from a business or property you own, and money someone else puts into an account you hold on a regular basis.

Does my credit report show my income?

No. Income is not part of your credit report or score, so you report it yourself on the application, and issuers may ask for documents such as paystubs or tax returns.