I'm currently in between jobs (temporarily unemployed) and when I applied for the Diners Club Card, I put in "self-employed" for that section with a yearly income of 15K (I also sell some items on ebay). My score is around 765 with a 15 year credit history. I was approved for the card. I think the banks will mainly tend to check income if it is on the higher side. You can also try "other" and if they call, say that it is total household income (all family members living in the same house).