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Is any portion of your total gross annual income non-taxable?

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Is any portion of your total gross annual income non-taxable?

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Old Dec 13, 2020, 9:41 am
  #1  
RNE
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Is any portion of your total gross annual income non-taxable?

Why does Chase ask if any portion of one's total gross annual income is non-taxable? Why is that significant? What portion is likely to be too much? 10%? 25%? 50%? 100%? What gives?
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 1:32 pm
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Originally Posted by RNE
.... Why is that significant?....
May not be verifiable by, for example, requesting an income tax transcript.
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 1:39 pm
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They will apply a standard model to derive your discretionary income level and thus place you in the correct credit model. You could have tax-free annuities, court settlements or other non-taxable revenue streams that would throw off this calculation.
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 4:01 pm
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Another example, in my case, is income derived from owning state bonds, also municipal bond funds
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 7:07 pm
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I do wonder sometimes if it's an error to state 100 percent as non-taxable on my applications. It's foreign earned income and reported to the IRS, but I've already paid taxes on it so it all qualifies for the FEI exclusion.
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 8:48 pm
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Originally Posted by RNE
Why does Chase ask if any portion of one's total gross annual income is non-taxable?
Because Chase is so eager to be sued under 15 U.S.C. §1691(a)(2).

Originally Posted by Cotton Candy Lobster
I do wonder sometimes if it's an error to state 100 percent as non-taxable on my applications. It's foreign earned income and reported to the IRS, but I've already paid taxes on it so it all qualifies for the FEI exclusion.
Based on my reading, IRS's definition of taxable income generally means the income that is subject to tax treatment, not you have to pay tax for it.

So your income is 100% taxable. Just because you have a FEIE, it does not make your income non-taxable, i.e. FEIE is the tax treatment.
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 10:35 pm
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Social Security may be taxed at about 85%. There can likely be certain retirement or government pensions that could be untaxed.
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Old Dec 13, 2020, 11:26 pm
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Originally Posted by garykung
Based on my reading, IRS's definition of taxable income generally means the income that is subject to tax treatment, not you have to pay tax for it.

So your income is 100% taxable. Just because you have a FEIE, it does not make your income non-taxable, i.e. FEIE is the tax treatment.
I see. Will keep that in mind for the future.
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Old Dec 14, 2020, 8:26 am
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RNE
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Yeah, umm, my question has nothing to do with what constitutes taxable vs. non-taxable income. What I don't get is why does that proportion matter to Chase? Let's look at three hypothetical people who have the same total incomes but differing proportions of taxable vs. non-taxable incomes, and who are otherwise indistinguishable.

Alice has 100% taxable income.
Bob has 50% taxable income and 50% non-taxable.
Carol has 100% non-taxable income.

How is Chase likely to react differently to these people? And if it isn't then why does Chase ask the question?
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Old Dec 14, 2020, 8:29 am
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Originally Posted by RNE
Yeah, umm, my question has nothing to do with what constitutes taxable vs. non-taxable income. What I don't get is why does that proportion matter to Chase? Let's look at three hypothetical people who have the same total incomes but differing proportions of taxable vs. non-taxable incomes, and who are otherwise indistinguishable.

Alice has 100% taxable income.
Bob has 50% taxable income and 50% non-taxable.
Carol has 100% non-taxable income.

How is Chase likely to react differently to these people?
The only thing I could think of is that Chase will deduct a portion of your taxable income as money you can't spend. So if Carol and Alice have the same income, Carol will have a bigger credit line? Just guessing.
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Old Dec 14, 2020, 10:36 am
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Originally Posted by xooz
Social Security may be taxed at about 85%. There can likely be certain retirement or government pensions that could be untaxed.
The annual Form 1099-R issued for retirement pension recipients will indicate the amount that constitutes non-taxable return of prior contributions or previously taxed (Roth) contributions and their proceeds.
Originally Posted by RNE
Why does Chase ask if any portion of one's total gross annual income is non-taxable? Why is that significant? What portion is likely to be too much? 10%? 25%? 50%? 100%? What gives?
There is no amount that is "too much" or "too little". They simply have different tax treatment.
Originally Posted by bankops
They will apply a standard model to derive your discretionary income level and thus place you in the correct credit model. You could have tax-free annuities, court settlements or other non-taxable revenue streams that would throw off this calculation.
Bingo!
Originally Posted by RNE
Yeah, umm, my question has nothing to do with what constitutes taxable vs. non-taxable income. What I don't get is why does that proportion matter to Chase? Let's look at three hypothetical people who have the same total incomes but differing proportions of taxable vs. non-taxable incomes, and who are otherwise indistinguishable.

Alice has 100% taxable income.
Bob has 50% taxable income and 50% non-taxable.
Carol has 100% non-taxable income.

How is Chase likely to react differently to these people? And if it isn't then why does Chase ask the question?
Asked and answered.

Taxable income is not fully available for discretionary spending to the extent non-taxable income may be. Similar to renters versus mortgage-paid, free-and-clear homeowners. So different calculations will be required. That is all.
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Last edited by SPN Lifer; Dec 14, 2020 at 10:43 am
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Old Dec 14, 2020, 12:42 pm
  #12  
RNE
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Originally Posted by SPN Lifer
Taxable income is not fully available for discretionary spending to the extent non-taxable income may be.
So Chase would rather my sole source of income be $50k annual, non-taxable gifts from my mother for the last 20 years while I live in her basement with moss growing on my north side, versus $50k in taxable paychecks from an employer of 20 years. After all, Mom will live forever whereas continuous employment for two decades is bupkis.
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Old Dec 14, 2020, 1:31 pm
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Originally Posted by RNE
What I don't get is why does that proportion matter to Chase?
I have a different reading on this than SPN Lifer.

Under ECOA, a financial institution can't discriminate based on the source of income if all or any portion come from public assistance program (15 U.S.C. §1691(a)(2)). But at the same time, a financial institution is allowed to ask about the income to make certain determinations (15 U.S.C. §1691(b)(2)).

So to me - Chase has created a new formula for credit line determination, which factors taxable income and non-taxable income.

Other than that, I don't see any other plausible explanation.
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Old Dec 15, 2020, 12:00 pm
  #14  
RNE
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Originally Posted by garykung
So to me - Chase has created a new formula for credit line determination, which factors taxable income and non-taxable income.
Yes, that much is crystal clear. What they do with that information is at question.

Originally Posted by SPN Lifer
...Taxable income is not fully available for discretionary spending to the extent non-taxable income may be...
I theorize the question has nothing to do with discretionary spending but instead has everything to do with earning power. Thus, any given income is better if no portion of it is non-taxable.
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Old Dec 17, 2020, 5:53 pm
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Originally Posted by RNE
Yes, that much is crystal clear. What they do with that information is at question.



I theorize the question has nothing to do with discretionary spending but instead has everything to do with earning power. Thus, any given income is better if no portion of it is non-taxable.
As a retiree, I may have no earning power outside my investments. At a given income level, I'm sure they would rather my income be non-taxable rather than taxable.. It means: 1) I have more disposable income from those investments, and 2) the principal amount of those investments is likely larger than the taxable investment producing the same income before taxes.
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