Proof of income for licensing

Very frankly, STABILITY of income and stability of sources of income is what most social workers want to see, almost more than they want to see an actual amount that you made in a given year. Don't be surprised if you are told to wait at least a year after you get a fulltime job with documentable income, and stick with it.Also, under various laws, employers MUST give you a statement of your earnings each year, and you must declare all tips as income on your taxes. Many agencies will be concerned about the cash transactions, if you do not have any way of documenting your wages and your tips. A letter from your employer would be helpful, but if the letter lists income not shown on your tax return, that could be a problem. You will need credit card statements to document your expenses, but they are not usually enough to document income.You indicate that you worked for only eight months last year, and that the income reported on your taxes was not enough to pay your bills. So how did you pay them? If you did not declare some sources of income, such as tips or "off the books" work, that could cause you IRS problems, not just problems in adopting/fostering. If you simply didn't pay some bills, ruining your credit, that could be a problem if your agency checks credit (some do, some don't). If you went through bankruptcy, there are certain things that you will need to report on your taxes, and the agency will generally ask if you had a bankruptcy in the recent past.I would suggest that you wait a year or two to foster or adopt. Establish a checking and savings account. Work for companies that comply with tax reporting requirements, and give you either a W-2 or 1099. If possible, have employers do direct deposit to your account. Keep detailed records of your income and expenditures; there is software that can help you. Be especially scrupulous in documenting tips. Try to stay with a company for at least a year, and to work full-time. Once you have created a good "paper trail" and documented stability of income, plus income that is both above poverty level and capable of covering all your bills, then reapply. Do remember that you cannot adopt while on public assistance.Sharon

I agree and well said with Sharon. As well as with your Father's Illness . Do you have any proof in writing being either his ' Caretaker ' or ' Trustee ' from a Doctor, or Attorney or can you get this type of documentation.To me it sounds also like you will never have any time for this child??

As this was posted nearly two months ago and I've already dealt with this, I can say that you're both completely and totally wrong, in every respect.I've deleted the original post, as I'm not interested in furthering stereotypes and tropes, like those found in these replies.Just based on my occupation, it's been insinuated that I'm unstable, on public assistance, that I live below poverty level, I don't have to I time to devote to a child and I'm evading taxes. All based on my job. Shame on you both.

Elizabeth; I looked at the situation of ' In The Best Interests of the Child ' as.Do you really know what the Foster System entails?? Besides receiving a child at no expense please??That was what my response was based on, and I am sorry that you took it differently...

Juli... You didn't. You looked at my occupation, judged me without knowing much of anything about me or my situation and insulted me. Twice, actually. Now I apparently just want a free kid.As you have no idea about my current income, other than where is comes from, my work schedule, my educational background, short term plans, long term plans, the neighborhood I live in, parenting experience, family support and other resources I have available, how exactly could you even begin to determine my abilities or "the best interests of the child?"You can't. So, you probably shouldn't.

Elizabeth, I've looked at my recommendations to you, and I do not believe that I was at all insulting. Since I do not know you personally, the best I could do was to explain typical agency requirements, based on the information you provided.Not having stable income does not mean that you are mentally unstable. All it means is that your income has changed a lot from year to year, or that you have changed jobs a lot, or even that you work in an industry where most employment is on a contractual, short-term basis, with some months of high income and some months of low income. Adoption agencies want to be very sure that you will never get too low in your income to support a child and will look for things like savings and investments that can help you through any low work income periods.I certainly did not intend to label you as some sort of chronic welfare recipient who, though poor, doesn't stop having children. It is not uncommon, in today's economy, for responsible, normally financially solvent, people to fall upon hard times and need to get some public assistance. I was simply reminding you that, while you are on public assistance, you cannot adopt, and that many agencies require a certain period of time after you have stopped receiving public assistance and resumed your usual income from employment, before you will be allowed to adopt.From what you said in your post, it was not at all clear that the income you reported on your taxes included all income -- from a salary or wage, from tips, from investments, from your ill parent, from alimony, etc. As a result, I simply indicated that agencies usually want to see documents, such as tax returns, that provide an accurate account of your total income. And I noted that if, like many people, you got some money from tips, gifts, etc., and did not report it to the IRS, it won't be just your adoption agency that will be concerned about it. Now, if you did list all of your income on your tax returns, and simply took advantage of every legal means to reduce the amount the IRS considered taxable, as Donald Trump said he did, that won't be held against you.As far as not having bank accounts, let's face it. Most adults who don't have bank accounts are either so low-income that the little they earn in wages goes straight to their landlord, utility company, and grocery store, or are people who cannot meet banks' documentation requirements, such as undocumented aliens or people who receive income that their employers don't report to the IRS. One of the first things most young people do when they first start to work is to open a checking or savings account, get a bank debit or credit card, and get some checks. One of the best things you can do to make sure that agencies form an accurate opinion of your finances is to open a checking and savings account. If you don't like the ridiculously high fees that some brick-and-mortar banks charge, go with an Internet-only bank, like Ally, or with a credit union; both will have much lower fees. Don't go to "check cashing" establishments to cash your paychecks or pay your utility bills, as those establishments may actually have higher fees than banks do, and won't give you a good paper trail.I see no indication that I ever said anything about you having no time to devote to a child. I adopted and raised my daughter as a working single Mom, and she has turned out amazingly well. I do not believe that women should stay out of the workplace when their children are growing up, if they need the income or love their jobs. As long as they devote most of their non-work hours to their children, the children can grow up fine, even with the use of day care or babysitters.I did not know your occupation when I posted. I realized only later that you worked in adult entertainment. Now, frankly, I do have some problems with that occupation, because you may find it difficult to teach your child healthy attitudes about sexuality. As an example, your children may not be able to square your occupation with your requirement that they dress modestly and respect school dress codes; they may focus a little too much on body image, which can lead to eating disorders; and they may find it hard to develop positive relationships with males. But my post was not about any of these things. It was solely about your financial situation. For all I knew, you could have driven a taxi, been an independent management consultant, or run a computer-related business that would someday be as big as Microsoft.I hope that you will not quit this forum. As you move forward with your adoption journey, it can provide you with a good deal of information.Sharon

Elizabeth ; I looked at the fact that since I first started Fostering and Adopting back in 2000.Most people do not seem the time involvement involved in Parenting ' Foster Kids ' .......They only see it as receiving a ' No Cost Child or Children / Sibling Group . 'What is the difference or what are the differences between ' your style of Parenting ' and the Family or the Parents they were removed from please??