Triscuitmeniscus t1_iydvnvs wrote on November 30, 2022 at 5:52 PM

>We are looking to buy a house after we get married in the spring but I know for him to be on the title he has to prove his income.

This isn't true. He can still be listed on the title, his income just won't count when you're applying for mortgages.

>How do we best go about creating a paper trail for him so he can file taxes and be able to finance purchases in the future?

Have him file his taxes for the previous two years, and start paying taxes from here on out. Google "how to file taxes without w2" to get started on that journey. Hiring a professional to help with this is probably a good idea.

>...but he doesn't even have a bank account.

How does he get cash from Venmo with no bank account? How does he pay for the phone he has the Venmo app without one? Does he use a credit card and mail them cash every month? Regardless, have him start an account today. Being unbanked is a huge hindrance, as he's now discovering.

ofmiceandmermaids OP t1_iydwg6s wrote on November 30, 2022 at 5:57 PM

Thank you for your help. In New to all this as I've always rented. Now that I'm looking at everything we are going to need professional help. He doesn't even know how much he made last year. And he has a venmo debit card and a prepaid phone. He's learning a lot quickly since I've started riding him on all this. He's just in such a big mess I had no idea where to start. He's so use to paying cash for everything. And we are about to get him an account. I was looking into the local credit unions. I didn't realize how bad everything was until he proposed and I sat him down to start talking finances.

Triscuitmeniscus t1_iyf0ypv wrote on November 30, 2022 at 10:19 PM

At least you two have the sense to sit down and have these conversations early on in your engagement and fix them. You wouldn't believe how many people post on here blindsided by their spouses horrible financial situation after 10 years of marriage.

Opening an account and getting him banked will be huge. From his perspective it shouldn't change much: he can still pay with cash, it will just come from a bank card instead of a Venmo card. And the good news about having no record of his income is... there's no record of his income. As long as he pays what he owes from here on out and follows a tax professional's advise he should be fine. The IRS isn't going to start investigating how much people paid for their tattoos any time soon.

ofmiceandmermaids OP t1_iyf1ph8 wrote on November 30, 2022 at 10:24 PM

Honestly that makes me feel a lot better so thank you. And we will be getting him a bank account as soon as he gets back from his convention. I've been researching the local banks and credit unions so I have it narrowed down. I really want him to be able to see how much he actually spends because it's ridiculous what he can blow through without even realizing it. But I told him this was a conversation that we needed to have and take seriously if we are going to have a future. But I'll be researching professionals too.