Income question and schedule I current income question please

[Xue]

Hi. well, I've spent the past 3 hours searching and reading this forum.

I still do not understand about Schedule I Current Income of individual debtors.

I have health problems and have been unemployed for over 6 months.

I found this in a post

Ok, I live with my brother and he is paying my share of the rent, the power is in his name, the internet is in his name, he pays the car insurance which is in my name.

I do not receive any cash or checks from him. He pays via money order or check.

Soooo, do I, according to this Bankruptcy code, count this as income?

Do I put that under Item 13 Other monthly income? And since there is not enough room, make a continuation sheet?

I receive $200 a month EBT or an electronic version of food stamps from the state of Georgia.

I understand that is number 11. Social security or government assistance.

I am just so afraid that this added "income" will somehow put me into a chapter 13. For example, my brother pays $150 for cable and internet. It's in his name. But, since we share an apartment, am I responsible for half of that? My brother doesn't ask for money from me.

I am pulling my hair out!

Can someone please assist me?

The NOLO Chapter 7 book is not helpful in this area. Thanks.

[dakota112]

This is not income to you. You neither earned it, it was not gifted to you or loaned to you. You are basically living under the roof of someone else's home/apt for free. There is no law against that. It is income if someone gives you this money on a regular montly basis with which to pay rent for which you are "personally" responsible. Your brother would have to pay the same rent whether you were there or not. If you lived in a mission for homeless people you wouldn't call this income either.

[Xue]

This is not income to you. You neither earned it, it was not gifted to you or loaned to you. You are basically living under the roof of someone else's home/apt for free. There is no law against that. It is income if someone gives you this money on a regular montly basis with which to pay rent for which you are "personally" responsible. Your brother would have to pay the same rent whether you were there or not. If you lived in a mission for homeless people you wouldn't call this income either.

dakota112, thank you so very much for your quick answer and complete answer.

thank you too for helping me because i always seem to worry at bedtime.



Goodnight to you dakota112!