I’m 22 years old but my mother started asking for paycheck stubs when I was 20 like every 6 months. I’m starting to get suspicious now because she never provides context and is a liar. I live under her roof and work a cheap paying job. What could she possibly need them for?? Her message was “Hey Princess. When you get a chance send your 4 most recent pay check stubs. I have to turn them in.”
Why does my mom always ask for paycheck stubs with no context?
byu/fatbuttbaddie inpersonalfinance
Posted by fatbuttbaddie
46 Comments
She’s probably getting some sort of financial assistance. (Food stamps/health care insurance) that require paystubs to prove under the limit income.
Get a free credit report yesterday!
I’m not sure what your situation is, but I’m assuming you live in an area that requires a minimum proof of income to keep renting. She may be combining your incomes to meet that requirement. Alternatively, EBT.
I’m not saying that’s definitely the case, it’s just the first thing that comes to mind.
She might have legit reasons, but check and freeze all your credit reports now.
Could be anything from proving household income for some entitlement program to using your income to improve her debt to income ratio for a loan. You ought to find out ASAP, because it could pose liabilities for you.
ask her
if she doesn’t provide a good reason, stop giving them to her
Why don’t you ask her?
Do you have the same first name? She coukd be using your paystubs to show she’s working for SNAP or other benefits.
Have you asked her?
You actually never asked her why she needs them for?
If you are getting state supported health care that would be a reason you need to provide paychecks for all working adults in your hoursehold.
Check your credit report, make sure you don’t have any debts that she took out in your name.
[https://www.annualcreditreport.com](https://www.annualcreditreport.com)
Check your credit. Since you said she is a liar make sure she isnt opening accounts in your name.
You should have a credit check done on yourself
Just in case shes opening accounts in your name and tsking out loans
Lock your credit! Check it and be prepared to file charges
Needing 4 most recent paystubs is usually for government assistance of some sort. It could range from health insurance to food stamps to electric assistance. Why don’t you just ask her?
Why don’t you just ask her why she needs your paystubs? I don’t understand how she has been doing this for two years and you’ve never once asked her this question. I know you said she’s a liar, but it doesn’t appear that you’ve even posed the question.
Absolutely ask her — turn them in to whom? For what? I had jobs while living at my parents’ during college and my parents asked for my paystubs exactly ZERO times.
Some government benefits are based on household income. I would just ask her.
No matter the reasons she is most likely using them for illegal reasons. I’d stop.
If she’s delinquent on her mortgage and applying for a loan modification, the lender will need proof of household income. Most recent four paystubs is a common request.
This sounds like a setup for identity theft and credit fraud.
She doesn’t have to have a master plan. She may have a semi-legitimate use for them now, such as supporting a benefits claim (although even that might be fraudulent.) Human nature being what it is, it’s easy to rationalize criminal activity, even if it harms loved ones, when you’re desperate if you lack discipline and have a broken moral compass. Next thing you know, she’s opening credit cards in your name.
Demand an explanation with proof and/or stop giving them to her if it’s safe for you to do. Regardless, lock your credit and do a search on the local court systems’ sites to see if any action has been taken against you. Make sure there aren’t any liens or judgements in your name.
Ask her. You’re an adult and are responsible for your stuff. If she’s doing something she’s not supposed to, you need to put a stop to it. It could come back to bite you. If she’s just helping you then you’ll eventually need to learn how to do it yourself.
There’s plenty of legitimate reasons this could be. Make sure you approach her with curiosity and not accusations.
She is receiving some benefit/assistance by claiming your income as her own, while claiming you as a dependent. Its going to be hard, but you have to ask why and stop providing the,. You are going to get stuck with dealing with this mess at some point in the future.
She’s getting public assistance & you’re apart of the household income.
Most likely she’s taking loans, credit cards, or some sort of government assistance in your name.
You are an adult now, so you should learn to say “no” when people aren’t being honest with you and don’t have your best interest at heart. I get it’s harder when it’s your mom, but you got to protect yourself. No one should be asking for your pay stubs, and you shouldn’t give them to her
So…. From here on out, start saying “no” or saying you don’t know where paystub are. Order a full credit report. NerdWallet app may be able to tell you if any loans are in your name, but best way is to request a credit report. Also, lock your credit at all 3 credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax asap.
Why don’t you ask her?
OP has copy-pasted the exact same response to at least 3 comments. I suspect a.i. or similar sludge.
Proof of income is required for a bunch of different things.
May not be a bad idea to take a look at your credit report to make sure there aren’t any surprises.
Go to annualcreditreport.com and you can get a free credit report from each of the major bureaus for free (weekly in fact).
May not be a bad idea to go to the individual credit bureau sites (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian), create a free account and freeze your credit (super simple. Single button click once you set up an account).
Have you checked your credit?
As a parent to kids in this age range who are working – I can’t imagine asking for their paystubs at any time for any reason. They are their own people. It’s a bad line to cross.
She probably has to qualify for some kind of assistance.
But, why don’t you just ask her??
You’ll need to ask her why she wants to see them. I don’t think anyone here knows her to be able to tell you what her purpose is.
Turn them in to whom?
She’s scamming you, trying to make sure your employed (haven’t been fired), keeping track of your finances (in case you ask for money or are frivolous) or trying to drop hints that your not pitching in. Pick the one you like most.
This request is most likely for SNAP benefits. I worked as a snap eligibility counselor for years, and this is the number we typically asked for if the checks were bi-weekly, as eligibility is determined based on the last 8 weeks’ income.
Under SNAP, clients can’t have a separate case from their parents if the client lives in the same household until they reach the age of 22.
If you are being claimed for SNAP by your mom and you are unhappy with being claimed, you do qualify for a separate SNAP case if you so choose. You can also call to have yourself removed from the case entirely, however your family’s SNAP benefits would decrease proportionally.
Ask her who she is turning them in to and why
Do you have state insurance? Paystubs are required to turn in every 6 months-1 year.
My first thought was payday loans, but based on the other comments she’s prob qualifying for some type of assistance. To be on the safe side, pull your credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com (it’s a federally-backed site and it’s free). If she has a habit of lying, there’s a chance she’s applied for credit in your name. You may also want to consider place a credit freeze on your reports to prevent her from opening anything in your name in the future.
Why are you asking us? I can think of one person who would know
Have you not asked her this question? You’re 22 and should have some autonomy over your financial life.
If not for she has to turn them in could have been to check to make sure you weren’t getting extra deductions. Only way you going to be sure is to ask her. Could be anything from social security fraud to other issues. Yes some parents do actions to help their children but there is no one to turn you paystubs I to if only check for something you don’t know to look for.
You need to run a credit report yesterday and start locking things down
Is there any reason you think asking us is going to be a better source of information than asking her?
She’s likely applying for or renewing government assistance like SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, or subsidized housing. Since you live there, your income counts toward the total household limit.
Just ask your mom and report back.
She’s almost certainly recertifying for government benefits like SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, or Section 8 housing. Since you live under her roof, your income counts toward the total household limit.
That being said, “no context, no stubs” is a complete sentence. You have every right to make her tell you exactly what she’s applying for before you hand your financial info over.