Required Supporting Documentation

After completing the initial application, you must submit supporting documents to complete your file. All documents listed below (if applicable to you and the income you’re claiming) are required within one calendar month of when you submitted the initial application. If all documents are not received by the end of the one-month period, your application is considered incomplete, your file is invalid and closed, and you will need to restart the process. No exceptions.

Paperwork can be submitted in the following ways:

• Fax (330) 915-5887 Attn: Housing Application Team
• Scanned PDF email attachment to application@habitateco.org
• US Mail to 1400 Raff Road SW Ste. A, Canton, Ohio 44710 Attn: Housing Application Team
  
  • Ministry Office lobby during business hours | Tuesday - Friday; 8:30am - 4:00pm
  • After hours | Sealed in an envelope and dropped in the black lockbox located off the sidewalk outside the Community Center entrance near the middle of the Habitat building.

Any paperwork submitted is added to a legal file and cannot be returned to the applicant. Please make clear copies in PDF (electronic) or standard 8.5" x 11" (hardcopy) format. Photographs, blurry or illegible copies, and/or originals are not accepted. (Note: Habitat does not make copies at the office because of the high volume of applications received.)

Identity, Citizenship, and Custody Verification

• Driver's license or state ID with photo for applicant and co-applicant
• Birth certificates for everyone who will live in the home, including dependents
• Legal guardianship/custody/adoption papers, if applicable (example: custody of non-biological children, fostering, etc.)

Income from Current and Previous Employment — Applicant and/or Co-Applicant

• Most recent full month of paystubs for current job(s) — paystubs MUST include YTD gross income figure
• Tax forms from prior two years, including
  
  • W-2(s) for all jobs worked
  • Federal Tax Returns
  • State Tax Returns
  • City Tax Returns

Income from Child Support or Alimony — Applicant and/or Co-Applicant

• Previous year monthly history printout
• Current year monthly history printout up to current month

Income from Social Service Benefits or Othe Fixed Income — Applicant and/or Co-Applicant
This includes income from Social Security, Disability, Supplemental Security income, Ohio Works First, Pension, Veterans Benefits, etc. This does not include Food Stamps.

• Previous year award letter and/or 1099 showing benefits earned
• Current year award letter showing current monthly benefit amount.

Helpful Hints — Tax Documents

Paystubs verify current employment income and tax documentation (W2s and tax return forms) verify two years of income history and that there are no delinquent taxes.

For federal and state return documentation, only the forms labeled IRS 1040 and Ohio 1040 are required. Additional federal and state forms (ie, Earned Income, Child Tax, Schedule J, etc.) are not needed unless applicant is self-employed or received unemployment compensation; in that case, Schedule C Self Employment documents or Schedule 1 showing unemployment benefits must also be submitted. City tax returns are typically one page labeled by the city in which taxes were filed.

If you do not have copies of your tax documents from the company you filed with, you can obtain copies directly from the federal, state, and city departments of taxation:

W2’s and/or Federal: W2s show where you were employed and how much you made at that job. A Federal IRS 1040 return verifies that you filed your federal taxes. Both are required by Habitat. Visit the Ralph Regula Federal Building at 301 McKinley Ave. SW Canton, OH 44702 (appointment required), call their office at 330-588-4417, or visit https://www.irs.gov/ to request a transcript of your W2’s or tax return.

State: All Ohio residents are required to file an Ohio 1040 state return. Contact State Attorney General’s Office – Department of Taxation at 1-800-282-1782 or online at https://www.tax.ohio.gov/ to request a transcript of your state tax return.

City: If you lived or worked within city limits you are generally required to file a city tax return. Check boxes 18, 19, and 20 on your W2 to see if local taxes were withheld and need filed. Contact information for those filing with Canton or Massillon cities: Canton – visit the Stark County Office Building at 424 Market Ave. N Canton, OH 44702 or call 330-430-7900. Massillon – visit tax department at 1 James Duncan Plaza Massillon, OH 44646 or call 330-830-1709. Other cities, please check with your local city income tax department.