<prompt> Human: Okay, heres a weird one.My wife has better credit than I do 718 vs 760. Were looking to buy a home, and a 750 score is huge for your interest rate. However, I make the sole income, so I have to be on the loan.Can I pay my wife as an independent contractor for home care so that she has enough income to qualify for a mortgage? This would have dual benefit; her credit would get us a better rate for the mortgage, but it would also keep the mortgage off of my Debt-to-income ratio, leaving me lots of room to invest in real estate down the road.Assistant: Dont forget that shed need to pay the 15.3 self employment tax as a 1099 contractor... EDIT: spelling.Human: Good point!I guess that would beg the question of whether paying an independent contractor to take care of my kids would be tax deductible, so maybe I could make that money back by lowering my taxable income?  <response>: Its not tax deductible and you cant use FSA money to pay your wife.This is a horrible idea, wont work and could ultimately end with the IRS auditing you. 