Jobs that pay cash?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Jobs that pay cash are sometimes mentioned as a strategy to avoid payroll taxes and to continue appearing eligible for public benefits. What are some of these jobs? Are there a lot of employers who are willing to pay off the books, or is this cash-only work mostly "self-employment"? The self employment I can think of doesn't seem like it would be a terribly reliable source of income---mowing, snow shoveling, baby sitting, house sitting, pet sitting, handyman work , house painting, single piece furniture hauling. What else?

And do people who work under the table realize they are screwing themselves out of old age Social Security benefits, and even that disability benefits for someone with a SS history are not the same as someone on disability without a SS history?

[disneysteve]

Jobs that pay cash are sometimes mentioned as a strategy to avoid payroll taxes and to continue appearing eligible for public benefits. What are some of these jobs? Are there a lot of employers who are willing to pay off the books, or is this cash-only work mostly "self-employment"?

There are plenty of employers happy to pay employees under the table. It saves them the employer portion of taxes. Of course, we're not talking about high end jobs generally which is why this is typically seen in the lower income groups.

Contractors, laborers, delivery people, office help, cleaning people, personal care, child care, etc. These are all easy places to find cash work.

[disneysteve]

The self employment I can think of doesn't seem like it would be a terribly reliable source of income---mowing, snow shoveling, baby sitting, house sitting, pet sitting, handyman work , house painting, single piece furniture hauling.

I would add that some of the things on your list are perfectly reliable.

[Outdoorsygal]

One thing when we got food stamps for 3 months..this was a few decades ago. Actually longer than that. Food Stamps can be used to start a vegetable garden. You can buy seeds and plants with it but sadly, no manure or dirt. But it does help...I've always felt that they needed to provide a larger bonus up front for people to be able to buy dirt. Once the garden is producing, the real food should make people's health increase and the digging in the dirt is actually therapeutic. There was a study that said whatever chemical? is in the dirt helps people combat depression.

It usually makes more sense to make cash and get ahead asap, than to take a regular minimum wage job. I don't understand people who get food stamps and don't get cash under the table UNLESS their min wage job pays better and if it did, they'd not likely qualify for food stamps anyhow. Use it to get ahead in life so you can stand on your own two feet. Don't let the program rules keep you poor. It may be good for some feeling of self integrity but it isn't good for children to be dirt poor nor is it good for the taxpayers.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Yes, Steve, the type of income you sketched out would be significant when added to the public benefits. Sounds like it would bring the worker effectively into the middle class.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Outdoorsygal, Aldi for years has sold seeds and a couple long handled tools every spring. This was before the middle class discovered Aldi in my city, so I imagine they were selling to a good number of food stamp recipients.

That's the first I've seen anyone make the case that food stamp recipients should work under the table.

[disneysteve]

Yes, Steve, the type of income you sketched out would be significant when added to the public benefits. Sounds like it would bring the worker effectively into the middle class.

Yep. That's true.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Actually, though, I think a very small percentage of people "qualified" for subsidized housing actually gets it. I have known poor (homeless, living in shelters coupled with sofa-to-sofa of friends or family) who waited for years for a subsidy for housing. I knew a woman with severe mental health issues who applied when she was raising two children, but by the time her turn came up her children had already grown up in foster care and were on their own. She waited 8 years. It is different in different areas, in part because of funding, in part because of the number of landlords who wish to participate.

[Outdoorsygal]

Outdoorsygal, Aldi for years has sold seeds and a couple long handled tools every spring. This was before the middle class discovered Aldi in my city, so I imagine they were selling to a good number of food stamp recipients.

That's the first I've seen anyone make the case that food stamp recipients should work under the table.

Nice store. We have no Aldi here, it appears akin to our Wallmart.
We don't have that either but it is in a city about an hour from here
The FS regulations will keep a person on food stamps forever, imho.
If we hadn't had cash to get ahead, we wouldn't have gotten off of the program that fast.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I'd say Aldi is nothing like Walmart. Aldi is a grocery store, and a small square footage one at that. They do carry a very limited and ever changing number of non-food items, but not very much at any given time. They do always sell cleaning supplies, pet supplies, paper goods, and toiletries, but other non-food items tend to be in the store for only one to three weeks. They are somewhat a warehouse style store, with some of the products on display in their cut open shipping boxes.

So when I say they sell seeds and long handled tools in spring, I mean that they have a cardboard display of maybe 300 packs of seeds and next to them are about six shovels or hoes for sale, propped up in the box they were shipped in.

[HundredK]

I can't believe no one has mentioned farm laborers or the folks you find on corners near home improvement stores.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Huh, I didn't think of farm labor. I can see that might be available work in some areas. I've heard of people who hire themselves out from the parking lots of home improvement stores, but I've never seen it in my area.

[Butterscotch]

Agreed. The entire thread is about illegal activity: working for cash. Joan asked what types of jobs that could be and how it works. I think the point was to understand how and why people do this. But yes, it is illegal.

It is not illegal to work for cash. It is illegal to not report and pay taxes on it.

[disneysteve]

It is not illegal to work for cash. It is illegal to not report and pay taxes on it.

It is illegal for employers to pay workers in cash off the books since doing so evades payroll taxes, among other things.

I don't think you are breaking any laws when you give your babysitter a $20 bill when you get back from the movies but that's not really what we're talking about here.

[rutgers07]

One thing when we got food stamps for 3 months..this was a few decades ago. Actually longer than that. Food Stamps can be used to start a vegetable garden. You can buy seeds and plants with it but sadly, no manure or dirt. But it does help...I've always felt that they needed to provide a larger bonus up front for people to be able to buy dirt. Once the garden is producing, the real food should make people's health increase and the digging in the dirt is actually therapeutic. There was a study that said whatever chemical? is in the dirt helps people combat depression.

I believe University of Vermont is actually conducting a study (I may be wrong on who is actually leading the study) of allowing people on food stamps a larger sum of money or specific monies or bonuses for doing exactly what you did. It's a great idea.