Jobs that pay cash?

[StormRichards]

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.

I have been on a wide variety of message boards and the majority of them do not allow discussions regarding illegal activity.

These type of discussions take away attention from threads that would be more beneficial to members.

[disneysteve]

I have been on a wide variety of message boards and the majority of them do not allow discussions regarding illegal activity.

These type of discussions take away attention from threads that would be more beneficial to members.

Fair point. I think it's a fine line. Wanting to understand how something happens is one thing. Talking about how to actually go about doing it is another.

I'll go back and edit the posts that go beyond simply answering the question.

[greenskeeper]

I have been on a wide variety of message boards and the majority of them do not allow discussions regarding illegal activity.

These type of discussions take away attention from threads that would be more beneficial to members.

nothing illegal about what is being discussed. You'd have to check tax return filings to see if the income was reported. Until then cash jobs are completely legal.

[disneysteve]

nothing illegal about what is being discussed. You'd have to check tax return filings to see if the income was reported. Until then cash jobs are completely legal.

I think the questionable part was me actually detailing a plan by which someone could earn a substantial income illegally by working for cash. I removed those comments.

Physically paying an employee in cash isn't illegal as long as both parties are properly reporting that income and paying the appropriate taxes. Of course, you and I both know that the reason people pay cash is to avoid those reporting requirements.

Can you think of any other reason an employer would pay employees in cash?

[HundredK]

We once had a landlord who not only required us to pay via cash or cashier's check, but also required us not to take the renter's credit on our taxes. This was during the dot com boom, when high income didn't matter, and you had to be the first to show up and agree to rent it on the spot. We ended up renting this place sight unseen because a friend of a friend happened to know it was going to be available and we were desperate at that point for anywhere to live. The landlord turned out to be a super nice older guy, and I always thought he must have made a killing, since I know he had that requirement of all tenants. We didn't qualify to take the renter's credit anyway, but I somehow doubt that he reported our cash rent payments as rental income on his taxes.

[bjl584]

I used to cut grass back in the day. It was all cash and was the perfect summer job while I was in school.

[disneysteve]

I used to cut grass back in the day. It was all cash and was the perfect summer job while I was in school.

My daughter used to babysit all through high school. It was all cash.

She reported every penny of it, filed taxes, and funded a Roth IRA with the money starting at age 17.

[Outdoorsygal]

We once had a landlord who not only required us to pay via cash or cashier's check, but also required us not to take the renter's credit on our taxes. This was during the dot com boom, when high income didn't matter, and you had to be the first to show up and agree to rent it on the spot. We ended up renting this place sight unseen because a friend of a friend happened to know it was going to be available and we were desperate at that point for anywhere to live. The landlord turned out to be a super nice older guy, and I always thought he must have made a killing, since I know he had that requirement of all tenants. We didn't qualify to take the renter's credit anyway, but I somehow doubt that he reported our cash rent payments as rental income on his taxes.

There are many valid reasons for requesting cash, only one reason of them all which encompasses avoiding paying taxes. Privacy being #1. Not to mention, Cash is King

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

What other kinds of reasons are there for cash payments only? Disneysteve mentions not getting kicked off of programs like public medical insurance. But other than that, not having trackable transactions for the sake of privacy is all I can think of. The neighbor I often shop for reimburses me in cash, which I consider a nuisance, though I do get to have the small addition to my credit card rewards when I make the purchase.

[disneysteve]

There are many valid reasons for requesting cash

Such as?

[Outdoorsygal]

Such as?

I'll re-type it....

Privacy

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I'm doing a squinty-eyed double take because, as short as your message was, I somehow missed where you said "privacy." Sorry. But I couldn't think of more, anyway.

[sv2007]

I'll re-type it....

Privacy

Absolutely. And many other reasons.

And lots of reasons to pay in cash too.

We pay one of our sitters in cash after we learned that she's using a check cashing service. There's just no need to incur that extra fee. Plus with cash (which we pay after each visit instead of monthly checks), we don't have to track whether she's worked her full hours or less or more.