Under the Table Pay..??

I interviewed, of all places, at a chain tax/refund business a week or so ago. She never called back, and I'm sort of relieved. Reason being, she told me that they don't take out taxes. She just pays under the table. Why..??

Seems sketchy to me..

Does she really pay you under the table, or just issue a 1099 at year end? The job might be a contract job where they don't take out taxes but issue a 1099 at year end. This would make you responsible for your taxes.

Just don't give them any info like s.s. numbers. If you do, she'll 1099 ya at the end of the year.

Thanks, I never heard back from her, so guess I don't have to fret. Just curious..

catlover, i agree with Patsfan. They make you responsible and that should not be but is allowed. I would not take the job. IRS is nasty towards people and have carte blanche as to how they treat individuals based on if they make their quotas or not... find something else. always go by your gut feeling, if it doesnt feel right than more than likely it isn't. tc

Also, as an independent contractor, you pay double taxes because you are your own employer...you have to match your own taxes which works out to be 25% instead of 12.5% as of the last time I checked.

Independent contract work sucks! Writing that huge check to the IRS was just plain painful!

If it's a chain, they aren't going to pay you under the table; under the table means they pay you in cash so there's no paper trail and a chain is usually a franchise and the franchise people would know/not allow that and the IRS knows how many employees a place needs to run, what they get paid (why wait persons in restaurants have to file with their tips; the IRS agents literally wait outside the restaurant and see how many people dine there on average and see the restaurant's books, etc. so know about how much tips the wait staff should be declaring). You would just be a contract employee and that way they would give you work in busy periods be able to have a "stable" of clerks able to come in and work on demand and they get a 1099.

It would depend on how much you worked for them when and how you had to pay taxes; I was going to work for H&R Block but it did not pay well; was mostly just a springboard for people to work for them a year or two and then "steal" away the customers who they'd seen/established a rapport for so they could do it on their own. But that year I was an independent contractor for several other jobs I'd set up (not H&R Block though) and did not pay taxes quarterly or do any of the things I should but the next year when I had a full-time job with benefits I went to one of my H&R Block classmates to have him do my taxes (I was too lazy) that I hadn't done and with penalties, etc. I think I had to pay a total of $131; if you don't make much money you aren't going to have to pay much but, if you don't make much money, the little you do have to pay will seem a lot

Then there's the little issue of doing something illegal and immoral which will get you in trouble with the IRS and Social Security. You will end up paying taxes, interest and penalties and kicked out of the Social Security program. Social Security is likely to get an order to make you pay back, with interest, your SS benefits. All this may be a little difficult while you are doing time in jail.

I sincerely hope what the employer meant is that you would be an independent contractor making you liable to pay taxes on monies earned. If not, I would report the employer ASAP.

It was going to be a pay me cash in hand type of job. They still have an ad in paper and thankfully, I didn't get the job.

I guess alls well that ends well!

Where is it? I'll do it!