SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    $10000 cash vs check
Page 1 2 
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
$10000 cash vs check Login/Join 
Member
posted
It's my understanding if you put down $10000 cash as a down payment on a vehicle the dealership is required to notify the IRS. Does the same hold true if you write a personal check for 10 grand? Friend of mine is looking to purchase a car but she's concerned about the IRS getting involved if she puts down 10 grand in cash, I told her to just write a check.
 
Posts: 2165 | Location: USA | Registered: December 11, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His diet consists of black
coffee, and sarcasm.
Picture of egregore
posted Hide Post
Is there a cite or source for this? It doesn't make sense. Banks are supposed to report a deposit of such an amount, but buying a car has nothing to do with this.





"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
 
Posts: 31592 | Location: Johnson City, TN | Registered: April 28, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of P250UA5
posted Hide Post
I've put $10k down a couple times & don't recall anything IRS related.




The Enemy's gate is down.
 
Posts: 18521 | Location: Spring, TX | Registered: July 11, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Oriental Redneck
Picture of 12131
posted Hide Post
I’ve paid more than 10k in cash for a car. What IRS involvement are we talking about ?


Q






 
Posts: 30984 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: September 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get Off My Lawn
Picture of oddball
posted Hide Post
^^^^^

Same. My wife and I paid cash for new cars for years and never heard a peep from the IRS.



"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
 
Posts: 19288 | Location: Texas | Registered: May 13, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Greymann
posted Hide Post
Cash or check doesn't matter, the transaction is supposed to be reported.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/u...ge-cash-transactions


[snip] Generally, any person in a trade or business who receives more than $10,000 in cash in a single transaction or in related transactions must file a Form 8300. By law, a "person" is an individual, company, corporation, partnership, association, trust or estate. For example, dealers in jewelry, furniture, boats, aircraft or automobiles; pawnbrokers; attorneys; real estate brokers; insurance companies and travel agencies are among those who typically need to file Form 8300.[snip]

.
.
 
Posts: 1935 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: March 21, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Step by step walk the thousand mile road
Picture of Sig2340
posted Hide Post
quote:
Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR)

As of April 1, 2013, financial institutions must use the Bank Secrecy Act BSA E-Filing System in order to submit Suspicious Activity Reports.

A financial institution is required to file a suspicious activity report no later than 30 calendar days after the date of initial detection of facts that may constitute a basis for filing a suspicious activity report. If no suspect was identified on the date of detection of the incident requiring the filing, a financial institution may delay filing a suspicious activity report for an additional 30 calendar days to identify a suspect. In no case shall reporting be delayed more than 60 calendar days after the date of initial detection of a reportable transaction.

Under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), financial institutions are required to assist U.S. government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering, and:

Keep records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments;
File reports of cash transactions exceeding $10,000 (daily aggregate amount); and
Report suspicious activity that might signal criminal activity (e.g., money laundering, tax evasion).



Because the auto is being financed, you are dealing with a "financial institution," hence, the need for an SAR.

SARs are often submitted when the amounts are far below the federal thresholds. Under Obama, a gun shop in Georgia had the IRS seize nearly a million bucks from their accounts via civil forfeiture because their bank deposits were <$10K. The bank submitted the SAR. There was a reason for the shop's practice: their insurance carrier required them to have no more than $10K in cash on-site. The IRS did not care. It took a huge fight, getting Congress involved, to get his funds back. The owner is now a member of Congress!





Nice is overrated

"It's every freedom-loving individual's duty to lie to the government."
Airsoftguy, June 29, 2018
 
Posts: 33884 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: May 17, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Staring back
from the abyss
Picture of Gustofer
posted Hide Post
$9999. No muss no fuss.


________________________________________________________
It is long past time for a Convention of States. The Founding Fathers gave us this tool to fix an out of control government and we need to use it.
 
Posts: 22711 | Location: Montana | Registered: November 01, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Just because something is legal to do doesn't mean it is the smart thing to do.
posted Hide Post
I know some dealers will not allow you to use $10,000+ when buying a a new vehicle. $9,999.00 + a check for the rest was just fine though.


Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking.
 
Posts: 4638 | Location: Metamora MI | Registered: October 31, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Bookers Bourbon
and a good cigar
Picture of Johnny 3eagles
posted Hide Post
I just wrote a personal check for a bit over $40k for a car. Nobody cared.





Any dog can be a Guide Dog if you don't care where you're going.


NRA ENDOWMENT LIFE MEMBER
 
Posts: 8544 | Location: Arkansas  | Registered: November 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
semi-reformed sailor
Picture of MikeinNC
posted Hide Post
I wrote a check for a brand new Lincoln Nautilus last year-$60k and the IRS never called, wrote or emailed us.

The bank notifies the IRS about amounts ver 10k. It was a one time thing and isn’t suspicious. But if we wrote checks that high over and over it would be suspicious.

My friend who is now the DAI 8 in NC, used to work for BB&T and did suspicious investigations for them. Car purchase in and by itself it’s not a problem.

But there’s no way I’d carry 10k around in cash for a car purchase.




“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“ in my opinion, anything that we can do to trigger a potential aneurysm in a leftist is a good thing and worth doing” nhtagmember 2025
 
Posts: 12309 | Location: Temple, Texas! | Registered: October 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
No, not like
Bill Clinton
Picture of BigSwede
posted Hide Post
It's over $10k cash, a check is fine. We are required to fill out form 8300 and send it to IRS


 
Posts: 6796 | Location: GA | Registered: September 23, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of P250UA5
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by BigSwede:
It's over $10k cash, a check is fine


That makes sense then, both of my $10k down were check pmts.




The Enemy's gate is down.
 
Posts: 18521 | Location: Spring, TX | Registered: July 11, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of mcrimm
posted Hide Post
This is dealing with cash only - not checks. While $10,000 is the baseline, Many, including banks will report lower amounts. Especially if they suspect 'Structuring' smaller transactions to add up over $10,000.



I'm sorry if I hurt you feelings when I called you stupid - I thought you already knew - Unknown
...................................
When you have no future, you live in the past. " Sycamore Row" by John Grisham
 
Posts: 4399 | Location: Saddlebrooke, Arizona | Registered: December 24, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His diet consists of black
coffee, and sarcasm.
Picture of egregore
posted Hide Post
quote:
Generally, any person in a trade or business who receives more than $10,000 in cash in a single transaction or in related transactions must file a Form 8300.

I get from this that A, the burden of reporting is on the dealership on their end, not the car buyer on hers, and B, the transaction is 10 grand exactly, not more than 10 grand. $10,000.01 would be "over." Right? Exact Words

For those who bought their cars for cash outright, you didn't give the money to the financial institution, you gave it to the dealer. It would be on the dealer to report it, not the buyer. Similarly, with the 10 grand down payment, that isn't going to the FI. Do I have any or all of this right?

I am not seeing any scenario where the OP's friend has to report anything.





"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
 
Posts: 31592 | Location: Johnson City, TN | Registered: April 28, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
posted Hide Post
The government is interested in making sure they know what is going with your money. They want to make sure that they get all their taxes. They reqire banks to report cash transactions over $9999 and also have reporting requirements for auto dealers. If your bank doesn’t file enough SAR (Suspicious Activity Report), they are likely to catch heat for it.

If one has cash income that has been reported on their taxes, who cares if the dealership files a report on the cash down payment? If one has cash income that has not been reported and had the tax paid on it, it goes without saying that one is breaking the law and might be well advised to be very careful where and how they use their (untaxed) cash.
 
Posts: 7783 | Location: Lost, but making time. | Registered: February 23, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of 229DAK
posted Hide Post
If you are doing nothing illegal, you have nothing to worry about.

I paid for my last car with a check from my credit union. The dealership verified the check and for sufficient funds in place. After that, no one else cared how I paid for the car.


_________________________________________________________________________
“A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.”
-- Mark Twain, 1902
 
Posts: 10381 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by 229DAK:
If you are doing nothing illegal, you have nothing to worry about.


1984 called to say hello.


Beagle lives matter.
______
(\ / @\_____
/ ( ) /O
/ ( )______/
///_____/
 
Posts: 1151 | Location: Panhandle of Florida | Registered: July 23, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Payments made via wire transfer, personal checks, or credit/debit cards are not considered cash and do not trigger the reporting requirement.

Because the government can trace those anyway.
 
Posts: 5086 | Registered: February 15, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Optimistic Cynic
Picture of architect
posted Hide Post
Note that you cannot "get away" with writing two $5K checks for a single transaction. This is called "structuring" and is a criminal offense, even if there is nothing illegal about the transaction itself.

1984 indeed!
 
Posts: 7927 | Location: NoVA | Registered: July 22, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata Page 1 2  
 

SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    $10000 cash vs check

© SIGforum 2026