Is this a trigger for IRS?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
November 28, 2023
6 replies
57 views

My visiting GF from another country has been working in the US, she was getting paid in cash. The cash she made, she gave it to me so I can deposit it in my bank account so that I can wire transfer it to her bank account in another country. Am i doing something wrong?

I've made 4 wire transfers totaling 8K. My concern is that this is a trigger for the IRS. Is it???

Not A Product Question

Bsch4477

Level 15

You are essentially laundering money since no tax was paid on those funds. The Department of Treasury prosecutes such activities.

2019paybacktimeAuthor

Level 2

i've been doing some reading on this. Since it's under 10K should i be worried?

Bsch4477

Level 15

I can’t predict whether the authorities will discover what you have done and odds are that they won’t. They have bigger fish to fry. But my advice is to stop doing it.

Opus 17

Level 15

Couple of additional points. If your girlfriend is working in the US, she owes US income tax (either as a non-resident or resident, depending on the substantial presence test). She can (and legally is required to) file a tax return and pay US tax on this income even if it is paid in cash. The IRS keeps tax returns confidential and will not inform on her to Immigration authorities that she is working without proper authorization.

Additionally, if she does apply for citizenship, one of the application questions is "have you paid all US income taxes that you might have been required to pay?"