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Illegal cash in hand??

Okay so I had a job when I was 15 and 16 working at a local school uniform store. I only worked there for like 5 hours a week and got paid £20. I was given cash in hand. I didnt fill out any P45 or anything like that. I just found out that 'cash in hand' is illegal because you avoid taxes and stuff but then I thought since I'm under 18 and only earn £20 a week it'll be fine. Can anyone tell me if what I did was illegal (I dont work there anymore).

Thank You

Reply 1

Ewan

15

It doesn't matter, loads of people work cash in hand. Unless your earning a lot, and there is a good deal of unexplained wealth, the taxman will be non the wiser.

Reply 2

pamelaa

17

I don't think it's illegal?

Reply 3

Gelvis

I don't think you have to be afraid about this. It's employer's responsibility to register his workers.

Reply 4

Queen_Pinky

8

What the taxman doesn't know...won't hurt him :smile:

Reply 5

rockrunride

19

Well, £20/week is hardly over the tax threshold..

Reply 6

MaccyG

13

Well I get cash in hand but I also get pay slips to prove i had been paid

Reply 7

IWantSomeMushu

17

I got paid about £80 for 6 hours quality checking work before. Was that illegal lol?

Reply 8

zahib18

OP

2

Wooh! So I am not breaking the law. I have a job interview on Thursday and if I was offered the job and he/she asked for my P45 (which I dont have) shall I tell them it was cash in hand??

Reply 9

Pop_tart

17

zahib18

Okay so I had a job when I was 15 and 16 working at a local school uniform store. I only worked there for like 5 hours a week and got paid £20. I was given cash in hand. I didnt fill out any P45 or anything like that. I just found out that 'cash in hand' is illegal because you avoid taxes and stuff but then I thought since I'm under 18 and only earn £20 a week it'll be fine. Can anyone tell me if what I did was illegal (I dont work there anymore).

Thank You

yes it is illegal! you wouldn't get into trouble as you would never earn enough money to pay tax anyway. however your employer was being very wrong! You have to becareful with it though people who work like that often have no contract so if anything happends you have no where to go. he could ''fire'' you or rather send you away when ever he wants as you have no rights without a contract

Reply 10

ThePants999

14

Lizia

...since you were 15 and wouldn't have paid any tax or NI anyway,

Just to be clear to everyone on this common misconception - being 15 has nothing to do with whether you pay tax/NI or not. Age, being a student etc is all irrelevant. The OP wouldn't have needed to pay tax because of earning too little and hence being below the threshold, simple as. You need to pay income tax if you earn over about £6k/yr, and NI if you earn over ~£90/week.

Reply 11

Ewan

15

He still would of paid tax, he would of just got it paid back to him at the end of the year.

Reply 12

Pop_tart

17

ThePants999

Just to be clear to everyone on this common misconception - being 15 has nothing to do with whether you pay tax/NI or not. Age, being a student etc is all irrelevant. The OP wouldn't have needed to pay tax because of earning too little and hence being below the threshold, simple as. You need to pay income tax if you earn over about £6k/yr, and NI if you earn over ~£90/week.

''because of earning too little'' -> that is related to age.. so in a way whether you pay tax or not is related to your age..

Reply 13

zahib18

OP

2

Wow! I started some kind of debate! Sorry!
Okay so what I have gathered is that I have not broken the law as I have had a cash in hand job which is illegal if you earn over £6000 per year. However since I didn't earn that much I have not broken the law as I do not need to give tax.

Reply 14

lee_91

10

you didn't break the law, your employer did...
it was illigal but no one would care or even notice cos u were young, and earned so little
u would not have paid taxanyway but it should still be declared...

Reply 15

200428

3

all my work is cash in hand - I do babysitting and holiday childminding :p:

I earn a fair bit more than £20 p/w from it though - I am being illegal too?

Reply 16

lee_91

10

im guessing they already know about the job cos you may have stated it in ur CV?

erm come to think of it, isn't being self employed effectively doing jobs cash in hand but then ur expected to file a self tax return, any how im sure this will apply to the babysitter above?

Reply 17

200428

3

lee_91

im guessing they already know about the job cos you may have stated it in ur CV?

erm come to think of it, isn't being self employed effectively doing jobs cash in hand but then ur expected to file a self tax return, any how im sure this will apply to the babysitter above?

tax evasion win :woo:

They've been illegally stealing some of my savings interest for ages despite my having filled in the form that's supposed to stop it, so they can cope without the few pounds they'd get from my income tax. Stupid bastards.

Reply 18

L i b

19

I think this is a law that a hell of a lot of people break at one time or another. How many paperboys do you think are properly documented, for example?

It's frankly ridiculous that it's even an issue.

Pop_tart

You have to becareful with it though people who work like that often have no contract so if anything happends you have no where to go. he could ''fire'' you or rather send you away when ever he wants as you have no rights without a contract

I doubt some young person on a pissy wage is going to be particularly put out if they get fired.

Reply 19

stuw

you can earn up to around 6K a year without having to pay tax. check the inland revenue website

as for NI, i am not sure you are liable for that until you reach 16 / get an NI number etc.

Illegal cash in hand??

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