Job Discussion Forums

vicinage_of_roland · Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Location: Krakow, Poland

I'm curious
I, as many of you I'm sure, are paid in cash with no taxes withheld, no receipts for tax purposes, etc. Should I even bother to file with the IRS or file some sort or exemption?

Secondly,
This summer, do you think there is a possibility to work in some resort times to earn a little summer income. Any suggestions where, or who?

Thanks

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

If you want to be a good citizen, you might as well file. In retrospect I'm glad I did because last year the embassy needed 3 years of my tax records for my husband's visa.

If you make under a certain amount abroad (I can't remember how much, around $10,000 or so), you don't even have to file. Bush has cut all the low-income tax credits to the point where it's not even worth your time to file to get your check for being poor.

There is some exemption for income earned abroad-- I don't remember the form, but if you make under $80,000 you don't have to pay any taxes on your income here.

The IRS website will help sort it out. Have fun.

Mikana51 · Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 41 Location: Istanrubble

If the US has a tax treaty with Turkey and you earn income paid by a Turkish employer, and spend at least a total of 183 days out of the US, then you should not have to pay US income tax.

See: http://www.taxmeless.com/IRS593Publication.htm

vicinage_of_roland · Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Location: Krakow, Poland

Thanks for the information thusfar, I really do appreciate it. I guess I'm concerned moreso with the fact that any income that I earned, however much it may be, was unofficial and as far as I can tell untaxed, so I'd have no way to prove what I made either way. Is there some paperwork I need to file to say that I just didn't earn any money, so as to not be arrested for tax evasion of some sort.

And about the Summer time, what of the English tourist heavy sights of Bodrum, Kusadasi, etc. There aren't any opportunities there. Thanks again for the assistance.

justme · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 1944 Location: Istanbul

You're right. The income is unofficial and undocumented and no one will know.

The only reason to file, if you make enough that you have to file (though you still won't have to pay anything), is if you think you might need tax returns sometime down the road...

You might be able to find summer tourism work, but I don't know anything about that....