Korean Job Discussion Forums

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

this isn't a moral question, just about what is the best thing to do regarding safety, especially if your 'taxed' income seems just way too low to be viewed as live-on-able and the bulk of your income for a year was from unreported privates. (whether it's 'wrong' or not is no longer valid as it's done and in the past.)

a person who got caught up in the mostly- or only-privates routine for most of the year I think might need to think on it. end of the year you finally got a 'real' job with E2. Before that it was 'other'. No record of it obviously, but on your tax form it says you earned like $3000 the whole year??

What's best to do, report some or alot of the un-taxed income even though the Krn government has no record of it? Good side is it would 'balance' out your tax form, bad side is? If IRS contacts Krn gov and asks about the income, Kr is like "what, we don't know about all that!"

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

privates are illegal.
if you report it, you may as well strip naked and wear a big hat that reads: 'private english lessons here!'.

don't attract more attention to yourself, silly.
if they question you later, tell em the half truth...that you were looking for a job and finally found a decent one. maybe you lived with a friend to save money?

but you better have a name to drop.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

the only reason you would have to show "how" you aquired certain amounts would be something like

-you're sending money back home but you have no income here
-you're asking for a loan but you have no income
-you are arrested for ________ and they audit your accounts.

otherwise, why would anyone need to know?

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

alright, thanks for the help. I guess if questioned in the USA anytime, I'll just have to swear I was living very frugally -- still seems over the top, potentially. Anyhow even the amount I would report wouldn't have been a heck of alot but the whole problem is it wouldn't match up with Korea's records, that's all.

would be interesting to hear what the guys who work privates all year round, for quite a long time, would say on this matter.

Perhaps the IRS and Korea's tax office hardly have any connections with each other anyways. Furthermore perhaps the IRS wouldn't care about -- and wouldn't say anything to -- Korea if the numbers didn't match up (being the number reported to IRS is greater). I actually am not at all concerned about what Korea thinks on the matter, only what the IRS would. Anyhow it just looks really tacky to have under $5000 yearly salary. On top of that I am allowed to deduct personal storage fees (US), monthly rent in Korea, and travel fees. Didn't expect so many breaks!

Beej · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Location: Eungam Loop

Do you know that as an American citizen that your first 80,000 dollars or so of income are tax free as far as the IRS is concerned?

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Yeah, I don't know why you're worried here... you're home free on the first 80,000. You still have to file for taxes, though.

If you don't file there's trouble.

You should try to get pay stubs or some form of pay statement (I plan to use my bank account records if asked, since my school doesn't seem to give me statements).

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Are you talking only of reporting to the US IRS? If so, just report the legal income. Ignore the rest. No one is ever going to ask you how you lived. (Probably,)

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

Simply put, if only legal income is reported then IRS, if audit, would say "no way dude." Put legal plus the extra unreported stuff and while I don't care too much what Korea would think or try to do, IRS could get anal and be like "it's not our country but apparently you still had illegal income! maybe there's more, your figures don't match etc etc." Who knows what nasty trip they could go on if they so chose. It's not a worry of being taxed, it's wondering what happens since an audit would expose unreported income. Thought there would be a number of people on here that have run across this sort of thing... oh well..

StephPoet · Joined: 14 Jul 2005

Don't worry about it. People work "under the table" all the time, in and out of the U.S. Legally, waitresses are supposed to report every tip. Most I know do not.

As long as you are not causing any red flags, your government could care less to pursue an ordinary citizen like you. I'd be more worried about the wrath of the Korean government.

Basically, you are breaking the Korean law (sorry, I don't agree with their views but technically it's true) so I don't see the harm in stretching the truth a little further. It'll be better for you in the end.

Steph

babtangee