Sending Cash home from US

Masala

Hi

no.1 son is in States and managed to get a job paying Cash only.

He has no bank account their but is looking for ways to get it lodged to his Irish bank account and he could then withdraw as he go along. He doesn't want to stash his cash in his sock etc....

I suggested a Western Union to his own bank account... might take 3 days but at least it will arrive

Any other options out there??

Wanderer78

Masala wrote:

I suggested a Western Union to his own bank account... might take 3 days but at least it will arrive

Could be an expensive option, sorry I've no suggestions

ted1

He could open an account over there

Masala

ted1 wrote: »

He could open an account over there

Is it easy???? Could proof if address be a problem???

ted1

If he is there legally then it’s easy. Just walk in and open one

Grassey

Masala wrote:

Is it easy???? Could proof if address be a problem???

Was no issue when I was on j1 many years ago. Had landlord provide a letter confirming address as I'd no bills.

Victor

Masala wrote: »

He has no bank account their but is looking for ways to get it lodged to his Irish bank account and he could then withdraw as he go along.

Realise he could lose 5-10% of the money to transaction charges.

Open a bank account. Ask landlord, employer or other American to vouch for him.

dennyk

As long as he's legally resident there, a US bank account would be his best option. That will make it easier to use in the US, and when/if he comes back to Ireland, it will cost less to transfer it here via TransferWise or a similar service.

Also, note that if he is literally being paid cash-in-hand then it's likely his employer is not making the required deductions for US taxes from his pay. This means he will likely end up owing a significant sum to the US IRS come tax time, and he should plan accordingly and save enough money to pay that. Note that the sum will probably be about 7% higher than ordinary employee taxes from the same amount of income would be, as the employer is most likely not paying their share of the Social Security and Medicare taxes either, meaning your son will be responsible for those in addition to his own income taxes. He also needs to keep careful track of his earnings if his employer is not providing pay stubs, as he may not receive any tax paperwork from his employer at the end of the tax year, depending on just how shady they're being (they might give him a 1099 form if he's just being misclassified as an independent contractor, but if he's completely off the books and working illegally, they probably won't provide anything, and he'll have to self-report all of his income properly when filing his taxes...).

Masala

Lets say he can't open a bank account (wink wink) ..... what would his options be??

Wanderer78

Masala wrote: »

Lets say he can't open a bank account (wink wink) ..... what would his options be??

his options are probably very limited then, you may have to do western union, but be prepared for the excessive charges

whippet

He’s better off keeping hold of the cash and using that

Masala

whippet wrote: »

He’s better off keeping hold of the cash and using that

Ya.... that what I gonna tell him!!! Hide it in his used-boxers....am sure people wont be interested in rummaging through them!!!

Captain Flaps

Yeah, unfortunately working illegally means he has to pay the inconvenience tax instead of the income tax.

Wanderer78

Masala wrote:

Ya.... that what I gonna tell him!!! Hide it in his used-boxers....am sure people wont be interested in rummaging through them!!!

You d be surprised what people would do for easy money, hide it well!

kerry4sam

Thread moved to where it would be better suited.

Thanks,
kerry4sam

jjbrien

I use transferwise fees i have found very cheap and usually transfers within a day from US to Ireland or UK

dennyk

Transferwise needs a bank account on both ends to work, though, which the OP's son can't open in the US.

jme2010

Not condoning working illegally at all. What about something similar to a cash card like Post FX or a bunch of disposable visa's, keep topping them up?

It's not sustainable anyway and if his mammy is on here asking for advice...you better tell him to enjoy this stint in America because he probably won't be allowed back in for a long time if he is caught.

jjbrien

jme2010 wrote: »

Not condoning working illegally at all. What about something similar to a cash card like Post FX or a bunch of disposable visa's, keep topping them up?

It's not sustainable anyway and if his mammy is on here asking for advice...you better tell him to enjoy this stint in America because he probably won't be allowed back in for a long time if he is caught.

Transferwise does offer a us account called a boarder less account and they are now offering a visa debit card too so it might work for them

seannash

A friend of mine was illegal in New York back in 2010.
He had no problem getting a bank account in the branches based in the Irish communities.
Don't stash it in a sock, Heard far too many stories of break ins and savings lost

razorblunt

Tell him sign up for a Revolut Card. Its basically an app for currency transactions. He can give the cash to someone that has a US bank account send a text with a link for payment, similar to PayPal and the cash will load into his account. Once there he can transfer to his Irish bank account. But he'll be waiting an additional 5-6 days for the cash to show in the Irish one.

He can also just use the card with the USD balance for day to day stuff.

seannash

razorblunt wrote: »

Tell him sign up for a Revolut Card. Its basically an app for currency transactions. He can give the cash to someone that has a US bank account send a text with a link for payment, similar to PayPal and the cash will load into his account. Once there he can transfer to his Irish bank account. But he'll be waiting an additional 5-6 days for the cash to show in the Irish one.

He can also just use the card with the USD balance for day to day stuff.

And how will the persons who's bank account he uses justify the large transactions being deposited into his account?

razorblunt

seannash wrote: »

And how will the persons who's bank account he uses justify the large transactions being deposited into his account?

Will they need to? You're talking about weekly wages here.
He's not dropping 5 figures at all.


"My son is working in the States and sends money home".
Alternatively the OP can also get a Revolut Card and he can transfer to her.

seannash

razorblunt wrote: »

Will they need to? You're talking about weekly wages here.
He's not dropping 5 figures at all.


"My son is working in the States and sends money home".
Alternatively the OP can also get a Revolut Card and he can transfer to her.

Weekly wages in the USA can rage between $1000 to $1500 if your working in a bar or construction.
The OP getting a revolut card wont change the fact that the son needs to get it into a US bank account. The persons who's bank account is having the money deposited into it in the US may have to explain to the tax man how hes got a good few grand coming and going from his account.
Its essentially money laundering.
Of course the son could compensate this person also.

razorblunt

seannash wrote: »

Weekly wages in the USA can rage between $1000 to $1500 if your working in a bar or construction.
The OP getting a revolut card wont change the fact that the son needs to get it into a US bank account. The persons who's bank account is having the money deposited into it in the US may have to explain to the tax man how hes got a good few grand coming and going from his account.
Its essentially money laundering.
Of course the son could compensate this person also.

Fair points.

Money laundering is money gained from illegal activity bit harsh on OP's son without knowing the full details.

seannash

razorblunt wrote: »

Fair points.

Money laundering is money gained from illegal activity bit harsh on OP's son without knowing the full details.

Oh he's definitely working illegally over there so it would be money laundering for the person who has the US bank account.
Not preaching, I have a lot of friends in the same boat as the OPs son and I hope he finds a solution.

dennyk

The kid is getting paid cash in hand under the table and "can't" open a US bank account; he's clearly either evading taxes or working/living there illegally (or both). Money laundering is a federal crime in the US, as well, so if he's going to keep doing what he's doing, he might well be better off with the sock, or Western Union in a pinch; it'd suck to get robbed by burglars and/or transaction fees, but it sure beats a couple decades in the federal pen.

TeaBagMania

A low tech approach would be to buy money orders at the US post office and snail mail them back to Ireland for deposit

troyzer

Keep the cash in a security deposit box. They're relatively inexpensive, private and you could probably keep a fair amount of cash in there. It's definitely better than a sock drawer.

You're still faced with the problem in the end of laundering it. And be under no illusion, this is money laundering. We may make a distinction between an illegal immigrant and a drug dealer but I doubt the Feds do.

Money orders seems the best bet so far as TeaBagMania said.

seamus

Civil forfeiture laws in the US mean that if he gets picked up by the cops they may be able to just take whatever money they find and send your son home with nothing. Or worse put him in jail on suspicion of all sorts of federal offences, and he still has no money.

He is best served holding onto a small amount of cash for everyday expenses and shipping the rest out of the jurisdiction in a way that's untraceable.

Western Union may be expensive but more reliable than mailing a money order which can go missing.

Probably goes without saying that this is not a practical long-term plan. There are too many illegals in the US who find themselves ten years down the road with houses and families, calling themselves "undocumented" and lamenting the fact that they didn't get their sh1t together.
If this is in any way supposed to be an indefinite arrangement, then he should arrange to see if his employer will let him take an extended "holiday", and come home and apply for a proper visa.

Fr Tod Umptious

seamus wrote: »

Civil forfeiture laws in the US mean that if he gets picked up by the cops they may be able to just take whatever money they find and send your son home with nothing. Or worse put him in jail on suspicion of all sorts of federal offences, and he still has no money.

He is best served holding onto a small amount of cash for everyday expenses and shipping the rest out of the jurisdiction in a way that's untraceable.

Western Union may be expensive but more reliable than mailing a money order which can go missing.

Probably goes without saying that this is not a practical long-term plan. There are too many illegals in the US who find themselves ten years down the road with houses and families, calling themselves "undocumented" and lamenting the fact that they didn't get their sh1t together.
If this is in any way supposed to be an indefinite arrangement, then he should arrange to see if his employer will let him take an extended "holiday", and come home and apply for a proper visa.

Much easier said than done.

The last "amnesty" to illegal Irish was 25 years ago, since then the only way to get legal has been to get married, or win the DV lottery.