Weirdly enough, I and two other people I know have also been accused of stealing from our employers in the last few weeks. It feels like stepping into Bizarro World, doesn’t it? You know you didn’t do it, everyone who knows you knows you didn’t do it, you know there isn’t really any proof of it, and yet they’re treating you like a thief anyway.
Keep your head up and keep looking. And definitely declare all your income, and get the bastard in trouble. he sounds like he deserves it.
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99]
Good point. neutron star, in the email with which he fired you, was he explicit that he was, in fact, terminating an employer-employee relationship? I’m concerned that he might try to claim he had you on as a contractor. Still, even if he did, one imagines he can be asked to furnish the signed (by you) contract to support that. And even with contractors/consultants, it’s not a real good idea to pay them in cash.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry. I’m not sure how I overlooked this post.
Yes, he was explicit in the email. And I never signed a single document at that store. Nothing.
I sent him an email after not getting my cash tonight. Surprisingly he replied fairly quickly, but he said that:
I responded with: “Well, you’ll have to forgive me for not knowing that, since you have previously paid me with wads of cash stuffed into envelopes on Friday, remember?”
If he sends me an actual check, that would be iron-clad proof of my employment, it seems. It also seems that he might try to cover his tracks and dummy up a pre-dated W-4 and other records if he’s paranoid (or reads this message board 
) and suspects that I might try to rat him out.
The only problem with that, from his perspective, is that a W-4 requires a signature. My signature hasn’t changed one iota in many years, and I know that he has never seen it; I never signed a single thing in any capacity at that job. If he forged a federal tax document, it seems like that would bring him even more trouble.
So, should I report him as soon as possible (the nearest IRS office is only ten miles away in Harrisburg), or wait until I file my taxes to do something about the matter?
Seems to me like an anonymous tip to the appropriate authorities about the child labour laws being violated might be in order too.
True, but the only problem with that is that those kids are back in school now, and not working.
I was always surprised that every single customer who saw them working simply fawned over them, rather than wonder why they were working the summer away instead of jumping from monkey swings into the creek.
Do you actually have to fill out W-4s? Can’t an employer make taxes 100% YOUR responsibility? I’m just wondering if there’s some loophole he can take advantage of that will make this all your problem.
You’ll have to report your earnings for tax purposes once you rat him out, if there’s any ratting to be done.
Well, if nothing else it’s a life lesson for you.
What’s the name of this place so I can avoid it?
I second the idea of going to the IRS and to Labor and Industry. Being paid in cash doesn’t pass the sniff test; there almost has to be more to this guy’s business that he doesn’t want exposed.
Robin
I don’t know how much money you made while working there, but you should be aware that the fact that you were paid under the table doesn’t exempt you from state, federal, social security, and medicare taxes. Before reporting this guy to the IRS you might want to figure out how much money they’ll want from you, and if it’s more than you can come up with have some kind of plan in mind for a payment schedule.
Wouldn’t the security footage show the children working day after day? If you quietly tip off child labor, maybe they can get a warrent to seize the tapes and have the proof before your ex-employer can get rid of the evidence?
Obviously don’t do anything until you receive your last paycheck.
I find it very hard to believe that you’re educated enough to know that salaried employes are exempt from overtime pay but not educated enough to multiply hourly rate x hours worked to determine if taxes were deducted. Admit it; you knew he was paying you under the table (which by definition meant he wasn’t withholding taxes) and that was fine with you until you were fired without cause.
So while I don’t blame you for being pissed at the way you were treated by this guy, I think you should really ponder the ethics of turning in a tax cheat when you were a willing participant right up until the point when you were fired.
As others have said, nothing your employer does negates your legal obligation to pay the taxes owed. If you pursue this, be prepared to pay what should have been withheld from your wad of cash.
And sorry about being unemployed. Desperate people sometimes make crappy choices. Good luck in your job search.
[QUOTE=PunditLisa]
Obviously don’t do anything until you receive your last paycheck.
I find it very hard to believe that you’re educated enough to know that salaried employes are exempt from overtime pay but not educated enough to multiply hourly rate x hours worked to determine if taxes were deducted. Admit it; you knew he was paying you under the table (which by definition meant he wasn’t withholding taxes) and that was fine with you until you were fired without cause.
So while I don’t blame you for being pissed at the way you were treated by this guy, I think you should really ponder the ethics of turning in a tax cheat when you were a willing participant right up until the point when you were fired.
As others have said, nothing your employer does negates your legal obligation to pay the taxes owed. If you pursue this, be prepared to pay what should have been withheld from your wad of cash.
And sorry about being unemployed. Desperate people sometimes make crappy choices. Good luck in your job search.
[/QUOTE]
In his defense, he hasn’t cheated until he fails to report the income. He’s not required to do that until next year.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
In his defense, he hasn’t cheated until he fails to report the income. He’s not required to do that until next year.
[/QUOTE]
If the employer neglected to have the employee complete a W-4 and I-9, then he has already broken multiple employment laws.
[QUOTE=neutron star]
If he sends me an actual check, that would be iron-clad proof of my employment, it seems.
[/QUOTE]
The only way this works out for him is if he claims you only worked there that one pay period. Forget the W4, it’s going to be very difficult to dummy up some previous paychecks.
May I suggest a quick review of IRS Document 733 , “Rewards for Information Given to the IRS”
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Do you actually have to fill out W-4s? Can’t an employer make taxes 100% YOUR responsibility?
[/QUOTE]
An employer certainly can’t make his own share of, say, SocSec payments the responsibility of the employee.
[QUOTE=MsRobyn]
What’s the name of this place so I can avoid it?
[/QUOTE]
Alliance Computers. I worked at their main store on Derry St. (about a mile from Wal-Mart), but they also have locations in York and Lemoyne.
The real shame is that, aside from the owner (who had previously been nothing but nice to me) and his labor violations, it’s a great store. You can get obscure computer parts locally that you could only otherwise find online, and the prices on those items are generally comparable to the best prices you can find on the Internet. The showroom employees are invariably patient and helpful. The staff is explicitly told not to engage in high-pressure sales tactics. I really liked working there.
As much as I hate to do it, I’m afraid I’m going to have to go back to that place next week to buy a replacement fan for a friend’s laptop that I’ll be fixing. Ugh. I really didn’t want to have to give them any of my money.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time pondering that already. I concede that I am not entirely ethically innocent in this matter, but I can still manage to pay those taxes, and will do so. To justify my actions, I tell myself that it was his responsibility to provide the required documents. Maybe that’s not the perfect justification, but like you said, desperate people sometimes make crappy choices.
Ooh! I like that idea! The camera by the back door would show them every time they took trash to the dumpster. Nice. That would have to be done soon, though. School started this week, and I don’t know how long they keep their security tapes.
[QUOTE=neutron star]
Ooh! I like that idea! The camera by the back door would show them every time they took trash to the dumpster. Nice. That would have to be done soon, though. School started this week, and I don’t know how long they keep their security tapes.
[/QUOTE]
Probably not very long. It happens that I serviced a security camera VCR for a jeweler this past week, and in chatting with them about the possibility of getting a DVR to replace it when I brought it back I learned that they keep 2 weeks of tapes. I wouldn’t expect that keeping a more extensive archive is very common.
[QUOTE=neutron star]
As much as I hate to do it, I’m afraid I’m going to have to go back to that place next week to buy a replacement fan for a friend’s laptop that I’ll be fixing. Ugh. I really didn’t want to have to give them any of my money.
[/QUOTE]
Think twice before doing this. Then think again about it. Then wait 4 days and think again. If you’re even considering blowing the whistle on them, don’t offer an iota of a chance for them to somehow turn it against you in any way. Have nothing to do with them. They’ve already accused you of theft, why have any interaction at all? That’s not legal advice, just common sense.
Visit eBay or other online sites. Waiting a few extra days may be the better option for replacing a part.
Just a thought.
Thanks for the advice, duffer. You’re probably right. My friend uses his laptop for his real estate business, though, and can’t go without it for long. I think I’ll just tell him the size of the fan, send him into the store, and let him buy it himself. Nobody there knows him.
If the kids were family members, he’s generally in the clear…depending on state laws. You usually can have your own children work in your own business even if they are underage.
[QUOTE=Gorsnak]
Probably not very long. It happens that I serviced a security camera VCR for a jeweler this past week, and in chatting with them about the possibility of getting a DVR to replace it when I brought it back I learned that they keep 2 weeks of tapes. I wouldn’t expect that keeping a more extensive archive is very common.
[/QUOTE]
It’s possible that my former employer keeps his footage longer than that, since it’s all digital. He can even watch and listen to the security cameras in realtime from his home.
To tell the truth, I’m not exactly sure who the kids belonged to. I know it was someone who worked there, but I don’t know who. Maybe I should have actually looked at the family pictures on the owner’s desk. :smack: