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Sierra Kennedy is a contributing writer for The Balance covering small business terms and topics. She began freelance writing in 2010, and also launched her first LLC shortly thereafter. An online dropshipping boutique, meanwhile, marked her first foray into the e-commerce space. Sierra's writing clients have included Florida State University, Penn State, Rebel's Market, SportingNews, and Zippia. She now uses her expertise to teach others how to be successful online whether for writing, launching a new store, or overall help with getting their small business started.
Updated on May 24, 2022 In This Article In This Article
Every business owner dreams of large cash deposits, but there are rules to follow when it comes to reporting them. For cash deposits of $10,000 or more, you must report the transaction to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This is crucial for small business owners to remember to avoid associated penalties and fines.
You’ll want to know which form to file, as well as the situations that require you to disclose bank deposits. We’ll walk you through how much cash you can deposit before it must be reported, the types of transactions, and the law from which these rules stem.
Banks and financial institutions must report any cash deposit exceeding $10,000 to the IRS, and they must do it within 15 days of receipt. Of course, it’s not as cut and dried as simply having to report one large lump sum of money.
Making multiple, smaller deposits that equal $10,000 or more will also be flagged and reported. For example, if you were to deposit $2,000 each day over the course of a week, the bank would report the deposits for suspicious activity once they exceed the $10,000 level.
Another scenario would be depositing cash across several banks. Let’s say you deposit $6,000 into one account, then make two separate cash transactions of $3,000 each at different banks; this could potentially trigger the bank to file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) with the federal government.
This rule does not apply only to cash deposits. The IRS includes cashier’s checks, bank drafts, traveler’s checks, and money orders over $10,000 as needing to be reported by the financial institution that draws the funds.
The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), also known as the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, is a law that requires U.S. financial institutions to help monitor and intercept money laundering. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is responsible for enforcing compliance with the BSA, alongside the IRS.
The BSA requires all cash payments over $10,000 to be reported on Form 8300. As mentioned, the law defines “cash” as including several monetary instruments, such as money orders, cashier’s checks, and bank drafts. Banks need to report your activity anytime you have one deposit exceeding $10,000, or two or more related deposits that cross that threshold.
Small business owners need to pay particular attention to the last caveat regarding multiple related deposits. If you decide to break up your large deposits, it could be viewed as “structuring”—the illegal practice of spreading out deposits to avoid reporting funds to the IRS.
Banks will report you to the IRS once deposits reach the $10,000 mark, whether via commercial or personal banking. If you conduct a lot of your business in cash, you will want to pay extra attention to the amounts and frequency of your deposits to ensure you are complying with the law.
You absolutely need to report large deposits to the IRS, as the responsibility falls to the business owner. Whenever you receive $10,000 or more from a client or buyer, Form 8300 will come into play. Some examples of when to report include:
Keeping these scenarios in mind will safeguard your business from fines and penalties.
Business owners need to file Form 8300, “Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 in a Trade or Business,” whenever you receive more than $10,000 in cash from one or more related transactions.
The law governing the requirement to file Form 8300 applies to individuals, companies, corporations, partnerships, associations, trusts, and estates.
You’ll also want to keep in mind the time period in which you file the form; the BSA requires you to file Form 8300 within 15 days of completion of the cash transaction. This means that if you received $2,000 over the span of five weeks from a customer, you want to report the transaction within two weeks and a day of the last payment. If you get a lump sum of $10,000, file your form by the 15th day after receipt.
The form is free to file online using the BSA E-Filing System provided by FinCEN. It is also possible to file by mail, sending the form to the following address:
Detroit Federal Building
