question- regarding job

renogaw

Active Member
the problem though is teen has mentioned many times he wouldnt be able to pay the taxes next year (or even this year i'm assuming) because he hasn't saved for them. funny thing is though, were he to pay the taxes he's getting less than minimum wage i'd bet...so that LFS is pretty smart if you ask me (dumb, but smart-dumb).
 

tangman99

Active Member
The whole idea of paying under the table. Saves everyone having to pay the tax and it can be a win-win. I personally (and this is just me talking because I'm this way) wouldn't pay it a second thought. I would just say school is getting really busy and you can't work any longer but appreciate the chance to possibly come back if the need should arise. Then I would just go get a job anywhere I wanted. If he asks for your Social Security Number before you leave, I wouldn't give it to him. Worst case if he saw you at another LFS and wanted to make it an issue, I would say the I'm not working in the same field. I only clean the restrooms here.
 

tangman99

Active Member
One thing to remember is that everything in taking a job is negotiable. As I mentioned, I will usually refuse to sign a non-compete or I will have it modified to be more reasonable. I have had a couple of jobs that would not allow me to work without signing it and a couple of these I walked away from. The others I had the scope reduced or had it length of time dropped. The max I would ever consider signing is 6 months.
Now the one thing you usually can't get around and it's not that big of a deal is a non-disclosure. This I completely understand making a requirement.
 

teen

Active Member
ok, just got out of work.
no 1099, im off the books, which is what i assumed from the start.
im actually making decent money at the job now. its LI though, everything is expensive, so the wages reflect that for the most part. im sure i would be making similar pay at the other store.
i would never just walk out the door on them. id give them my 2 weeks notice, even though it doesnt matter if i leave on good terms or bad, considering i cant put them as work experience on any future applications.
the main reason im thinking of leaving is just because im hoping to get more flexible hours and the job is closer to home. it would make my life ten times easier considering im maxed out on credits this semester in school and im trying to get better than decent grades. also, my mom keeps telling me its a bad idea to be working off the books. she says when i go to apply for a school loan now or get another job it looks like i havent been working for 5 months now considering theres no real documentation.
theres a lot of college kids around here who are tellers. they do make pretty good money considering its a part time job while in college. im thinking more along the lines of digging inground pools if i do decide to leave.
as for the owners being complete scum bags, im using the 3 strikes and im out method. one guy already said something to me like the first week i worked there that really got me pissed. i almost walked out that day, but really needed the money. same guy said something again the other day, thats strike 2. one more and im done.
thanks for all the comments/ advice.
and yea, im hoping nobody here is gunna call the IRS or anything. but if somebody does, i hear parts of mexico are nice.
 

teen

Active Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
http:///forum/post/2503878
the problem though is teen has mentioned many times he wouldnt be able to pay the taxes next year (or even this year i'm assuming) because he hasn't saved for them. funny thing is though, were he to pay the taxes he's getting less than minimum wage i'd bet...so that LFS is pretty smart if you ask me (dumb, but smart-dumb).
im getting $10 an hour. im guessing that would come out to a little over minimum wage if there were taxes being taken out. i dont quite get what you're saying. are you saying they're screwing me over?
 

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by teen
http:///forum/post/2504698
im getting $10 an hour. im guessing that would come out to a little over minimum wage if there were taxes being taken out. i dont quite get what you're saying. are you saying they're screwing me over?
You're getting no Social Security credit, No unemployment insurance, no worker's compensation if you get injured. At $10 an hour your taxes will be next to nothing.
You're getting boned big time.
 

teen

Active Member
being at my last job for 2 and a half years and making $8.75 on the books, i thought $10 was good. i mean im making decent money, considering im still living at home so i dont have to pay rent and i have no credit card or anything like that. only monthly payment is car insurance.
 

renogaw

Active Member
at $10 an hour, and being a student, you shouldn't be paying any income tax if i'm thinking correct, but the other benefits listed you are definitely missing out on. what would happen if tomorrow a light fixture on the top shelf fell and landed on your head? or, goodness forbid, a tank shatters on top of you?
being legit is IMO the only way to do things (i'm surprised 1journeyman hasn't mentioned you're basically working like an illegal immigrant :p). i'd give my 2 weeks, or tell them that you want to be a legitimate employee, and since you're used to having the $10 an hour, you want a raise to bring it up so your taxes won't affect your take home (called grossing up).
 

socal57che

Active Member
My wife is in the photography business. They have the same policy at her company. It is never enforced and only mentioned to upper management if they threaten to go elsewhere. Usually they don't stick around long after that conversation anyway. In a job such as yours they probably will not do a thing. (but don't assume that your employer won't) In the grand scheme of things you have to better yourself, so is it worth the risk to advance your position? I assume this move will be an advance. (more $ and closer to home)
Good luck.

BTW, are you old enough to enter a legal contract? If not this is a moot point. Nevermind, I just saw that you are in college.
 

renogaw

Active Member
Originally Posted by teen
http:///forum/post/2504698
im getting $10 an hour. im guessing that would come out to a little over minimum wage if there were taxes being taken out. i dont quite get what you're saying. are you saying they're screwing me over?
figure income taxes at 15-20%, and social security and medicare taxes (who knows the % there). if for some reason the IRS found out you weren't paying those, you'd have to pay out of your pocket (although, since your a student you're probably exempt from income tax)
 

teen

Active Member
i think i know what i need to do.
find a job that isnt related to this hobby, where im on the books making decent money, and is closer to home.
 

stdreb27

Active Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
http:///forum/post/2504784
at $10 an hour, and being a student, you shouldn't be paying any income tax if i'm thinking correct, but the other benefits listed you are definitely missing out on. what would happen if tomorrow a light fixture on the top shelf fell and landed on your head? or, goodness forbid, a tank shatters on top of you?
being legit is IMO the only way to do things (i'm surprised 1journeyman hasn't mentioned you're basically working like an illegal immigrant :p). i'd give my 2 weeks, or tell them that you want to be a legitimate employee, and since you're used to having the $10 an hour, you want a raise to bring it up so your taxes won't affect your take home (called grossing up).
Depending on the hours you work, you will have to pay taxes, 10 bucks an hour 32 hours a week turns into about 15 grand a year, you probably have a taxable income of 10 grand, they only give you a credit of 3 grand in school expenses (I paid my way through college) You'll still have a couple grand you'll owe in taxes and medicare if they come a knocking.
Why in the world would a LFS make you sign a non-competative agreement? I work in the oil industry and they have basically 100% employment as far as a unemployed job pool there isn't any. So new employees come from poaching, and we didn't have to sign anything.
 

lexluethar

Active Member
The non-compete kinda blows me away too. Those are usually held for more 'specialized' positions like programming or medical research, things that if other companies found out the proprietary information it could give someone a competative advantage. For a petstore do to that is, well extremely anal and really rediculous. Is he going to argue that he showed you how to take water out of a tank and replace it? Or how to properly acclimate a fish? These aren't specialty skills, these are things that anyone can pickup anywhere - if you can find it redily available on boards like this then there is no need to proclaim that it is something that requires a non compete.
If i were you i would turn in my two weeks. Go work at that other store. If it isn't bad enough that they are paying you under the table (extremely illegal) it is that they are trying to hold you to pointless contracts. Just get out.
 

teen

Active Member
so trying to be the good/ always planning ahead person that i am, i told one of my boss' today that im thinking of attending college in florida. right now its only me and one other guy working there. i said that if i am accepted (already put in the application) i may need to take a trip down there once or twice, maybe even three times before i actually decide on attending. i said it would be in their best interest to possibly start looking for another employee, in addition to me and the other guy who are working there, just in case i have to leave for a week or something unexpectedly. this way its not only 1 person doing a whole weeks work (let me remind you this is the largest show room on the east coast, so its a lot of work/ responsibility). besides him looking extremely pissed/ angry, he said "I really hope you wouldn't go". hes basically asking me to not continue on with my education so i can work a part-time off the books job at $10/ hour.
im going to talk to the other LFS tomorrow, maybe put in an application at another place or two if i can find anywhere else thats hiring. ill be putting in my 2 weeks sunday, if they even decide to keep me around. we'll most likely get into an argument and ill just end up leaving.
sorry if it sounds like im just giving you guys my life story, but id figured youd like to see how rediculous this guy is.
 

lexluethar

Active Member
He may give you options like more money, or other things like free fish (probably more stuff off the books) but just don't even discuss it. Just say this is my two weeks, nothing is going to change my mind.
 
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