Can you legally decline your paycheck?

[Pedro de San Patricio]

Say you have your reasons. It could be related to taxes. It could be based on principle. What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work? Would that be the end of it? Would the bullshit "volunteerism is slavery" issue come up?

(I mean in the civilian world specifically. I already found out what happens when you ask the sergeant at finance back in tech school. Yeah... don't do that.)

 

[Bonzi]

They could (probably?) not deposit it and/or cut the check (hold it back to be paid later), but, unless there was some sort of contract written up that you didn't want to get paid, they would be (I think) exposing themselves legally to lots of problems if they just didn't pay you because you asked them not to....

 

[pinqy]

Say you have your reasons. It could be related to taxes. It could be based on principle. What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work? Would that be the end of it? Would the bullshit "volunteerism is slavery" issue come up?

(I mean in the civilian world specifically. I already found out what happens when you ask the sergeant at finance back in tech school. Yeah... don't do that.)

For Federal government (and the military as you already know) it is actually illegal to work without pay. This has come up during government furloughs and it is against the law for government employees to continue to work on a volunteer basis.

 

[Moonglow]

Donate the paycheck and use it as a tax deduction...

 

[midcan5]

Give it away but manage the giving. That way the money goes back into the market. For the puzzled reader check out William Vollmann's 'Poor People,' warning, reading it may twist the synapses in your mind.

"Today, the dominant discourse governing discussion of markets, states, and companies is neoliberalism, and Mackey's [Whole Foods] free market business model and historical narrative fit neatly within this framework. In this vision, the economic sphere is "an autonomous, self-adjusting, and self-regulated system that [can] achieve a natural equilibrium spontaneously and produce increased wealth. "But the free market historical narrative lacks empirical weight. As economic historian Karl Polanyi argued decades ago, capitalist markets are a product of state engineering, not nature." p58 Nicole Aschoff, 'The New Prophets of Capital'

 

[The Professor]

There is no way to save money by refusing wages. If the additional income would be taxed at the 20% rate, you will avoid paying the taxes but it would cost you 80% of the increased income to do it. Better to pay 20 cents out of each dollar in taxes and keep the remaining 80 cents than to end up with nothing. When it comes to Federal taxes, various levels of income are taxed at higher rates but making more money won't cause all your income to be taxed at a higher rate. If a poor man makes only $10,000 for the year and another man makes $100,000 the first $10,000 of each man's income is taxed at the same rate. I know the system well and that is how it works.

There is no way to avoid getting paid. It would be a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act for your boss to allow you to work without pay and no employer will allow his workers to subject him to liability. I have known men who got fired for working a few hours off the clock.

If you refuse to accept your paycheck, you can expect to be fired. Your boss will not void the check but instead will keep it for the period of time required by your state's escheatment (abandoned property) laws. The check then becomes property of the state. Your boss will report your earnings to the IRS and you will end up paying taxes even if you never cashed your check.

Now, have a stiff drink and forget about this whole damn thing.

 

[Jomama]

I'm going with the Professor. I'm an employer and I wouldnt let you do it. Even if I 100% trusted you, I don't trust the state or federal agency that may deal with it. Worker protection laws are very strict.

If so compelled, I might go along with you quitting, coming back as an independent contractor and paying you (a negotiated amount) through an EIN, but IRS has really tightened up that distinction between employee and independent contractor because of lack of witholding taxes and it's hard to qualify as an independent contractor unless you're doing really unique work. (interim CFO, tech service guy, etc). The tax reporting from Employer would follow the EIN which would not be your SS# so that may accomplish what you are looking for.

 

[Mr Natural]

What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work?

He would hold you up as an example of what a true team player is and great employee does.

 

[The Professor]

What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work?

He would hold you up as an example of what a true team player is and great employee does.

Employees who work without pay will be rewarded with an additional 2 weeks of annual leave. Unpaid of course.

 

[Mr Natural]

Employees who work without pay will be rewarded with an additional 2 weeks of annual leave. Unpaid of course.

Yes, it's called the "Schmuck Award".

 

[Agit8r]

What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work?

He would hold you up as an example of what a true team player is and great employee does.

Yeah. "This is what we mean, when we say you should be adaptable... that and licking our boots regularly"

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Say you have your reasons. It could be related to taxes. It could be based on principle. What exactly would happen if you handed your check back to your boss and went back to work? Would that be the end of it? Would the bullshit "volunteerism is slavery" issue come up?

(I mean in the civilian world specifically. I already found out what happens when you ask the sergeant at finance back in tech school. Yeah... don't do that.)

dear, do you have any idea what your point is?? If so why not explain it or admit you lack the IQ to be here?

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

dear, do you have any idea what your point is?? If so why not explain it or admit you lack the IQ to be here?

There was no point being made. It was a question.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

dear, do you have any idea what your point is?? If so why not explain it or admit you lack the IQ to be here?

There was no point being made. It was a question.

can you ask the question in a simplified way? and say why it is an important question?

 

[Jomama]

The rest of us figured out his question just fine.