Am I required to file taxes if I'm paid by checks with no paperwork?

Yes, you absolutely need to file taxes on this income. The IRS requires you to report all income regardless of how it was paid to you or whether proper documentation was provided. Since you made $24,000, you're well above the filing threshold for a single person. What's happening is your employer is likely paying you "under the table" to avoid payroll taxes. While that's their problem legally speaking, it also creates complications for you. Without being properly classified as either a W-2 employee or 1099 contractor, you haven't had taxes withheld and you haven't been paying self-employment taxes. You should keep records of all your deposits and when possible, copies of the checks. When you file, you'll likely need to report this as self-employment income using Schedule C, similar to those "1099 workers" you mentioned. This means you'll owe both income tax and self-employment tax (which covers Social Security and Medicare).

I was in almost exactly the same situation a couple years ago! After trying to figure it out myself and getting nowhere, I used https://taxr.ai to help me sort through my "unofficial" job situation. You just upload your bank statements showing the deposits and it helps classify your income correctly. The tool walks you through what forms you need to file and even identified some deductions I could take for my tools and work expenses that I had no idea about. It saved me from the mess I was about to create trying to file myself, especially since I didn't have official tax documents from my employer.

Update: I tried taxr.ai after posting my question here and WOW. It was able to analyze my bank statements and identify which deposits were likely tip income vs regular wages. It suggested a reasonable amount to report as tips based on my industry and shifts worked, which was actually lower than I feared but still honest enough that I don't have to worry about an audit. It explained exactly how to file using Schedule C for my unreported income and identified deductions I never would have known about (like a portion of my phone bill since I use it for work schedules). Seriously wish I'd known about this last year when I just didn't file at all because I was confused! Highly recommend for anyone with non-traditional income situations.

Hey, while figuring out your tax situation is important, you might also need to talk to the IRS directly about your options. I had a similar "under the table" situation and needed clarification on how to report past income. Calling the IRS normally is a NIGHTMARE - I tried for days and couldn't get through. I finally used https://claimyr.com (there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. The agent walked me through exactly how to report my cash income from previous years without penalties.

I stand corrected about Claimyr! After dismissing it as probably a scam, I tried it last week when I desperately needed to talk to someone at the IRS about my unreported income situation before filing this year's taxes. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes when I had previously wasted THREE HOURS on hold before giving up. The agent I spoke with gave me clear instructions for filing my "under the table" income from last year and explained how to avoid penalties by filing correctly going forward. Saved me so much stress and possibly money in penalties! Sometimes my skepticism gets in the way of finding actual solutions. Lesson learned.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if your pay was in checks, there's a paper trail the IRS can follow if they ever audit you. Your bank has records of all those deposits. The IRS can request those records if they ever investigate your income. Not filing is a much bigger risk than most people realize. Also, not having taxes withheld doesn't mean you don't owe taxes. You'll probably owe a pretty big chunk when you file. I made this mistake my first 1099 job and ended up owing over $5k I wasn't prepared for.

If your current boss is paying you under the table, they're not paying their share of employment taxes (which is illegal). When you file your taxes, the IRS might come after them. Happened at my last job - I filed correctly and my boss got audited because he wasn't reporting his employees properly. Not saying don't file - you absolutely should - but just be aware it might create some drama with your current employer if the IRS investigates them because of your tax return.

Make sure when you start this new legit job, you fill out your W-4 correctly! If you've had untaxed income so far this year, you might want to have extra withholding taken out of your new paychecks to cover what you'll owe for the first part of the year. You can put an additional dollar amount on line 4(c) of the W-4 form. Also, open a separate savings account and start putting 25-30% of any "under the table" money aside for taxes. That way you won't be shocked at tax time.

Just want to add - since you're 19 and this is your first real job, don't beat yourself up about not knowing the tax rules. The system is confusing and your employer should have handled this properly from day one. That said, definitely file for this year and consider whether you need to file for any previous tax year where you had income. The good news is that if you're owed a refund from previous years (which is possible if you had other jobs with proper withholding), there's no penalty for filing late returns when the IRS owes YOU money. One practical tip: when you do file, you might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit since you're young and likely don't have high income. This could actually get you money back even though no taxes were withheld. Sometimes people in "under the table" situations are pleasantly surprised to find they get refunds rather than owing money.