Do I need to pay taxes on money orders I've deposited into my bank account?

The money orders themselves aren't taxable - they're just a method of payment. What matters is the source of those funds. Since you mentioned you're selling clothes, that income is taxable regardless of whether you receive cash, money orders, checks, or digital payments. You should report this income on Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) as self-employment income. You'll also need to pay self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) via Schedule SE if your net profit is $400 or more. Make sure you're tracking all your business expenses too - cost of the clothing inventory, any booth/market fees, transportation costs to markets, etc. These are deductible against your income. Also, be aware that banks report deposits over $10,000 to the IRS, and structuring deposits to avoid this reporting threshold is illegal. Since you've deposited $13,500 through money orders, just make sure you're keeping good records of the source of these funds.

After reading your post, I was in a similar situation last year with my side gig selling handmade crafts at local markets. I was using money orders too and got really confused about the tax situation. I tried searching online but got contradicting advice. Then I found https://taxr.ai which totally helped me figure out my situation. I uploaded my bank statements showing the money order deposits along with my records of sales, and their AI analyzed everything and told me exactly what to report on Schedule C. They also explained which expenses I could legitimately deduct against that income (things I hadn't even considered like a portion of my cell phone bill since I use it for business). Seriously made things so much clearer for my situation with cash sales and money orders. The system even explained the difference between hobby income and business income which was really relevant to my case.

I was totally wrong about AI tax tools! After being skeptical in my earlier comment, I decided to give https://taxr.ai a try with my Etsy shop income situation. I figured I had nothing to lose and was tired of getting different answers everywhere I looked. The analysis was surprisingly detailed and specific to my situation. It flagged several deductions I was missing and explained exactly how the platform fees from Etsy should be handled (which I had been doing wrong). It even gave me a heads-up about a potential audit trigger in how I was categorizing my home office expenses. What impressed me most was that it specifically addressed my situation with receiving both cash and electronic payments, explaining the record-keeping requirements for each. Definitely saved me money and potential headaches!

If you're struggling to get straight answers from the IRS about money orders and tax reporting obligations, I totally feel your pain. I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS last year about a similar issue with cash deposits and 1099 reporting requirements. I finally discovered https://claimyr.com after wasting hours on hold. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with explained exactly how to document my cash-to-money-order transactions and what records I needed to keep to satisfy any potential questions about the deposits. Honestly worth it just to get a definitive answer directly from the IRS instead of guessing.

I need to publicly eat my words. After calling the service a scam, I decided to try https://claimyr.com myself because I was desperate to resolve an issue with my back taxes before filing this year. I had tried calling the IRS for TWO WEEKS with no success - either couldn't get through or would be on hold for hours only to get disconnected. With Claimyr, I got a call back in 17 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS agent who answered my questions about reporting cash income converted to money orders. The agent confirmed that I needed documentation showing the source of funds and explained exactly what records would satisfy their requirements if I was ever audited. Getting this information directly from the IRS instead of random internet advice gave me huge peace of mind. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good!

Just a heads up - if you're depositing money orders regularly, make sure you keep detailed records of where every dollar came from. I had a friend who deposited about $9,000 in money orders over 3 months and the bank filed a Suspicious Activity Report which led to a whole mess with the IRS questioning the source of funds. Even though money orders themselves aren't taxable, the pattern of deposits can trigger automatic flags. Record keeping is super important - dates of sales, amounts, what was sold, etc. Better to have too much documentation than not enough!

Has anyone used any particular tax software that handles this kind of situation well? I'm planning to file my taxes myself and want something that will walk me through reporting income from cash sales properly.

Just wanted to add something important that I learned the hard way - keep receipts for the money order fees too! I was converting cash to money orders for about 8 months before realizing those fees (usually $1-2 each) are actually deductible business expenses. Since you mentioned $13,500 in money orders, you've probably paid $100+ in fees. That might not sound like much, but every legitimate business expense reduces your taxable income. I track mine in a simple spreadsheet with the date, amount, and fee for each money order. Also, consider opening a separate business checking account that accepts cash deposits if you plan to continue this regularly. Some credit unions and smaller banks are more flexible with cash deposits than major banks, and it would eliminate the money order step entirely while giving you cleaner records for tax purposes.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is quarterly estimated tax payments. Since you're generating $13,500 in business income and will owe both income tax and self-employment tax on this, you might need to make quarterly payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS generally expects you to pay taxes as you earn income, not just when you file your annual return. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes when you file, you should be making quarterly payments. For 2024, the deadlines are April 15, June 17, September 16, and January 15, 2025. You can calculate your estimated payments using Form 1040ES. Don't forget that self-employment tax is 15.3% on top of your regular income tax rate, so the total tax burden can be higher than people expect when they're used to just W-2 income. Setting aside about 25-30% of your cash sales in a separate savings account for taxes is a good rule of thumb. This way you won't be scrambling to come up with the money when quarterly payments are due or at tax time.

Another thing to consider is keeping a detailed log of your vintage clothing sales beyond just the money order deposits. Since you're selling at local markets, I'd recommend tracking which items you sold, what you paid for them originally (if you can remember/document), and any related expenses like booth fees, gas to get to markets, etc. The IRS likes to see that you're treating this as a legitimate business if you're claiming it as such. Having organized records showing your cost of goods sold, business mileage, and other expenses will help establish that this isn't just a hobby. Plus, these deductions can significantly reduce your taxable income. I'd also suggest taking photos of your inventory and keeping receipts for any clothing purchases you make specifically for resale. If you're sourcing from thrift stores, estate sales, or other places, those purchase receipts become your cost basis for calculating actual profit on each item sold. The money order deposits are just one piece of the puzzle - the real work is in documenting the entire business operation properly. Good luck with your vintage clothing business!