Receipts from a mechanic to prove Auto Expenses?

[smkrishna]

I have spent almost one thousand dollar in getting timing belt, tune-up and other major maintenance issues of my car fixed by a mechanic. When I asked a receipt to show that I spent my tax-refund for Ch.13, he said he can give me only in writing in a paper with details about the repairs that he did. I am not sure whether that will that will be accepted in Ch.13?

Same thing with House maintenance - Lawn Mowing guy who cannot give a receipt as these are the people who are paid by cash.

[lrprn]

Same thing with House maintenance - Lawn Mowing guy who cannot give a receipt as these are the people who are paid by cash.

Just curious....why did you pay these two in cash rather than writing a check or getting a money order that would give you a rock solid paper trail?

A written receipt for a cash payment is better than nothing.

[SMinGA]

Personally I would not trust someone who does cash only transactions. It means (my opinion) they are probably not insured and perhaps not fully qualified to do the work. If you are questioned about backup for your expense you'll have trouble.

All of my car repair work has been done at national chains. An NTB near work, and a Goodyear Service location near home. I am not always the greatest about keeping work history in the car- but can go to them if necessary and get receipts reprinted.

[Nanzee]

I have to chime in here about paying in cash. I have noticed lately that more repair-people will give you two different prices for cash or credit (even debit cards). We just recently paid cash to fix my son's laptop, to fix the brakes on our car, and to pay a plumber. They all charged us less to do so - we of course have receipts for everything. So I understand perfectly paying in cash. We are all trying to stick to our plan-payments, and every little bit helps.

[SMinGA]

That makes sense Nanzee, but the original post seems to be about something else. Using a reputable company and paying with cash is different from paying cash 'under the table' for a service. The first post seems to be the 'under the table' sort, where its difficult to document the transaction.

I have to chime in here about paying in cash. I have noticed lately that more repair-people will give you two different prices for cash or credit (even debit cards). We just recently paid cash to fix my son's laptop, to fix the brakes on our car, and to pay a plumber. They all charged us less to do so - we of course have receipts for everything. So I understand perfectly paying in cash. We are all trying to stick to our plan-payments, and every little bit helps.

[Billssuck]

Anytime I pay someone in cash, I have a receipt book ready to have them sign one for me. For us, I pay cash for babysitting and have them sign a receipt each week...just in case I need a paper trail. It ends up, I will be modifying my ch13 and expenses, so this will help us out.