At a glance
- Who it's for
- Car dealers taking cash, cashier's checks or money orders on a sale. Any business taking large cash payments can use it.
- Threshold
- Cash of more than $10,000
- File within
- 15 days of the payment that crosses it
- Customer statement
- By January 31 of the next year
On this page
What counts as cash
For Form 8300, cash means more than bills and coins (26 CFR 1.6050I-1):
- U.S. and foreign currency and coins.
- Cashier's checks, bank drafts, traveler's checks and money orders with a face amount of $10,000 or less, when received in a retail sale of a consumer durable. A car is the regulation's own example.
- Those same instruments in any deal where you know the buyer is trying to avoid the report.
Not cash: personal checks, a cashier's check over $10,000, and wire transfers. A cashier's check that is the proceeds of a bank loan isn't treated as cash either, and you may rely on the loan documents to show it.
Splitting payments to avoid the form
Breaking cash into smaller payments to stay under $10,000 is called structuring. It is a federal crime for the buyer and for anyone who helps (31 U.S.C. 5324). The payments still count toward the total, and cashier's checks of any size count when you know the buyer is trying to avoid the report.
If a buyer asks how to avoid the form, the answer is: you can't, and the dealer can't help.
How to file Form 8300
Collect the buyer's details
Name, address, date of birth, occupation, taxpayer ID and the ID you checked, plus the vehicle and the payments. The worksheet above lists every box.
File within 15 days
If day 15 is a weekend or holiday, file the next business day. A business that files 10 or more other information returns in the year (W-2s, 1099s) must e-file; Forms 8300 themselves don't count toward that number.
Send the customer statement by January 31
Give each person named on a Form 8300 a written statement by the next January 31. It names your business and a contact, the total cash reported, and says the information was reported to the IRS.
Keep a copy for 5 years
Keep each Form 8300 and its supporting papers for 5 years from the filing date.
Form 8300 deadlines at a glance
| What | When | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| File Form 8300 | Within 15 days of receiving the cash | 26 CFR 1.6050I-1 |
| Related payments | Count together over 12 months | 26 CFR 1.6050I-1 |
| Customer statement | By January 31 of the next year | 26 CFR 1.6050I-1 |
| E-file | When you file 10+ other information returns a year | IRS Form 8300 Reference Guide |
| Keep records | 5 years | 26 CFR 1.6050I-1 |
Rules checked and limits
Rules checked October 31, 2026. We read every rule on this page in the eCFR or on the agency's own site, and each is linked in the sources below. We re-check them every quarter.
We prepare the worksheet and remind you of the dates. You file the form with the IRS yourself.
Templates and tools, not legal advice. CarShots is software, not a law firm. For a question about your own dealership, ask your attorney or your state dealer association.