General Question

girlofscience's avatar

How do strippers file taxes?

Asked by girlofscience (7567points) April 14th, 2009

Unlike drug dealing and prostitution, stripping provides cash-based income that is legal. Which means these girls gotta file taxes! But how?

From what I remember from reading Diablo Cody’s Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, the income was all cash. Strippers never got paychecks from the stripclub establishment. They make all of their money from the dollars thrown at their boobies and vagigirls and from the private dances they give throughout the need. And then they need to tip out money to the DJ and bartenders.

I wouldn’t imagine that the majority of strippers even keep track of most of their income, simply because it’s difficult to keep track of cash consistently.

Are strippers supposed to file taxes for their stripping income? If so, do they really do it? I guess they would have to pay gigantic amounts every year since taxes are not taken out?

How does it all work?

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35 Answers

elijah's avatar

I worked in a strip club for 6 years as a bartender. I did a lot of the paperwork. Most of the girls don’t have to claim anything because they work off the books. Some girls need a paycheck in order to get Medicaid/ Welfare for their kids, so the owner would put them on the books as a server, so they had an income to show. By collecting that paycheck they agreed to work mandatory shifts, like slower days. They also had to stay a minimum of 6 hours.
It’s a dirty buisness all the way around.

eponymoushipster's avatar

i dunno, but i bet someone loves auditing those cases.

casheroo's avatar

They get paid legitimately an hourly rate, at least in some of the clubs in Philly. Some might get it all under the table, but just like servers…your tips have to be reported. It’s done just like a server. Their paychecks are usually voided.

filmfann's avatar

Do they pay a pole tax?

Yuck yuck yuck

eponymoushipster's avatar

@casheroo get it under the table? nice.

YARNLADY's avatar

Just like with restaurant servers tips, the government has a guide based on a supposed estimate of the actual money received by the workers, and they are taxed on this guide. If they earn less, they must document the exact amounts they have received.

cookieman's avatar

If they received a 1099 , can you imagine the list of expenses?

Pasties: $84.00
Studded Thong: $42.00
Baby Oil: $34.00

eponymoushipster's avatar

@cprevite duh, they have “sugar daddies” for that stuff.~

cookieman's avatar

@eponymoushipster: They’d probably still claim the deduction and double dip.

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

The financially savvy stripper knows she can write off her clear heels as a tax deduction.

eponymoushipster's avatar

@cprevite true. but, wouldn’t that be quite the trip to H&R Block to observe?

siilver's avatar

Working in the restaurant field for many years, I know that we are “supposed” to claim 100% of all tips made… which no one does. A lot of places will have a small hourly wage to make sure that if the old ugly one in the back doesn’t get many dances for the night, they can still take home a paycheck at the end of the week. Some of the lower end joints will even make them claim a certain amount of allocated tips in which they will end up paying taxes on at the end of the year. It really is all up to the owner and how they want to file it. But the short answer is that they file the same way as bartenders, servers, and hosts.

rochelley's avatar

What about CPP and EI? (I’m from Canada) Stripping is legal, so why do so many of them get paid under the table? How does the owner of the club explain at tax time that he has virtually no strippers on payroll in a strip bar??

arturodiaz's avatar

Prostitution is illegal? Damn…

martijn86's avatar

@arturodiaz your country is old-fashion ^^ ha-ha

tiffyandthewall's avatar

does plastic surgery count as a work-related expense? i feel like i’ve actually read an article on this somewhere, but i really don’t know why or where.

Strauss's avatar

I’ve seen where some “dancers”, especially the more successful ones, have successfully claimed facelifts, boob jobs, and even butt jobs as work-related expenses.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. In singles and twenties LOL LOL Well seriously I would think some would be like independent contractors and get a 1099 form. They may have estimated income based on hours and say they work but I am sure it would be under reported. If they work ubder the table and keep it all more power to them, stick it to Uncle Sam!

eponymoushipster's avatar

your catchphrase is meaningless.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@eponymoushipster Fact from fiction, truth from diction since you love it so much let me break it down to you. Fact; because it is not made up or fabicated like fiction. Truth; because it based in fact and is what it is and not just fancy talk like idle diction. You don’t have to look, listen, or even acknowledge it. Just ignore it, it is your Constitutional right to do so as it is mine to use it. ;-}

eponymoushipster's avatar

Actually i do have to see it, since i can’t set things up to ignore you completely. furthermore, what you say is not fact, it is opinion, yours specifically. beyond that, you seem to enjoy idle diction. It would seem you have your catchphrase all backwards.

Discrumt's avatar

1099 Form would work. Then just write off everything you can think of (that is legal of course).

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Discrumt Ooooo what a boon that would be. As a sripper you can write of all the g-strings, boas, platform pumps, body sents, body gitter, make up, maybe even the condoms :-)

jazmina88's avatar

does money ever get lost in the cracks???

Austinlad's avatar

With a G-form.

strippergrrl's avatar

Well the reason why, at least at my club in MN, the owners don’t get in trouble for the whole tax thing and not anything the strippers on the books is because we are “independant contractors”. In fact, WE pay the club for working there as part of our contract. Pretty much every stripclub is like this as far as I know. That’s the reason why if you were to strip in Las Vegas you
actually need to apply for a business license.

strippergrrl's avatar

Oh and we are completely responsible for our own taxes. We don’t even get 1099s. For my club we do get a receipt that tells us how much we paid the club since it’s a percentage and not just a flat rate.

Bambi_Snow's avatar

I’m a stripper and unless you are too then you dont know what youre talking about. No strip club pays their dancers hourly wage/benefits. Strippers are independant contractors and therefore are completely on their own to make a living and file for taxes. There is no gaurantee that you’ll leave work with any money at all. Major corporation owned clubs (like Deja Vu and Spearmint Rhino) will report their girls for taxes. They also take a large cut of what the girls make (as do a lot of strip clubs). The club where i work doesnt do that. They do not keep track of how many dances we sell (which we can charge what ever we want for) or our tips, Many of the girls i work with dont file for taxes at all (my guess is that they have another job where they pay income taxes, but not always). I however, do pay taxes with an (under)estimate of how much revenue ive earned, and then i write off waxing, clear heel, anal bleach, string bikinis, makeup, fake tan, and maybe even new boobs if i decide i want them.

indurate's avatar

I think I love you Bambi Snow! :)

DanniRose's avatar

Bambi Snow, Thank you for setting things straight. I to dance. In Portland OR, we are independent contractors as well. Weeding our way through filing taxes is always so much fun. She is right people, we deduct our hair cuts, waxes, shoes, clothes, mani/pedi’s… all those things are part of being a stripper and it’s our right to take it off our taxes. I can tell a lot of you think it’s a joke, but in today’s society it is an acceptable high paying job for the right girls. Sex sells and we are just trying to get a piece of the pie. It also doesn’t mean that we are porn stars. I am just a dancer, that is all I do… I’m not a prostitute and I don’t do drugs. Those are just olden day stereo types. :) Most of us love what we do!!!

Strauss's avatar

pole tax lol

saraann80's avatar

I have been dancing for 4 years…I file a 1099 MISC private contractor form as does my employer, base pay (the money my employer pays me out of pocket) is claimed on that form. I track all of my tips for my own reasons. Its up to me how much of the tip money I claim at the end of the year, if any. And yes I deduct the crap out of all my expenses…gas, tanning, gym, boob-job, business cards, heels, costumes, etc etc…I keep receipts for all of that. I have to pay in aorox 1700 for filing private contractor (since my taxes are not deducted from pay throughout the year like most people) so this helps balance out.
I have a family, married and he makes good money so I try to avoid paying in, not gonna lie ;)

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@saraann80 Surely you would not admit in open forum that you cook the books tax wise Har, har, har!

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