help please, (about banks)

[Kokonoe]

Is it possible to live in the USA without a bank. I know employers will not pay without a bank account. etc etc...but how do you live in the US with just federal reserve notes? DU has the talent and depth of knowledge to answer this question.

[Hydra]

1. You can live in the US without a bank account

they're making it tougher, but you can cash your payroll checks at a bank either for free(if you're lucky) or for a fee somewhere around 5%. Some employers pay cash, but that's fairly rare in a non-temp work position.

[meegbear]

2. Employers will pay without a bank account ...

they would give you a check. For here, if you don't want to use a bank, you could goto a check cashing center and pay their fees.

[Kokonoe]

4. OK, but can I not use banks without a money fee?

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. As long as the bank your employers check is drawn on has a branch near you...

you can walk in and with nothing more than a picture ID, get the check cashed.

[The Straight Story]

8. It will still cost you (about $5)

An ex employer of mine used wells fargo, I had no account there and they wrote me checks. I went to their bank - and to cash the check it cost me a fingerprint and $5.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Wells Fargo charged you five bucks to cash their own check?

Another reason not to do business with them.

What a fucking ripoff.

[truedelphi]

12. That was happening in CA and it turned out that it was illegal to charge the $ 5

Of course, WF and all the big banks were doing it.

They have the right to finger print you, but not to charge you a penny. As long as the check is written on the bank at that branch.

[Brother_1969]

3. Employers can require direct deposit in some places

and that essentially requires a bank account. Check your state's laws to see if this applies to you.

[Kokonoe]

6. Thank You

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. Why do you think employers will not pay if you don't have a bank account?

You don't need a bank account to get a paycheck at all. You would just have to go to the bank the check is drawn on in order to cash it.

It is probably safe to say however, that many employers look at things like whether or not you have a checking account and how you pay your bills because it relates to how responsible you are.

Yes, it is possible to live in the US without a bank. You can pay almost every bill via either cash (you would have to go to the place of business in order to pay in cash) or you could use Money Orders to pay bills, but that can get rather expensive.

[Kokonoe]

10. Well, my employer(large) told me so many years ago.

And my union said so too, and thats that. I'm not going to court (more fees) to fight. I have a job and I don't care how responsible they feel I am. But I guess you said drive around and pay cash.

[truedelphi]

13. Investigate PayPal if you can

Currently it requires a bank account somewhere.

I kniow of people who have a bank account and keep a small amount kept in it.

But they keep their money in PayPal. And use it for everything.

They even issue a debit card to you.

BTW if you decide to use check cashing places, 2% or 3% is not unheard of in fees. Five percent seems rather steep to me.

[Kokonoe]

11. Thank You for the helpful responses.