Contractor Does Not Provide Receipt After Getting Paid

[ilyakhov]

My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Pennsylvania

I got a remodeling proposal from a local contractor and payed it in full, as per our verbal agreement. The contractor did the job (the quality is low) and promised to provide me with the receipt but never did it.
I contacted him many times by phone, sms, email but he does not respond.

I hired this particular contractor a couple of times and he never gave me receipts. As a payment he asks for cash or checks – no credit cards.

I suspect there are some taxes issue involved.

What can I do in this situation?

I would very much appreciate your help.

Thank you.

[pg1067]

What can I do in this situation?

I'm confident that you can do a great many things and that you know your abilities better than anyone who will respond here.

As far as I can tell, your only complaint (other than the low quality of the work, which doesn't seem to be of much concern to you) is that the guy hasn't given you a receipt. That doesn't give rise to any sort of legal issue. Hopefully you paid the guy with a check (don't ever pay a contractor with cash unless you get a signed receipt at the time you hand over the cash). If you did, then you can get a copy of the negotiated check from your bank, and that can serve as a receipt.

[ilyakhov]

I'm confident that you can do a great many things and that you know your abilities better than anyone who will respond here.

As far as I can tell, your only complaint (other than the low quality of the work, which doesn't seem to be of much concern to you) is that the guy hasn't given you a receipt. That doesn't give rise to any sort of legal issue. Hopefully you paid the guy with a check (don't ever pay a contractor with cash unless you get a signed receipt at the time you hand over the cash). If you did, then you can get a copy of the negotiated check from your bank, and that can serve as a receipt.

Thank you for advice. I appreciate it.
Low quality of the work is a serious concern. Since he does not pick phone, I attempted to contact him though BBB but there was no success because that happened more than a year ago.

Any other ways to contact him?

Best

[Harold99]

Thank you for advice. I appreciate it.
Low quality of the work is a serious concern. Since he does not pick phone, I attempted to contact him though BBB but there was no success because that happened more than a year ago.

Any other ways to contact him?

Best

I am a licensed General Contractor in the state of CA. There are typically three reasons a customer wants a receipt after writing a check.

They want proof of payment in addition to their check.

They want a receipt for deductions for the end of the year taxes.

The want proof of home improvements to reduce capital gains tax in the future.

Is your reason one of these?

If I had to guess why your contractor will not give you a receipt it's because he is afraid you are going to 1099 him and he already filed and did not claim your job as income. But you cannot 1099 him without a SS or taxpayer ID#...I presume.

[pg1067]

Low quality of the work is a serious concern. Since he does not pick phone, I attempted to contact him though BBB but there was no success because that happened more than a year ago.

Any other ways to contact him?

You're asking us how to contact your contractor?

[budwad]

My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Pennsylvania

I got a remodeling proposal from a local contractor and payed it in full, as per our verbal agreement. The contractor did the job (the quality is low) and promised to provide me with the receipt but never did it.
I contacted him many times by phone, sms, email but he does not respond.

I hired this particular contractor a couple of times and he never gave me receipts. As a payment he asks for cash or checks – no credit cards.

I suspect there are some taxes issue involved.

What can I do in this situation?

I would very much appreciate your help.

Thank you.

All contracts for home improvement need to be in writing according to the HICPA (Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act ).

The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (“HICPA”) was adopted by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in October, 2008, and signed by the Governor as Act 132 of 2008. The law establishes a mandatory registration program for contractors who offer or perform home improvements in Pennsylvania.

So you can check if your contractor is registered and tell him that if he doesn't respond with the receipt, that you will report him to the PA Office of Attorney General. The number is 1-888-520-6680. Consumers are able to call this number to check whether a contractor is registered with the Office of Attorney General.

[ilyakhov]

I am a licensed General Contractor in the state of CA. There are typically three reasons a customer wants a receipt after writing a check.

They want proof of payment in addition to their check.

They want a receipt for deductions for the end of the year taxes.

The want proof of home improvements to reduce capital gains tax in the future.

Is your reason one of these?

If I had to guess why your contractor will not give you a receipt it's because he is afraid you are going to 1099 him and he already filed and did not claim your job as income. But you cannot 1099 him without a SS or taxpayer ID#...I presume.

I would like to get a proof of payment.

Thank you

You're asking us how to contact your contractor?

Yes.

He ignores phone calls, emails.
I tried BBB but with no result because the job was done more then a year ago.

Any other ways to file a complaint?

Attorney General, anything else?

Thank you

All contracts for home improvement need to be in writing according to the HICPA (Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act ).

The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (“HICPA”) was adopted by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in October, 2008, and signed by the Governor as Act 132 of 2008. The law establishes a mandatory registration program for contractors who offer or perform home improvements in Pennsylvania.

So you can check if your contractor is registered and tell him that if he doesn't respond with the receipt, that you will report him to the PA Office of Attorney General. The number is 1-888-520-6680. Consumers are able to call this number to check whether a contractor is registered with the Office of Attorney General.

I appreciate it. Helps a lot.

[pg1067]

I would like to get a proof of payment.

As I informed you 12 days ago, the contractor is under no obligation to provide you with a receipt. Hopefully you paid the guy with a check. If you did, then you can get a copy of the negotiated check from your bank, and that can serve as a receipt.

You're asking us how to contact your contractor?

Yes.

I imagine there are thousands or tens of thousands of licensed contractors in Pennsylvania. You don't seriously think folks on this legal message board have contact information for all of them, so you?

He ignores phone calls, emails.

You obviously have contact information for him. Obviously, he's dodging you. You could also send him a letter, but it seems unlikely he'll respond, and there's no legal way to force him to respond to you.

I tried BBB but with no result because the job was done more then a year ago.

The BBB is a private entity with no legal authority to do anything. It only matters if the contractor cares, which appears not to be the case.

Any other ways to file a complaint?

Attorney General, anything else?

Here's a link to the Attorney General's web page about home improvement. I didn't look too deeply, but I didn't see anything about a bonding requirement for contractors. If you don't get this resolved via the AG's office, your recourse is to sue.

[Shadowbunny]

...

I hired this particular contractor a couple of times and he never gave me receipts. As a payment he asks for cash or checks – no credit cards.

If getting a receipt is so important to you, AND his work-quality is low, why did you hire him again?