Can I pay a business more than 5,000 euros in cash?
It depends on who you are paying — the 5,000-euro limit does not apply to everyone, only to payments made to a person in business. A company, sole trader (s.p.) or self-employed professional selling a single good or service may not accept cash over 5,000 euros; the excess must be paid to their bank account (the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act, ZPPDFT-2, Official Gazette 48/22). The limit also applies if you split the amount into several linked cash transactions — paying 3,000 and then 2,500 euros for the same purchase is still a breach. The myth everyone repeats is that cash is banned outright: between two private individuals there is no limit, so you can lawfully pay a private seller 10,000 euros in cash for a used car. This is not a tax rule but an anti-money-laundering one, and it binds the recipient in business, not the buyer — a trader who accepts the cash anyway risks the fine, you do not.
📋 The rules
- A person in business (company, sole trader, public institution, self-employed professional) may not accept cash over 5,000 euros for a single good or service; the same limit applies to cash paid out to a client within the activity (ZPPDFT-2).
- The limit cannot be dodged by splitting: if payment is made in several linked cash transactions that together exceed 5,000 euros, it is the same breach as a single payment.
- The amount over 5,000 euros must be received by the business into its payment (bank) account — by transfer, card or another non-cash method, unless another law provides otherwise.
- Between private individuals who are not in business there is no limit — a private car sale, a loan between friends or a cash gift are not tied to the 5,000 euros.
- Separate duty: obliged entities must report to the Office for Money Laundering Prevention every cash transaction over 15,000 euros, no later than 3 working days after it is carried out.
🔓 Exceptions
- The limit binds the person in business as the recipient of payment; the buyer as a private individual commits no offence by offering cash — the breach is on the side of the trader who accepts it.
- Payments by bank, card or other non-cash routes are not restricted — the 5,000-euro cap applies solely to cash, not to the total value of the deal.
- Special rules may impose stricter identification and reporting duties at lower amounts for certain activities (e.g. gambling, currency exchange, real-estate transactions).
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The breach is an offence under ZPPDFT-2, not a tax offence. A legal person faces a fine of 12,000 to 120,000 euros for accepting cash over 5,000 euros for a good or service; fines are also prescribed for the responsible person and for a sole trader. On top of the fine, the amount must still flow through the account, so refusing the rule saves the trader nothing. Supervision is carried out by the Office for Money Laundering Prevention and by FURS; suspicious or unusual cash flows must be handled and reported separately. Every cash transaction over 15,000 euros must be reported to the Office within 3 working days — failing to report is a separate offence. For a business, the fine risk comes with procedure costs, a possible tax inspection, and the loss of the bank's trust, which may flag heavy cash operations as high-risk.
📎 Official sources
- PISRS · statute register (ZPPDFT-2, cash transaction limit) →
- Office for Money Laundering Prevention (gov.si) →
- FURS · cash operations and tax registers →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I pay a private seller 8,000 euros in cash for a car?
Yes. Between two private individuals who are not in business there is no cash-payment limit, so a private car purchase for 8,000 euros in cash is entirely lawful. The 5,000-euro limit under ZPPDFT-2 applies only when the payment is accepted by a person in business, such as a dealership or a sole trader.
Can I pay 4,000 euros twice to get around the limit?
No. The law expressly covers several linked cash transactions that together exceed 5,000 euros, so two payments of 4,000 euros for the same purchase count as one breach. A trader who split the amount this way would also risk the fine, and would still have to receive the excess into the account.
Who pays the fine, the buyer or the trader?
The recipient of the payment risks the fine, that is the person in business who accepts cash over 5,000 euros. The buyer as a private individual commits no offence by offering cash. Responsibility therefore lies with the company or sole trader, who must take the excess by non-cash means, or breach ZPPDFT-2.
Does the 5,000-euro limit also apply to card payments?
No. The limit applies solely to cash, not to the total value of the deal. You may pay a good or service worth 20,000 euros entirely by card or transfer without any limit; only the cash part of a payment to a person in business may not exceed 5,000 euros.
Do I have to report a cash payment anywhere?
As a buyer, no. The reporting duties fall on obliged entities in business: they must report a cash transaction over 15,000 euros to the Office for Money Laundering Prevention within three working days. For an ordinary purchase below that threshold there is no special report, and the trader keeps the records.
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