💵 Can I pay any amount in cash in Hungary?

It depends

Quick answer

As a private person yes — Hungary's love of cash enjoys legal protection; the cap lives in the corporate world. As a consumer no cash ceiling exists: you can buy even a car in cash (large transactions attract anti-money-laundering identification). The law even protects cash acceptance in basic services. The hard cap binds businesses obliged to hold payment accounts (companies, VAT-registered sole traders) between each other: at most 1.5 million HUF per contract per calendar month in cash — above that, both payer and payee owe a 20 % default penalty. Contract-splitting (carving one deal into several 'contracts') is the tax office's favourite hunting ground. Private persons between themselves (used cars, deposits) may deal freely in cash — though smart buyers pick the bank route for big sums: traceability is gold in disputes.

📋 The key rules

Private individuals: no limit — big sums attract AML identification
Between businesses: 1.5M HUF / contract / month cash cap
Exceeding it: 20 % penalties for payer and payee alike
Contract-splitting: the tax office sees through it — one deal, one cap
Shops: refusing big notes and card-only tills are separate (policy) questions

🔓 Exceptions

In consumer-to-business deals (car showrooms) the corporate cap doesn't bind your payment
Some deal types (real estate via lawyer escrow) run the bank route in practice anyway
Refusing big notes and card-only tills are business-policy questions — not part of the statutory cap

⚠️ Penalties

Breaching the corporate cash cap costs both sides — payer and payee alike — 20 % of the excess as a default penalty, so the tax office punishes the same money twice on a single deal. Contract-splitting is no escape route: payments belonging to one deal are added back together by the auditor, and the fine lands on the full overrun. Private payers face no sanction for paying in cash, but refusing anti-money-laundering identification sinks the transaction, and on large sums an unexplained origin of funds can pull a later tax audit onto you.

📎 Official sources

Verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a car for 10 million in cash?

As a private person yes — no statutory limit binds you. The dealer must identify you under anti-money-laundering rules, and for large sums may also ask where the money came from and record the answer.

Can my company pay suppliers in cash?

At most 1.5 million HUF per contract per calendar month — anything above that needs a bank transfer. Exceeding the cap brings a 20 % default penalty on payer and payee alike, so one deal is punished twice.

Can several invoices dodge the cap?

No — the cap binds per contract, not per invoice: payments belonging to one deal are added back together. Artificial splitting is a favourite audit target for the tax office and is sanctioned separately.

Can a shop refuse my 20,000 note?

In practice it may, if it cannot give change — that is business policy. Cash payment must nevertheless stay available in the basic circle: a card-only till needs a cash path beside it.

I'm selling a car privately — is there a limit?

None: between two private individuals (used cars, deposits) cash moves freely. For large sums the bank route is still smarter — in a dispute, traceability beats an envelope of notes.

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