Members of a family residing in one household entering the United States that submit a joint or family declaration must declare if the members are collectively carrying currency or monetary instruments in a combined amount over $10,000 on their Customs Declaration Form (CBP Form 6059B).
How much money do you have to declare when you travel to or from the U.S.? If you are traveling with an excess of $10,000, you must report it to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer when you enter or exit the U.S. But there is no limit to the amount of money you can travel with.
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CARRY AS MUCH CASH AS YOU WANT OUT OF AND INTO THE UNITED STATES. To summarize up front: no, you are not restricted to traveling with sums of $10,000 or less. In fact, you could travel with a checked bag stuffed to the brim with cash — as long as you declare the amount beforehand.
The short answer is “there is no limit to how much cash you can bring to the airport for a domestic or intentional flight.” However, you must declare on the FinCEN105 form that you are bringing more than $10,000 on an international flight (which includes all money being carried by anyone else in your family or group).
While it is legal to keep as much as money as you want at home, the standard limit for cash that is covered under a standard home insurance policy is $200, according to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
Is It Illegal to Travel with Large Amounts of Cash? Even though it is technically not illegal to travel with large amounts of cash, it is definitely suspicious to many law enforcement officers. Carrying a large amount of cash can result in asset forfeiture and seizure, even if you are not arrested for an offense.
What is the $10,000 Limit, and How Does It Apply? The $10,000 limit is not a per-person limit; it applies to the combined total of cash and monetary instruments carried by a person or a group traveling together. This is a critical distinction, especially for families or groups of friends traveling together.
You can carry all the cash that you want. But you're probably referring to with the $10,000 limit is if you either put 10,000 in cash or withdraw 10,000 in cash from your bank they're required to file a currency transaction report with the IRS notifying them of the transaction.
In the report, CPB stressed that carrying more than $10,000 across the border is not illegal. However, failing to declare cash above the $10,000 limit is a federal offense. If agents discover undeclared cash in excess of this limit, they will seize it.
You may bring into or take out of the country, including by mail, as much money as you wish. However, if it is more than $10,000, you will need to report it to CBP. Use the online Fincen 105 currency reporting site or ask a CBP officer for the paper copy of the Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105).
You may bring large sums of money with you in the form of cash, money order, or traveler's checks. There is no maximum limit, however, any amount exceeding $10,000 USD must be declared upon arrival on both the Form 6059B and FinCEN 105.
How often can I deposit $9,000 cash? If your deposits are for the same transaction, they cannot exceed $10,000 per year without reporting. Although the IRS does not regulate how often you can deposit $9,000, separate $9,000 deposits may still be flagged as suspicious transactions and may be reported by your bank.
The Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 in a Trade or Business, provides valuable information to the Internal Revenue Service and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in their efforts to combat money laundering.
According to the Income Tax Act, any cash transaction above Rs 20,000 for a single transaction or aggregate transactions exceeding Rs 2 lakh in a financial year are subject to certain reporting requirements.
Who must file. Generally, any person in a trade or business who receives more than $10,000 in cash in a single transaction or in related transactions must file a Form 8300.
Having large amounts of cash is not illegal, but it can easily lead to trouble. Law enforcement officers can seize the cash and try to keep it by filing a forfeiture action, claiming that the cash is proceeds of illegal activity. And criminal charges for the federal crime of “structuring” are becoming more common.
When flying domestically within the USA, there is no limit to the amount of cash that you can carry or have to declare. However, if you are found flying with large amounts of cash or money, TSA officers may question you as to why you have it and details of your trip.
Banks are required to report when customers deposit more than $10,000 in cash at once. A Currency Transaction Report must be filled out and sent to the IRS and FinCEN. The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the Patriot Act of 2001 dictate that banks keep records of deposits over $10,000 to help prevent financial crime.
Each year, the IRS sets the annual gift tax exclusion, which allows a taxpayer to give a certain amount (in 2025, $19,000) per recipient tax-free without using up any of the taxpayer's lifetime gift and estate tax exemption (in 2025, $13.99 million).
Financial institutions are required to report cash transactions, including withdrawals, exceeding $10,000 in a day. Don't try to avoid triggering these reporting requirements -- it's illegal.
If you are on a domestic flight in the US, there is no limit to the amount of cash or monetary instruments that you can carry. However, the TSA may ask a passenger who is carrying a large sum of cash to account for the money.
Legal issues of keeping cash at home
There's no legal limit on how much money you can keep at home. Some limits exist with bringing money into the country and in the form of cash gifts, but there's no regulation on how much you can keep at home.
Emergency cash
Be careful, though, keeping too much money in your car is never a good idea, so limit yourself to about $100. Consider this another addition to your “disaster bag,” pack it away and forget about it until you actually need it.