How to withdraw cash from bank without questions

[ThatBeachLyfe]

Need to withdraw cash for some building work. Went into NatWest to ask how to do this and they said id need to fill out some paperwork and state what the money was to be used for. I said at the time it was to buy a second hand car and was told I’d need to bring photos of the car, and any email correspondence. I had my toddler with me so said I’d pop back another time when I had my hands free. I need to withdraw cash £7k. Is there a way I can do this without having to supply any proof or explanation of what it’s for? It’s my money so I don’t feel I should need to tell the bank and obviously don’t want to name my builder in the process.

It's not obvious at all why you would not want to name your builder, nor why you would risk paying them in cash. Is the work completed?

Banks will try and stop anything they feel is or might be a scam, particularly people taking large amounts of cash out to buy something.

If you want to avoid that then do it by bank transfer or credit card

They have a duty of care to ensure you are not being scammed or involved in money laundering.

the onky othercway is to withdraw your limit (mine is £500) from the cash point daily.

it’s very unusual to pay a builder such a huge amount in cash. Are you sure it’s legit? Most would accept a cash deposit & the rest by bank transfer.

Why lie and say it’s for a car instead of building work? Why does it matter? Unless you’re paying cash in hand so the builder doesn’t put it through their books to make it cheaper? If that’s the case it’s probably a good example of why the bank need evdience of what you’re doing with large sums of money

I'm not sure why you are reluctant. The builder needs to quote/invoice you surely.

It's up to the builder if he pays tax properly - it's not inherently dodgy to pay a builder in cash.

if you don’t provide evidence, they won’t allow you to withdraw the money. You’ve made it worse for yourself by lying

The bank aren't the tax police and it's your money!!! Absolutely ridiculous that you can't access your own funds without answering questions like a child.

I'd close the account and take all the money personally

I wouldn’t be paying that amount of money in cash to any tradesperson. That’s utterly ridiculous.

Im not sure why you lied or why you don’t want to name the builder but the bank are only doing their job.

If you have more than one bank account and/or a partner you can transfer the cash and draw out the maximum from each account daily at an ATM.

I do understand why these policies are in place, not just for tax dodging but safeguarding.
The only way I know to get £7,000 without questions is to take the max amount allowed from a cash point each day or to close the account (or threaten to).

I don’t get why you would lie and wouldn’t say it’s for building work. 7k isn’t that much money for a bank I highly doubt they’d question it further. DH and I can get £1000 out of a cash point each per day so for that sum I wouldn’t have even gone in and would have just made daily withdrawals for 4 days. Last time we did big building work I got so much out at once they had to get the manager to open the main vault and I still only had to write ‘building work’ on the form. No further details required except they did offer to hail me a taxi as they were a bit worried about me taking the tube home!

I had to take 15 k out for a builder from natwest, about 5 years ago now but I just had to request the money first then arrange to collect it on a certain day, I just told them it was for an extension.

People do seem to want to take risks to facilitate traders tax evasion!

They are not the tax police but strictly speaking the banks are the ‘money police’ on the front line for the police on money laundering.
The questions are not about tax evasion, but they are legally obliged to ask questions about unusual amounts and to report suspicions to the NCA

Withdrawing or depositing large amounts (in a differnt manner to your normal history) would be subject to questions for money laundering and / or scams

If you live in London go to a branch in the City or West End. I had to take £10k out in cash and our local branch couldn't do it as they didn't keep enough cash, so the guy behind the counter advised me to go to their Oxford Street branch and they didn't bat an eyelid.

I don't know whether going to a branch in a wealthy area works in other cities but might be worth a try.

I’m guessing you are getting a discount for doing this in cash so your builder can avoid declaring it. Only reason I a think of for why you would agree to pay it in cash rather than bank transfer. Simple answer is you will need to provide an explanation that can be supported with evidence. The bank have requirements they need to fulfil to show they are trying to prevent fraud. You could do maximum ATM withdrawals everyday for however many days it takes to get the cash, but that will rely on the bank not spotting suspicious behaviour and blocking your card.

Honestly it's hard enough to find a builder at the best of times, so if I find someone who is recommended and they will take the job but they want to be paid some or all in cash, I will pay in cash!

I said it was for a car for my ds, and they made me take it out £1,000 a day, which is ridiculous.

After all this hassle, I'll be keeping a sensible amount of money in the safe at home. I'll withdraw it gradually so the banks don't get control

I really don't know why you felt the need to lie and say it was for a car rather than building work? Or the need to keep your builders name out of the equation? All seems very dodgy to me. The bank probably picked up on the fact you were acting strangely! That's maybe why they wanted photo proof of the car you were supposedly buying. I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't made a note of that on your account now!
I don't agree with having to answer 101 questions to access your own money, but I suppose if they didn't have these safeguarding policies in place, we'd soon be moaning if someone scammed us!

I think it sounds dodgy myself and I don’t work for a bank. Why cash?

It's a precaution against scams and money laundering. They're more concerned about laundering, tbh, as the bank can be liable if they facilitate the crime when they should have spotted it.

There's no good reason why you can't fill out the form, OP, is there?

... I don't suppose an African prince needs a short-term cash loan at high interest? Or maybe your one true love is stuck at immigration and needs you to bail him out temporarily? Or your 'builder' has a sure-fire investment for you that's only accepting a cash buy-in at this late stage? 🕵️‍♀️

I had to withdraw 7k cash from my bank. When they asked what for I told them honestly it was to buy a horse and all the required equestrian kit.

When they queried why cash, I just said because its legal tender and my preferred payment method...now hand my money over. They gave me an appointment 3 days later to collect it, no problem.

The bank is trying to protect you and your money. If you "cant" mention the builder, they're right.

I said at the time it was to buy a second hand car and was told I’d need to bring photos of the car, and any email correspondence
What?? They don't need that kind of proof 😮

I would close that account and go elsewhere once you have the time, in the meantime some banks limit it to 3k or 5k a day without too many questions. They also might need to be notified for 5k upwards so they can ensure they have enough cash at that branch. Try going in two days running for 3k each and the remainder from an ATM.