illegal work
Loading your saved state.
illegal work
Paid work carried out while evading tax and social security obligations, and therefore violating legal regulations.
Die Renovierung wurde in Schwarzarbeit erledigt, um Kosten zu sparen.
The renovation was done as illegal work in order to save costs.
The word consists of 'schwarz' (black) and 'Arbeit' (work). Here, 'schwarz' has a figurative meaning and stands for 'illegal' or 'unofficial', similar to 'Schwarzmarkt' (black market).
Er hat sein Auto schwarz reparieren lassen, um Geld zu sparen.
He had his car repaired unofficially to save money.
A very common construction is the prepositional phrase 'in Schwarzarbeit' (as illegal work/under the table). Typical verbs are 'Schwarzarbeit leisten' (to do illegal work) or 'gegen Schwarzarbeit vorgehen/kämpfen' (to take action/fight against illegal work).
Die Baustelle wurde geschlossen, weil dort in Schwarzarbeit gebaut wurde.
The construction site was closed because illegal work was being done there.
'Schwarzarbeit' (illegal work) is not a neutral word. It has a clearly negative and illegal meaning, since it refers to a criminal offense or administrative offense.
Wegen Schwarzarbeit drohen hohe Strafen für Arbeitgeber und Arbeitnehmer.
Employers and employees face heavy penalties for illegal work.
tax evasion
'Steuerhinterziehung' (tax evasion) and 'Schwarzarbeit' (illegal work) both have to do with illegal behavior involving money, work, and taxes. 'Steuerhinterziehung' is about giving the tax office false or incomplete information so that you pay less tax. 'Schwarzarbeit' means work that is not officially registered and where taxes and social security contributions are avoided. The words can be confused because taxes are often not paid in cases of 'Schwarzarbeit' too. Still, 'Schwarzarbeit' is the work itself, while 'Steuerhinterziehung' more generally means declaring taxes falsely or hiding taxable information.
Nach der Kontrolle auf der Baustelle gab es einen Verdacht auf Schwarzarbeit.
After the inspection at the construction site, there was a suspicion of illegal work.
Der Unternehmer wurde wegen Steuerhinterziehung zu einer hohen Geldstrafe verurteilt.
The business owner was sentenced to a large fine for tax evasion.