Depends on the bank, branch and the teller.
Since 2003, TD Bank has a discretionary policy of documenting transactions $5,000 and over. (The $10,000 is a government requirement, and not optional to the bank.)
While money in the bank is "safe", SPs should remember:
- Once it's in the system, getting out can be more difficult. Banks are more sensitive to large, round number withdrawals than they are about deposits.
- Once it's in the system, it can be traced and audited. The CRA can, and will, do reasonability checks on your interest income. How did you earn $1,000 in interest income suddenly in 2004 when you only reported $12,000 in total income? (Explanations could exist - inheritance - but they will ask questions.)
Many SPs keep their money in safe deposit boxes, in the form of money orders and even in shoeboxes.