Flight Attendent International Flight Pay?

Question

Upon reading another answer someone wrote that you do not have to pay taxes on your international flight pay. Has anyone heard anything like this? If true, where do you deduct the international flight off of your 1040? And is the international flight pay included in box 1 on your W-2 form?

Answer 1

I didn't see the question you are quoting, however I expect the case where the person did not have to include their international flight pay on the U.S. Income tax return, the person in that case was not a citizen or resident of the U.S.

Non-citizens who are not resident within the U.S. only have to pay tax on income earned while in the U.S. As an international flight plan has varying boundaries, it is conceivable that a significant amount of income could be excluded.

Citizens and resident aliens of the U.S., however, are taxed on their world-wide income. So just because it may be earned in another location, does not necessarily exempt it from tax.

Here is another possibility. Ex-patriates, citizens who work abroad for their U.S. based company, are granted several exemptions and credits. That could be a useful area to look into.

Answer 2

There is no mention of "International flight pay" in IRS Pub 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income. Generally speaking unless something is explicitly excluded by law, it is taxable as income. Additionally, any employer payments that are not taxable will not be reported on your Form W2.

Answer 3

Income earned from foreign sources can be subject to one of two benefits. If qualified, the foreign earned income exlusion allows US Citizens to earn up to $84200 of foreign income tax free to the US. You would have to live abroad for the most part of 12 months to qualify. Otherwise, if you have foreign income and another jursidiction (like the UK) taxes it, the tax paid to the other entity can be used as a credit to reduce taxes owed tothe US.

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Answer 4

all the flight attendants on flights i've got been on have worn uniforms: Air France, Virgin atlantic, Cathay pacific, Singapore airlines, Thai Air and a pair of others. All those have been long haul.