COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

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Saubia
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COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Saubia »

Good afternoon,

Just a quick question, are we allowed to deduct the commuting costs (hotels/flights) from our taxes ?

Thanks a lot for your help!
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rxl
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by rxl »

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Aux1
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Aux1 »

One of your biggest expenses through the years will be taxes. Why would you ask for TAX ADVICE on an internet forum... Spend a few bucks and get it done by someone who has some understanding of the tax code, so you are paying your fair share of taxes, but not a penny more.

Hire a professional to do your taxes.... I wonder how many pilots who are too cheap to get their taxes done by a professional, do their own haircuts too? There'd be a lot more people wearing their hats :roll:
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Last edited by Aux1 on Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
digits_
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by digits_ »

Nothing wrong with doing research yourself. Regardless of hiring an accountant.
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NotDirty!
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by NotDirty! »

Aux1 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:44 pm Hire a professional to do your taxes.... I wonder how many pilots who are too cheap to get their taxes done by a professional, do their own haircuts too? :roll:
i really should have got my haircut a month ago, but I figured it could wait a week... now I am considering doing my own!
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Saubia
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Saubia »

Aux1 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:44 pm One of your biggest expenses through the years will be taxes. Why would you ask for TAX ADVICE on an internet forum... Spend a few bucks and get it done by someone who has some understanding of the tax code, so you are paying your fair share of taxes, but not a penny more.

Hire a professional to do your taxes.... I wonder how many pilots who are too cheap to get their taxes done by a professional, do their own haircuts too? There'd be a lot more people wearing their hats :roll:
Have you ever seen what's the pilot pay looks like? You may not be a pilot or maybe a 10 yos cpt at AC and you have forgotten what those days looked like. Just saying.
and btw thanks for your comment it helps a lot.
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J31
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by J31 »

Saubia wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 12:04 pm Good afternoon,

Just a quick question, are we allowed to deduct the commuting costs (hotels/flights) from our taxes ?

Thanks a lot for your help!
In Canada I believe the answer is no. It is just like driving your car to work at the office.
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twa22
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by twa22 »

Aux1 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:44 pm One of your biggest expenses through the years will be taxes. Why would you ask for TAX ADVICE on an internet forum... Spend a few bucks and get it done by someone who has some understanding of the tax code, so you are paying your fair share of taxes, but not a penny more.

Hire a professional to do your taxes.... I wonder how many pilots who are too cheap to get their taxes done by a professional, do their own haircuts too? There'd be a lot more people wearing their hats :roll:
I just did my own taxes this year... And then I asked myself why the hell did I pay someone to do it all these years? It's the easiest thing... Just takes a little bit of reading if your return is a little more complex. Some accountants charge hundreds of dollars, yet they claim they save you hundreds... Yea, right... :roll:
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Last edited by twa22 on Mon Apr 13, 2020 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
twa22
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by twa22 »

Op, I think this should answer your question
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Saubia
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Saubia »

Thanks all of you for your answers, that's very nice!

If it can help someone else I found this : https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/ ... ement.html

So it should be a no
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Aux1
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Aux1 »

twa22 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:57 pm I just did my own taxes this year... And then I asked myself why the hell did I pay someone to do it all these years? It's the easiest thing... Just takes a little bit of reading if your return is a little more complex. Some accountants charge hundreds of dollars, yet they claim they save you hundreds... Yea, right... :roll:
A little bit of reading? ...the Canadian Income Tax Act comprises over 1.1 million words.

The average Canadian household paid nearly $40,000 in taxes last year, more than the combined cost of clothing, food and shelter, according to a new report. In 10 years - the average household pays $400,000 to the gov't in taxes. In 30 years... 1.2million. In all likelihood taxes are the largest ongoing expenses you and I will have.

Now you might spend between $500-600 a year on haircuts, and it begs the question - why would you not spend a fraction of that having a professional prepare your taxes...

Personally, I don't do my own legal work and I don't do my own surgery. I don't ask for tax advice in the cockpit, crew room or forum and I DO NOT do my own taxes.

My fair share, but not a penny more.

...I'll be the one NOT sporting the (corona) hair cut.
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FOD_Vacuum
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by FOD_Vacuum »

Nothing that turbotax hasn't done for me...I average a refund of around $3000 every year. Takes 10 minutes to complete and a then a few days for CRA to deposit cash into my account. As long as you have all your ducks in a row, its a piece of cake. To the OP, I do not think you can claim commuting costs although it would be nice.
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twa22
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by twa22 »

Aux1 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:58 pm
twa22 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:57 pm I just did my own taxes this year... And then I asked myself why the hell did I pay someone to do it all these years? It's the easiest thing... Just takes a little bit of reading if your return is a little more complex. Some accountants charge hundreds of dollars, yet they claim they save you hundreds... Yea, right... :roll:
A little bit of reading? ...the Canadian Income Tax Act comprises over 1.1 million words.

The average Canadian household paid nearly $40,000 in taxes last year, more than the combined cost of clothing, food and shelter, according to a new report. In 10 years - the average household pays $400,000 to the gov't in taxes. In 30 years... 1.2million. In all likelihood taxes are the largest ongoing expenses you and I will have.

Now you might spend between $500-600 a year on haircuts, and it begs the question - why would you not spend a fraction of that having a professional prepare your taxes...

Personally, I don't do my own legal work and I don't do my own surgery. I don't ask for tax advice in the cockpit, crew room or forum and I DO NOT do my own taxes.

My fair share, but not a penny more.

...I'll be the one NOT sporting the (corona) hair cut.
500 to 600 a year in haircuts? What kind of haircuts do you get? I spend maybe 150-200 at most

Nobody said you have to read the entire tax act, most of it is likely not applicable to the average joe anyways, and as FOD said, turbo tax gives plenty of help, even using the free version

OP asked a simple question from other fellow aviators regarding commuting and taxes... He didn't asked for advice, rather asked a yes or no question instead of digging through thousands of pages, just like other humans ask questions about cars, or appliances, or whatever

I don't understand why people on forums always have to shit on others when there are simple questions asked
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Aux1
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Aux1 »

twa22 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:57 am Nobody said you have to read the entire tax act, most of it is likely not applicable to the average joe anyways, and as FOD said, turbo tax gives plenty of help, even using the free version
Alrighty then...

Cheers
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flying4dollars
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by flying4dollars »

There is nothing wrong with asking for advice on an aviation forum. Isn't that part of the point of a forum? Doing taxes isn't overly complicated unless you have a corporation or a more complicated joint filing. Some people are savvy enough to do it. Your comparison of taxes to surgeries is apples to chimp meat. OP likely doesn't care anyone else here personally likes to do, he just wants an answer to his question.

OP: Unfortunately, I do not have a definitive answer, but best guess is no. Unless your employer requires you to live where you do and commute to work, you can't write anything off. I think costs incurred that are required to perform you job that are NOT covered by your employer are eligible for write offs. There may be some caveats where you can only write off a certain percentage such as meals if you're not given a per diem, or if your per diem is given at less than the CRA allowance for transportation drivers, for instance. Hope that helps.

Cheers
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ant_321
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by ant_321 »

Aux1 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:58 pm
twa22 wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:57 pm I just did my own taxes this year... And then I asked myself why the hell did I pay someone to do it all these years? It's the easiest thing... Just takes a little bit of reading if your return is a little more complex. Some accountants charge hundreds of dollars, yet they claim they save you hundreds... Yea, right... :roll:
A little bit of reading? ...the Canadian Income Tax Act comprises over 1.1 million words.

The average Canadian household paid nearly $40,000 in taxes last year, more than the combined cost of clothing, food and shelter, according to a new report. In 10 years - the average household pays $400,000 to the gov't in taxes. In 30 years... 1.2million. In all likelihood taxes are the largest ongoing expenses you and I will have.

Now you might spend between $500-600 a year on haircuts, and it begs the question - why would you not spend a fraction of that having a professional prepare your taxes...

Personally, I don't do my own legal work and I don't do my own surgery. I don't ask for tax advice in the cockpit, crew room or forum and I DO NOT do my own taxes.

My fair share, but not a penny more.

...I'll be the one NOT sporting the (corona) hair cut.
I used to pay someone to do my taxes. A very experienced accountant, not someone with a weekend course who works at H&R block. I was curious so I did my return myself after they had completed it to see if the numbers matched. They were exact. The next year I tried a different accountant because I had some additional things besides the usually and I thought that would be the best bet. Once again I ran the numbers myself and ended up getting more back with my own work. I now do my own taxes.
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Aux1
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by Aux1 »

ant_321 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:18 pm Once again I ran the numbers myself and ended up getting more back with my own work. I now do my own taxes.
I wonder which would stand up to an audit...
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twa22
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by twa22 »

Aux1 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 4:15 pm
ant_321 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:18 pm Once again I ran the numbers myself and ended up getting more back with my own work. I now do my own taxes.
I wonder which would stand up to an audit...
LOL... You really think because an accountant has a piece of paper that says he/she is certified that they know what they're doing?

Let it go man, OP asked a question, and your advice was really unsolicited, so some of us felt the need to chime in and say that folks without an accounting degree can also do their own taxes
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ant_321
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by ant_321 »

Aux1 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 4:15 pm
ant_321 wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:18 pm Once again I ran the numbers myself and ended up getting more back with my own work. I now do my own taxes.
I wonder which would stand up to an audit...
It was a matter of claiming something under me or my wife. Made a difference of a couple hundred bucks.
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160tonoaha
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Re: COMMUTING - TAXES 2019

Post by 160tonoaha »

To the OP, if the employer gives you a t2200 (employment expenses) form, whereby they’ve checked the “one sentence” that states that “this employee was required to travel for business and non business purposes to places away from his/her place of work” then you absolutely can claim it. Basically if you manage to get the t2200 form, and were at any point required to deadhead, this clause will be checked for you.

This is because the CRA includes the business and non business travel in one statement on the form.

The t2200 form can be requested from your employer. Some reluctantly give it. Up to your accountants at said employer.
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