Can I bill my airplane travel expenses to a client?

I have a PPL, no commercial. I travel for my consulting busines, which I
own. Can I bill my client some reasonable rate for travel expenses when I
use my plane? I am not using the plane to generate income, it is tangential
to my business, which happens to be technology litigation consulting.

The followup question is, if I can't bill the expense, would I be able to if
I got the simplest level of a commercial license?

Yes.

Mike
MU-2


"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:rRwWa.42484$o%2.21901@sccrnsc02...
I have a PPL, no commercial. I travel for my consulting busines, which I
own. Can I bill my client some reasonable rate for travel expenses when I
use my plane? I am not using the plane to generate income, it is
tangential
to my business, which happens to be technology litigation consulting.

The followup question is, if I can't bill the expense, would I be able to
if
I got the simplest level of a commercial license?

Your local FSDO is probably the best place to ask this question, but
applying the same logic that the FAA has recently applied to CAP pilots (who
are in a marginally similar situation, their "client" being the federal
government), I think they'd say that as a private pilot, you can be
reimbursed for your flying expenses, OR log the flight time, but not both.
In the FAA's twisted mind, free flight time amounts to compensation, which
is verboten for a private pilot. CAP pilots are reimbursed after-the-fact
for mission flying expenses, just as you're seeking, and that's how the FAA
ruled, at least where private pilots are concerned.

If nothing else, you should be able to deduct it from your taxes as a
business expense.


"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:rRwWa.42484$o%2.21901@sccrnsc02...
I have a PPL, no commercial. I travel for my consulting busines, which I
own. Can I bill my client some reasonable rate for travel expenses when I
use my plane? I am not using the plane to generate income, it is
tangential
to my business, which happens to be technology litigation consulting.

The followup question is, if I can't bill the expense, would I be able to
if
I got the simplest level of a commercial license?

Hi,

"Aloft" wrote:
Your local FSDO is probably the best place to ask this question, but
applying the same logic that the FAA has recently applied to CAP pilots
(who
are in a marginally similar situation, their "client" being the federal
government), I think they'd say that as a private pilot, you can be
reimbursed for your flying expenses, OR log the flight time, but not
both.
In the FAA's twisted mind, free flight time amounts to compensation,
which
is verboten for a private pilot. CAP pilots are reimbursed
after-the-fact
for mission flying expenses, just as you're seeking, and that's how the
FAA
ruled, at least where private pilots are concerned.

Uh... are you sure about all this? It makes no sense that log time and the
expense of flying are in any way associated. Beyond that, the FARs have
some information about being compensated, and make no mention of logging
flight time. The FARs state that a PP *can* be compensated for flight
expenses as long as the flight activity is unrelated to the work activity,
e.g. the flight is simply a means of transportation to the work. CAP is
not similar, in that the flight activity is directly related to the reason
for compensation; you wouldn't be flying if it weren't for the request to
do so, as opposed to being peripheral to the activity. This is more
similar to being a pilot for an aerial photographer. In this situation,
compensation to PPs is in violation of the FARs.

If nothing else, you should be able to deduct it from your taxes as a
business expense.

This can be done. In the US, the IRS has instructions for such deductions.

Neil

The FARs state that a PP *can* be compensated for flight
expenses as long as the flight activity is unrelated to the work activity,
e.g. the flight is simply a means of transportation to the work.

Amazing. I can be paid for flying to Biddeford to photograph a
wedding, but not for photographing a house from the air!

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

The FARs state that a PP *can* be compensated for flight
expenses as long as the flight activity is unrelated to the work
activity,
e.g. the flight is simply a means of transportation to the work.

Amazing. I can be paid for flying to Biddeford to photograph a
wedding, but not for photographing a house from the air!

Yes. The flying to the wedding is only a matter of getting there, not HOW to
get there. With the photography of the house, the flying is certainly not
"incidental".

government), I think they'd say that as a private pilot, you can be
reimbursed for your flying expenses, OR log the flight time, but not both.

That's the most astonishing thing I've ever read about the FAA. Can it
be true?

Not quite the same situation, but I occasionally fly in connection
with my employment (which is, heh heh, writing about flying for the
most part). I deduct it as a travel expense, meaning that the IRS gets
to share in the cost, which is a kind of reimbursement. And you can be
dang sure I log the time!

(Should I have written that in a public place?)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Hi,

"Cub Driver" wrote:

government), I think they'd say that as a private pilot, you can be
reimbursed for your flying expenses, OR log the flight time, but not
both.

That's the most astonishing thing I've ever read about the FAA. Can it
be true?

I've not seen anything in the FARs that suggests that this notion has
merit. As a practical matter, it would be impossible to audit. Perhaps
"Cub Driver" can enlighten us with a reference?

Neil

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:rRwWa.42484$o%2.21901@sccrnsc02...
I have a PPL, no commercial. I travel for my consulting busines, which I
own. Can I bill my client some reasonable rate for travel expenses when I
use my plane? I am not using the plane to generate income, it is
tangential
to my business, which happens to be technology litigation consulting.


I believe the answer is yes, since travel is incidental. Just
like a car.

But to avoid any possibility of some over-zealous FAA wallah
making your life a misery over the 'compensation' issue, try
this. Bump up your hourly rate to cover incidental travel expenses,
don't bother to bill your client at all for travel, and then take the
standard IRS airplane mileage as a business deduction. Can't
find the link right now, but I believe it is presently $0.96/mile.

It doesn't hurt to fill the plane with computers/books & take a
few pictures to prove later (if necessary) that private airplane
transport made sound economic sense for this particular client.

--
Dr. Tony Cox
Citrus Controls Inc.
e-mail:
http://CitrusControls.com/

It doesn't hurt to fill the plane with computers/books & take a
few pictures to prove later (if necessary) that private airplane
transport made sound economic sense for this particular client.

Very good advice. The secret to never being audited is to be ready for
an audit, and the secret to being ready for an audit is the ability to
drown Donna Tax Adjuster in paperwork.

One year I had the daybed in my office re-upholstered, and I worried
about how I would explain *that* to Donna. So I had my wife photograph
me writing on a yellow legal pad, lying on the bed with my knees
propped up. (Bad back It went into my Current Taxes folder so I
could always pull it out and show it to Donna.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com