Fedex Uniform Allowance Question
 

My Crewbag died and I am fat on shirts, pants, ties and hats.
Can we use the $150 on a new bag.

Why not email Martha F and ask her?

I just asked that question at the uniform store in MEM and they said no.

I asked the guy at Wal-Mart and he also said no.

if you bought a new belt, shoes, and socks worth about the cost of a new bag AND a new bag, expensed the expensable stuff, then returned it??????? just sayin'

:(Ummmm, really bad idea! Evidently, we've had a couple of guys fired in the last year due to fraudulent expense reports. You just don't want to go there over a few bucks - it's not worth the risk to your career.

Don't you mean job?

Oh yeah, doing that would qualify for a Darwin Award. ;)

.......but you'd have a new bag

Nope. I meant career. Good luck getting a flying job anywhere, with this economy, after being fired from Fedex for being terminally stupid.

Yeah but all the guys at your next job would say "nice bag!".

If you need a new bag, just buy one. At least you can write it off on your taxes as a job expense.

drftddgr, you are definitely baby boomer captain material.

If you are senior to me it sounds like a great idea.

... paper earned a B- at the Charlie Rangel School of Ethics. Strong fundamentals but a bit unimaginative. Lacks flair.

Yeah, that's the idea. Wish I'd have thought of that when I was flying the line. Don't worry about that oft-used threat of them firing guys who either stole from the company, or falsified company documents, because I'm sure it'll never happen to you. I mean, saving a couple hundred bucks is certainly worth the risk....isn't it? They'd never figure it out, right? If I were you, I'd go for it, after all, you only live once, and $200 bucks is $200 bucks.

JJ

Funny....damn funny

In keeping with APC protocal I'll add my 2 cents in order to show my moral superiority. Even if you bought it outright I would not cheat the IRS with a write off, the flight bag isn't a required or necessary piece of equipment for your duties. Is it really worth the $50 dollar credit when the IRS audits you and seizes your house for fraud and penalties and interest. They'll find you, the voices tell me so.

Once upon a time...
 

From the "good story but not a good idea" files:

A Captain's hat blew off, rolled in front of a ramp vehicle, and was destroyed. His expense claim for a new hat was denied, so the next week he told his S/O "Let me do the pay sheet this trip." When he submitted it, clerks were puzzled to read in the "remarks" section: "The hat's in there." :p

Moral Superiority Demonstration
 

I find that moral superiority is achieved best by being correct. :) You are not cheating the IRS when you claim luggage. Below is a pretty good web site for what and why you should claim something as an airline pilot. However if you think Uncle Sugar deserves more money feel free, don't claim your home interest loan, only use the standard deduction and make sure you pay income taxes on your 401K contributions.

Airline Employee Business Expenses Listed and Explained | EZPERDIEM.COM

Good link, Lag. Lots of stuff there I didn't realize was fair game. Thanks

FDXLAG,

Flight bag makes me think of the black Jepps bag not a rollerbag. Necessary and not personal. Backpack, computer bag only used while on a Fedex trip? Easy to justify liberal interpretations of tax law when dealing with the IRS but don't stray from the black and white at Fedex.

My actual point was the ability of APC posters to easily judge others actions and quickly justify their own actions as above moral scrutiny.

The link is nice but the last paragraph mentions the caveats to the list in regards to personal use cell phones in particular. It also claims the list as what most crew members think are ordinary. They don't cover justification in regards to personal test. Since the article came from EZperdiem.com and they added their fee for use as an ordinary deductible expense they may be biased. I'd take a list form the IRS before a sales article. Just sayin relying on a source that justifies ones actions doesn't make one correct. Ask those who don't pay any taxes based on Constitutional interpretations. They would say you're giving "Uncle Sugar" too much money and they have lots of source material backing them up also.
Table of Contents and Chapter 1

Come now the original thread is talking about crew bags. I think it is a legitmate business expense. A black Jepps bag would be even more of legitimate business expense. The backpack I use as a flight bag is a legitimate business expense. I know the IRS would be hard pressed to find me carrying my back pack accept on a trip. The way I read the FOM you need to have a bag that you dont check dont you? You made a blanket statement that a flight bag was not a legitimate expense. We are all free to be conservative or liberal (no I dont mean Rangel or Geitner tax cheating liberal) when we file our taxes but you have to agree the preponderance of evidence says a flight bag is a legitimate business expense (subject to the IRS tests) for an airline pilot.

As an aside, unless you are really good at figuring what your are allowed to claim for personal expenses I highly recommend EZperdiem or the Prodiem people, well worth the money and it is a tax deductible expense (unless you think you are cheating the IRS).

notice i never said I would do this. thats the point of the ?????? and the "just sayin"

i personally have never and never plan to take these kind of risks myself

you expense receipt-less taxis every month?

Lag,
The ability of the IRS to determine if you are using your backpack for personal use is equal to Fedex's ability to find out if you returned a pair of socks and shoes at Macy's yesterday morning.

I just think it's amusing how opinions become the right and wrong for operations at Fedex and with the IRS. Backed up by the favorite "You'll get fired", "you'll ruin it for me" or "that's how it is, don't like it quit". Just bring up proper use of Jumpseats or deviation procedures and watch the right and wrongs fly.

It is you who had the absolute not I. Luggage is a legitimate business expense for an airline pilot. Are there rules to check and can you abuse it yes. But it is a legitimate business expense and a legitimate deduction. Just like the 401K deduction or home mortgage interest I quoted. If you live your life in fear of audits claim nothing and take the standard deduction. That will reduce your shot at being audited but will not eliminate it.

Here is your original post, do you stand by it?



I have never told anyone to quit or that they will get fired. I will quote the applicable section of the contract or post a link to an authoratative source. Especially when I am trying to be Morally Superior (your term for APC posters).

Lag,

Guess sarcasm doesn't come across without the face things. Some posters use those phrases to try and establish what they believe to be the proper conduct of pilots. If you didn't make one of them than I wasn't talking about you.

Examples. double booking backend deadheads. Some have said airlines will find out and cancel their contract with Fedex (Not the actual ticket but the whole contract). Using the jumpseat offline when you have bank money (without buying a ticket first). Some have said that airlines will find out and cancel our jumpseat agreements. Again if you didn't say these than I'm not talking about you.

I was attempting to push an argument to an extreme to show the absurdity of using fear and dire consequences to control others actions. If you are going to do the buy and return plan the only consequences you'll deal with is within your conscience. Telling me that Fedex will find me returning a pair of shoes 1200 miles from the planet is somewhat outside my realm of reality.

Returning is bad, it leaves a paper trail. I just sell them on EBAY. :eek:

You might want to expand your realm of reality. What, do you think they're too busy finding and then firing guys for $25 taxi fares? :confused: