I get my information from IRS.GOV as well as state tax rates.

I took the literary of running numbers. On a $4,000 bonus with CA state tax, Medicare, SDI, SS taken into consideration, it comes out to 46% is what the government took. That leaves 54% for take home.

All I'm saying, is that it's a nice gesture by Ameriflight, but will not keep the pilots from leaving.


[QUOTE=GunnerV;1862786]

25% federal + state + social security + medicare = 30-40% (depending on your state income tax rate and the number of dependents you have)[/QUOTE]

Agreed. You'll probably see slightly more than half of it in your initial paycheck, but again, you will see much of the federal taxes back once you file.

[QUOTE=Lasko;1862839]I get my information from IRS.GOV as well as state tax rates.

I took the literary of running numbers. On a $4,000 bonus with CA state tax, Medicare, SDI, SS taken into consideration, it comes out to 46% is what the government took. That leaves 54% for take home.

All I'm saying, is that it's a nice gesture by Ameriflight, but will not keep the pilots from leaving.


Lasko,
I agree with your example above, although filing single and zero in California would be a worst case scenario. In my former job as a contractor, 2/3 of my pay was in bonus money. I would wind up with net pay of roughly half of gross, as your example shows, but I would wind up with monster tax refund checks every year. Some of that can be offset by changing your withholding status, but that is an individual's preference.
I just wanted to clarify that out of the $1076 the gov took out of your paycheck, you will see probably half of that back when you file. I have found that there is a lot of confusion out there about the difference between withholding and actual tax rates or brackets.
As far as whether this will stop people from leaving, I guess we will have to wait and see. I know it was pretty well received from the folks I have talked to, and personally, I'm always down for extra cash.

If ameriflight wanted pilots so bad they would get back to me on my application for multiple Navajo positions. Sure I am sub IFR mins but I have 135 experience and around 1k. I'm the perfect candidate for the upgrade program but it doesn't seem that they are hurting for entry pilots just 19 and metro captains.

I personally didn't get an interview until I picked up the phone and talked to recruting.

If you retain enough people, you won't have to hire so much. I have lots of friends flying purple tailed caravans who make 60 or 70 thousand a year, and have been doing it for over a decade. Now that we make more at 7 years than they do at 15, who knows, maybe we will see a few more guys stick around for a while.

Are you counting this new retention bonus to come up with that math? We might only have this bonus for the next year. After that who knows.


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We are needing people across the board. PM me your resume and I'll take it to recruiting today.

If you are staying at AMF rather than going to a 121 carrier because of this bonus, please do yourself a favor and call some of your 121 friends. Ask them if they would give up 4 months of seniority for $3000. I will guarantee that in this hiring environment, there is no one that would say that they would.

The Kool-Aid is strong at AMF. People there really thing that the turbine time in old turboprops really counts for something in the eyes of the 121 majors. They think that they will get hired at American/Delta/United before the regional captains that have 8 years in 121 with 10,000 hours TT and 5000 hours of PIC Jet time. It just isn't the case.

I learned a lot about flying at AMF, but one of the first things that I learned in the 121 world is that the time at AMF counts for nothing once you leave 135. There are guys with over 10,000 PIC Jet that are just getting called by the majors. Someone with a couple thousand hours in a Metro doesn't stand a chance.

If you are planning on going corporate, AMF is fine. Some places like the single pilot IFR in old turboprops. But the 121's want experience with airplanes that are similar to what they fly - glass with automation, passengers in the back, highly regimented, and in a crew environment.

Am I the only Ameriflighter excited about this? I don't care if it's taxed 50% and only for a year, it's free money. I think overall, it will work to the companies advantage, 4 months is just often enough to get pilots to say "maybe a little longer..." And amf doesn't write a check unless those pilots stay.

I think this was a smart move. Pay is one of the few things upper management can directly control, so between this retention bonus and the pay bump we got 7ish months ago, I'd say they are doing a solid job.

Many of us have career goals beyond Ameriflight, but bonuses like this make it much easier to hang out longer. Call me a sell out, but what can I say? I'm a pilot.