That’s your own fault then?

Can someone explain the basics of what's going on with the "imputed income"? I've heard it discussed on occasion, but don't think I quite grasp it. Here's what I *think* I know. Atlas has Domiciles. If you're live somewhere other than your domicile, Atlas will buy you airline tickets to your domicile, and hotel accommodations in your domicile, but, the cost of flying you to your domicile and providing accommodation in your domicile is considered income, and is required to be taxed. Do I have it correct to this point? (If not where did I go off the tracks?) Assuming I'm more or less correct, here's where it gets a little fuzzy for me: What is it that gets deducted from your paycheck? The cost of the airline ticket times your withholding rate? Something else?

You've pretty much got it.

So if your ticket from home to ANC costs them $2,000 and your taxable rate is 22%) they'll cut $440 from your check.

Then they'll deduct that again for your ticket home (and $ for any hotels you'll need, too).

And don't forget this is all deducted from that awesome 50 hour-per-month guarantee!

Thanks. So, why is this being described as something punitive the company is doing to the pilot group? I'm not a tax expert by any means, but this is more or less what I would expect would be required by the tax code if the company is housing you in domicile and providing you with airline travel from where you're living to your domicile. A lot of airlines (as far as I know) won't buy you a ticket to your domicile or a hotel room while you're there. Sure, it would be better to have home basing, but you don't, and this seems preferable to an airline that expects you to report for duty in your domicile completely on your own tab.

Don’t try to use reason round these parts partner.

But why would you want to go there if the competition pays more, and has home basing to boot ?

Because it’s selectively enforced, partner. If it’s required by the tax code then everyone should be getting imputed. Instead, some people will go months without it while others get hit consistently. Even stranger was how incidents of imputed income dramatically increased once the relationship between the pilot group and the company began to deteriorate.

I’m on the NH committee. You won’t believe the number of emails I get around pay day.

Why is my check this ??

It’s called imputed income in the hundreds if not thousands. It’s called 50 hour guarantee.

Wake up new hires. Here are the facts. You will never upgrade here ( unless we double in size.

You will never get OT flying. You have 1k FO’s senior to you.

You will never break min pay.

You will live on r3 from 3am - 9am at the dirty DHL hub.

Red eyes and ****ty flying is your future.

I have zero sympathy for you- the info is on all these web boards.

If you still don’t believe me-

Come see for yourself!!!

You could Argue that. However. When you email the green envelope in, and gets lost...

Now I have to spend my time doing it twice. Emailing duty pilots. Etc... what a goat rope.

Lesson learned.

I applied at Atlas once. Then I read their contract on the imputed income. In 40yrs of life, I’ve never heard of an airline pulling something that shady. If they buy your ticket to work/hotel for being there, that’s the COST of doing business. The pilot is not using the benefit of hotels/travel for personal use, so it’s definitely not income. Seriously, if anyone thinks imputed income is an industry normal, please name some other airlines that are doing the same? Name another company (outside of aviation) that does imputed income to its employees?


One online CPA source says it this way referencing a company-owned car: “When an employee uses a company vehicle for business purposes, the vehicle use is a working condition fringe benefit. This means the value of using the vehicle isn’t included in the employee’s income, nor is it taxed.

But, when an employee uses a company vehicle for personal reasons, you generally must include the value of using the vehicle in the employee’s income. And, you must withhold taxes on the value of the benefit.”

Furthermore, “The IRS defines imputed income as the value of any benefits or services provided to an employee. The value of this cash or non-cash compensation must be considered in order to accurately reflect an individual’s taxable income.

Employees can have income tax withheld for their imputed income or pay the amount due with their tax installment payments. Examples of imputed income are:

Dependent care assistance exceeding the tax-free amount,
Health and dental insurance for non-dependent domestic partners or same-sex partners or spouses,
Basic or group life insurance in excess of $50,000,
Personal use of company or employer-provided car,
Non-deductible moving expense reimbursements,
Educational assistance exceeding the excluded amount, and
Below market rate loans.“

I get it. It’s in the contract and that the company does it but my question is why do the Atlas pilots continue to show up for work of their income is being “imputed” to the point of poverty? At this point, you have to question the decision making of anyone that shows up to work under those rules because it just perpetuates managements ability to keep doing it.

Almost everyone is hiring....

(I don’t work for Atlas, nor do I have a dog in the fight, I just don’t understand why good pilots continue to be shat upon by a company like this?)