GrassLandings

I dont believe this is exactly true. I have only ever payed taxes in the state I live. Per my tax guy. I have heard of people getting this notice, and all it requires is a phone call. Not sure though. Call your tax person before doing that.
Dont take my word for it, but from what iv heard from other folks the last 2 years, if you have less than half of your flight time is in CA, then you are good. A quick google search has come up with the fifty percent rule with this same question from other pilots.
If you flew more than fifty percent in CA, then you get a credit in your home state, since you have to pay taxes in CA in that case. So those on reserve (assuming all pay is RSV based, and therefore within CA), or do alot of out and backs within CA, may have to.

GrassLandings

Absolutely not. You may be required to pay CA taxes if fifty percent or more of your flights are within CA. But you would not pay taxes twice. You may, however, need to file in both CA and your home state. You would get a credit from your home state for CA taxes paid. Search online for this question, lots of good articles out there. Sometimes, CA will just assume airline pilots based in LAX to be CA residents or fly within CA. But you can get out of it if you dont meet the criteria to pay CA taxes (i.e, less than fifty percent flown within CA). Consult a tax person.

Excargodog

From US Code : 49 u.s.c.s. §40116 (f)(2)

f)Pay of Air Carrier Employees.—
(1) In this subsection—
(A) “pay” means money received by an employee for services.
(B) “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and a territory or possession of the United States.
(C) an employee is deemed to have earned 50 percent of the employee’s pay in a State or political subdivision of a State in which the scheduled flight time of the employee in the State or subdivision is more than 50 percent of the total scheduled flight time of the employee when employed during the calendar year.
(2) The pay of an employee of an air carrier having regularly assigned duties on aircraft in at least 2 States is subject to the income tax laws of only the following:
(A) the State or political subdivision of the State that is the residence of the employee.
(B) the State or political subdivision of the State in which the employee earns more than 50 percent of the pay received by the employee from the carrier.
(3) Compensation paid by an air carrier to an employee described in subsection (a) in connection with such employee’s authorized leave or other authorized absence from regular duties on the carrier’s aircraft in order to perform services on behalf of the employee’s airline union shall be subject to the income tax laws of only the following:
(A) The State or political subdivision of the State that is the residence of the employee.
(B) The State or political subdivision of the State in which the employee’s scheduled flight time would have been more than 50 percent of the employee’s total scheduled flight time for the calendar year had the employee been engaged full time in the performance of regularly assigned duties on the carrier’s aircraft.

PressOff

Ok so I need to somehow prove that 51% of my flying was outside of state boundaries then it seems. I get the feeling this is going to be a monstrous battle to fight. Have any of you successfully got them off your back? If so how?

Excargodog

Got stationed in Ca for a short school tour (9 months) at Berkeley of all places on orders while on active duty, although I'd left California a decade previously and was a resident of another state. Kept my private plane on a rental tie down spot at Concord airport for the nine months. Six months after leaving California, Franchise tax sent me a threatening letter about excise taxes due on the aircraft. I took it to the base JAG and they told me I didn't owe anything. They gave me a form letter to send the and I figured that would take care of the problem.

Three weeks later I got an even more threatening letter, talking about seizing any assets in the State, which fortunately I didn't have, and putting a lien on the aircraft. Went back to the JAG, they sent a PERSONAL letter about my case, citing chapter and verse in US Code.

Two weeks later, got a third threatening letter, threatening to garnish my salary, which the military wouldn't actually let them do but it would have been a pain to explain to your commander.

Persistent bastards, you gotta give them that.

At this point I panicked and put in a call to my Aunt who had worked in Franchise Tax for thirty-five years at her work number. She asked me to read to her the initials on the bottom of my threatening letter #3. I told her JR. Next thing I heard was, "Janie! Are you dunning my nephew?"

That was quite a few years ago and I haven't heard anything since. Unfortunately Aunt Betty has retired though, but your logbooks ought to be adequate documentation that you have or have not been doing 51% of your flying within California, as long as you haven't been voting there or something the law is on your side.

If need be, there are tax advisors who've fought this battle and won before. They can probably take care of it. Unless your letter is from Janie.

VIRotate

My dad’s accountant, retired airline pilot who deals with a lot of pilots, said that I don’t have to file CA taxes. Only CA tax I paid was some SDI tax that was on my W-2.

Fr8Thrust

Not wearing the Hat.
Not making Gate PAs.
Not making Galley PAs.
Not cancelling DHs until I’m seated on my deviate flight.

However, I will continue to work hard to get everyone from point A to point B safely and in a timely manor. I will keep the agents and FAs informed, and speak to the pax from the cockpit.

The people who write this stuff should be focused on improving the subpar pay, software, travel, & benefits they provide us with and then maybe we’ll think about going the extra mile. What a joke our mgmt is. Keep shaking those trees and pulling those levers; it’s working so well!

VIRotate

Agreed. Maybe I'll start doing more of these things when we stop getting used and abused while they walk all over our contract.

"Keep Climbing" -Delta
"Fly the Friendly Skies" -United
"Fly it now, grieve it later" -Compass Airlines

NeverFlexTO

How things have changed...Yesterday was the first time I turned someone a way from applying at Compass, there are better places to go now, few and far between, but better. I really hope things get cleaned up quick and there's some job security for the current list numbers beyond 2020 so morale can improve...I have a hunch something is coming in the next 3 months

prplmnkydshwshr

Oh please. Let's not do this again. It's like every month on the forum.
"You're dumb for wearing the hat!"
"Yeah well you're dumb for not wearing the hat!"
"Yeah well your face is dumb!"
"Yer mom is dumb!"