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Tax deductions for CFI

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Flight Instructor

What can I deduct as expenses on my 2020 taxes as a CFI while working for a private flight training school?

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2 Answers



  1. KDS on Mar 20, 2022

    You would need to file an amended return to make any new deductions on your 2020 return, but if you have enough, it would be worth doing. The 2021 tax return is still short of the time limit for filing.

    You can deduct professional development expenses. You can also deduct expenses to maintain or improve your present job skills. You cannot deduct the expenses where you are training for a different profession. EXACTLY where the line gets drawn seems to be more than a little fuzzy.

    If audited regarding the deductions, you would need to provide records of all those expenses that you deducted.

    Thankfully, with the new higher standard deduction, the likelihood of benefitting from itemizing is greatly reduced.

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  2. Russ Roslewski on Mar 22, 2022

    Test – I’ve been trying to post a response but it never shows up.

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