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3 Answers

Tax deduction for cfi training

Asked by: 3450 views Flight Instructor

I am a high school credential teacher (MA and HS teaching credential) . I am working working to obtain my CFI-intinal certificate. I am able to deduct my ground and flight training? Given that I am already a teacher. The cfi career would not be my first job in teaching.

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3 Answers



  1. KDS on Apr 01, 2020

    Tax is not my strong suit. In fact, not only do I have a CPA do my taxes, I don’t understand the forms when he finishes them and gives them to me. So, take this for what it is worth.

    IRS Publication 970 is the guiding document. It says you can deduct expenses for improving you job-related skills. Personally, I don’t see where you would stand a chance in an audit.

    The closest real-world example I can think of is I have known pilots who took seaplane courses and wrote the trip to Florida (and Disney World) off as a tax deduction. However, they were professional pilots with substantial income from flying and none were picked for an audit. I suspect they would not have done well in an audit.

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  2. LTCTerry on Apr 01, 2020

    I would say no. Here’s how I understand it.

    The IRS lets you deduct expenses related to bettering yourself in your current job. If you wanted to pursue an Ed. Spec or EdD that would likely be deductible.

    A commercial pilot certificate would not be deductible because it’s the entry into a new career. Similarly, the IRS considers being a flight instructor a different career than being a commercial pilot. Again, not deductible.

    Once you are a commercial pilot, additional commercial pilot training is deductible. Once you are a flight instructor, additional flight instructor ratings are deductible.

    For example, I have had a commercial pilot certificate with a glider rating since 2012. I do part time glider commercial pilot work (rides and instruct). As a working commercial pilot, training that advances that is deductible. I passed the ME Commercial check ride last weekend. I plan to deducting those expenses on my tax return.

    Ditto for MEI. I’m an active CFI-G. Getting paid.

    If you google for tax deductibility for flight training you’ll find articles from reputable sources such as AOPA that describe what I’ve written above.

    There is a life time learning tax deduction, but I’m not sure how that works.

    Unlike KDS, I do do my own taxes, fairly complicated ones for a family business, Army Reserve travel, investments, real jobs, etc. But still, I’m no expert and make no guarantees. However, I would rather let the IRS tell me “no” than tell myself – when I genuinely believe something is legitimate. If a legit error then all that’s likely due is the same tax you would have paid if you hadn’t deducted something. I’ve never been called on any decision I’ve made (yet!).

    If you search this site you’ll find a question I answered with the tax benefits as I see them of doing all the professional ratings in a glider first.

    Long answer, but no, CFI training is not deductible because you are a teacher. Too bad. I was a high school science teacher when I became a CFI in 2013.

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  3. Doug Betts on Apr 11, 2020

    There are no deductions at all for education expenses under the new tax laws. These were, in the past, deducted as miscellaneous deductions on Schedule A. There are no more miscellaneous deductions at all any longer.

    Te only exception you might be able to take advantage of is if you have self-employment income reported on Schedule C from CFI income or other pro-pilot activities. Then one might justify expenses. An example of this might be an active CFI deducting expenses incurred to obtain their CFII certificate.

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