Flying Pay- Tax deductable?

[raytofclimb]

I'm no tax expert and I'm being forced to submit a Self Assessment form to decide how much of my child benefit I have to pay back, if I want to keep any of it under the latest Omnishambles.

Anyhow, does anyone out there know if since Flying Pay is an 'allowance' it is tax deductable?

A senior Flt Lt on any band of flying pay will be in the bracket where child benefit has to be repaid. Without flying pay one would be below the threshold.

(don't waste your time if you just want to make sarcastic comments about flying pay, we've been there enough, thanks)

Ray

[Two's in]

(don't waste your time if you just want to make sarcastic comments about flying pay, we've been there enough, thanks)

/....and don't call me Ginger.

[Ali Barber]

If it's flying "pay", how can it be an "allowance"? I'd be surprised if it was tax deductible, but don't take my word for it.

[Pontius Navigator]

Flying Pay is an 'allowance'

Flying Pay is an 'allowance'

You said it, it is pay, it is taxed as pay. Allowances aren't.

[Canadian Break]

Can anyone (Al R?) please tell me why HM C and E continually refused my request to offset my standing mess subs (i.e. NOT bar bill before anyone says it!!!) against income tax? We do not have a right to opt out of Mess membership: Trade union members can offset their union dues as can "professional" types with their membership fees to an appropriate organisation. Is it just me who can't see the logic in this?

[Biggus]

Canadian,

I believe that many years ago someone tried to offset the costs of frequent haircuts and large quantities of shoe polish against their tax, on the basis they had no choice but to spend this money because of their profession - needless to say they got nowhere!!

[Canadian Break]

Biggus - but "normal people get their hair cut and polish their shoes (well...OK) but my question was serious - especially the compatison with union dues and professional memberships.

[High_Expect]

It's my understanding that you can now opt out of the mess. It's a change that happened when they also decided you can't have 3 line whips for mess events.

Ps. If it's pay and not an allowance why isn't it pensionable!

[gijoe]

You have always been able to opt out of membership of the Mess.

Do you think it will do you any favours?

It is rather like the Cpl that complained about having to get hold of Sgts Mess Kit....I am sure everyone in the Mess thought he was a great bloke to work with.

G:ok:

[Wander00]

What is the point of being in the military, whichever service, and opting out of membership of the mess. If that is what one wants to do, go be a civilian

[floppyjock]

Ive been filling in self assessment forms in for years and you can only claim against any profit you make on some sort of second income ie if you rent your house out or a self employment.

I have a full time job mon to fri.
Army pension
Self employed at weekends.

I can only claim against my self employment profits.
I asked the tax office about what I could claim for and they said basicaly anything you have to pay out to be able to do your self employment job.

Thats why you cant claim for shoe polish or mess subs.

Hope that helps

Jim

[heights good]

Ask Google, it is your friend :)

Tax treatment of armed forces: reserve and auxiliary forces: expenses (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM50120.htm)

[Pontius Navigator]

gijoe, not when I joined it wasn't. The only time you didn't pay was if you were on leave between postings. One reason of course was that there was no alternative for single officers except to live in the mess.

As for tax relief, I tried to get tax relief for being a member of a charitable organisation. For one organisation it was permitted for the other it was not on the grounds that it was 'an association of members'. I suspect that mess subs would fall under the same heading.

Finally, on shoe polish, you do indeed get tax relief on it. Thee is a fixed deduction from gross salary before they arrive at taxable pay. It was for many years £367 pa for male officers. The tax relief in that sum, basic of around £72, was for replacement or maintenance of your uniform. It would include laundry, dry cleaning, new shirts etc and boot polish.

If you had kept all you receipts - laundry and dry cleaning, new hat and shoes etc and it came to more than £367 then you would have claimed relief on the extra. Balls ache?

[gijoe]

PN,

I stand corrected and bow to your knowledge.

I draw on my experience of have seen a barrack-room-lawyer type try it on....

...only to be reeducated about why he might just want to be in the Mess.

G :ok:

[Easy Street]

What is the point of being in the military, whichever service, and opting out of membership of the mess. If that is what one wants to do, go be a civilian

I feel no desire to join civilian life but I am slowly tiring of the messes since pay-as-you-dine came in. Essentially they are on the road to becoming privately-run conference centres, distinguished from off-base facilities only by the preferential rates for a limited number of formal events per year. The phenomenon of the off-base evening function is becoming ever more widespread as a result.

[Donna K Babbs]

You have always been able to opt out of membership of the Mess.

Have QRs changed recently? SNCOs and Officers MUST be members of a mess according to the set of QRs on DII.