Claiming tax rebates
I left the RAF in 1983 and worked for airlines various for the next 27 years
I agree with the above but would add some extra bits
The Guild charges are allowable
Your airline BALPA can negotiate with the taxman for items considered unique to your activity especially if you can show a direct need.
If your airline does not provide a mobile phone but expects you to have one you can claim the extra costs of the calls but not the phone since they assume you will have one anyway
My last airline Eastern provides headsets but not noise cancelling. Balpa negotiated a deal for noise cancellers which netted a fixed proportion each year amounting to most of the cost over a period. I expect many airlines will have similar deals or could obtain them
Tax online is simple to figure out if you are thinking about PAYE use the online calculater. I started it before the general public because BMI volunteered us into it during the trial. You enter the data it does the sums as you go along, you can see last year to figure out anything you have missed but the basic sums are easy. Add up all your income and add on any extra bits BUPA, Loss of licence, kit insurance etc. Subtract and you have net income. Factor each lump at the rate charged and you have the tax you should have paid by year end. Whole thing takes about an hour if you keep the bits of paper as you go along in a tax man envelope
For some reason tax offices regard airline pilots as belonging on their dodgy customers list not realising we are all to knackered to spend time dreaming up avoidance schemes so be prepared for the odd query and even an enquiry. I was subject to an enquiry because I had overstated the amount of interest a building society had paid me. They said it was an error and therefore suspicious