Headset as an income tax deduction

[toelessjoe]

It's been roughly eleventy million years since I've purchased a new headset and was just wondering if it's an actual income tax deduction. I'm just a regular employee, not a contractor. Side note; Bose vs. Zulu? I'm too lazy to do any actual research of my own. Aaaaand go.

- Toeless.

[jschnurr]

I think I claimed my new headset many years ago. I wasn't making enough money for the CRA to care anyway. YMMV.

[spruceair]

Not sure about the tax thing.

As for which to get, I’d try them on, and if possible try to borrow one of each for a day. It’s all about which is more comfortable for your head. Personally, I have the Bose and it’s absolutely fantastic.

[Rowdy]

If you have a giant dome like mine.. Zulu. If you have a small or normalish head, the Bose is also a good option.

I kinda dig the bluetooth phone/music function of the zulu though.

I too claimed mine when I didn't make enough for it to matter.

[Cessna 180]

No you can't claim. Just like a mechanic can't claim their tools (and they spend a whole lot more on tools then we pay for a headset). And the Zulu 3. It's cheaper and the quality is great. Warranty is great too (7 years).

[JBI]

As an employee, and not a contractor, you technically can't claim it as an employment expense.

However, as the others have stated, any expenses claimed depends on whether the CRA will review your tax return and/or agree with your claims. The caveat being that if/when CRA decides to do an audit, they can choose to audit a number of years back (not sure of the exact number anymore). Generally speaking, tax 'avoidance' isn't a crime - you just have to pay the amount you owe plus interest if the CRA disagrees with you assessment. Tax "Evasion" on the other hand is.

[BE02 Driver]

It's been roughly eleventy million years since I've purchased a new headset and was just wondering if it's an actual income tax deduction. I'm just a regular employee, not a contractor. Side note; Bose vs. Zulu? I'm too lazy to do any actual research of my own. Aaaaand go.

- Toeless.

I concur with the above statements regarding brands. I've had both. Zulu fits my head better (big head). There is no noticeable difference between ANR of the Zulu 3 and A20.

I also like Lightspeed for the 7 year warranty on the Zulu 3. I've had both fail, and both customer service departments are great to deal with. Both failing is the reason the warranty means so much to me, I use them about 70 hours a month and they are in and out of my bag and in and out of jacks a lot. Lots of opportunity to break stuff. If you only fly 1 plane, i.e. corporate then wear and tear might not be an issue.

It mostly comes down to how it fits on your head, so unfortunately you have to try them both on.

And no, you can't legally claim them on your return as a business expense. But if they are paid for by your work then they are a taxable benefit! Gotta love the CRA.

[C-GGGQ]

I don't see why not as a company driver (not owner operator) truckers are employees not contractors and we are allowed to claim basically anything we use for the truck (cleaning supplies, gloves, boots, windshield washer fluid, percentage of cell phone) this is all confirmed by the company I work for by the way and not just a driver's opinion. Headset for a pilot should fall under the same thing

[V3-HGX]

What about the David Clark DC Pro-X? I have a few friends that have it and they all love it. I am going to buy one for myself soon.

[Tips Up]

Check out the CRA guideline T4044 on employment expenses. In general, you have to meet several points in order to claim expenses you paid as an employee and your employer has to fill out a form and require you to purchase that supply as part of your employment. i.e. you want a brand spanking new Bose headset but you could use an old David Clark kicking around the hangar. No dice for claiming it. Teachers and long distance truckers have special sections covering what they can claim. Rather than repeat the whole form, just check it out and review with your accountant. Most I have talked to have said something like a headset does not fulfill all the requirements laid out in the form.

[C-GGGQ]

Check out the CRA guideline T4044 on employment expenses. In general, you have to meet several points in order to claim expenses you paid as an employee and your employer has to fill out a form and require you to purchase that supply as part of your employment. i.e. you want a brand spanking new Bose headset but you could use an old David Clark kicking around the hangar. No dice for claiming it. Teachers and long distance truckers have special sections covering what they can claim. Rather than repeat the whole form, just check it out and review with your accountant. Most I have talked to have said something like a headset does not fulfill all the requirements laid out in the form.

Ah yes. My mistake. I do get such a form with my t4

[flying4dollars]

I think you can claim it only if your employer provides a letter stating they do NOT provide them, but they are a necessity for crews to acquire to perform their duties.

[HiFlyChick]

I have a Lightspeed Zulu, my husband has a Bose - I'd say they're equal as far as ANR goes, but my mic is better in that his picks up more background noise when he's speaking (although Bose has the better "structure"/arm that holds the mic).

I've been very impressed with Lightspeed's customer support over the years, including a fix for free when I had a problem with the arm holding the mic, even though I was a year or two past the warranty period. Earlier this year I sent it in for a fix (I dropped it and broke the headset in half) and the price was really reasonable. Strangely enough, after the fix, the mic is not quite as good as it was - oit now picks up the background noise almost as much as the Bose. Neither is bad, but the original mic on the Lightspeed was so superior as to be obvious.

[ant_321]

You can claim anything if you don't get audited. I know someone that claimed a $15 000 watch and didn't get audited. I didn't believe him but he had a copy of the forms and his return saved as a PDF. He's quite a greasy fellow and was quite proud of it.