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American Pilots Living Abroad: World's Worst Tax Returns?


HONG KONG (July 2, 2014 - CNNMoney) - Think filing your tax return is a pain? You've got nothing on American pilots who live abroad.

As they crisscross the globe, IRS rules require expat American pilots to record exactly how long they're flying over the U.S., foreign countries and international waters. Once they land, the pilots have to track exactly when they're working, and when they're off the clock.

Here's why: If they ever face an IRS audit, the pilots will have to prove - using flight plans or other documents - exactly how much money they've earned in each jurisdiction, on land or in the air.

For this small slice of the American population, following the IRS rules to the letter means a tax headache that lasts 365 days a year.

"It's insane," said a Hong Kong-based airline pilot, who asked to remain anonymous over fears he would lose his job. "On every flight, I have to log the time I'm over foreign countries, and the time I'm over international waters and the U.S."

In fact, anyone who works abroad on a plane or a ship - flight attendant, merchant mariner or cruise ship dancer - can be required to produce those records.