About the Course
Introduction
This CLE/CPE course will provide guidance to tax attorneys and advisers on the applicable tax rules, reporting requirements, and tax compliance for business aircraft owners and operators to minimize tax consequences and defend against IRS audits. The speaker will discuss reduced or eliminated tax deductions, calculating and reporting available tax deductions, proper documentation required for compliance and to avoid audit adjustments, opportunities for tax savings, and pitfalls to avoid.
Description
The ownership of a business aircraft comes with significant federal tax implications and offers opportunities for optimum tax benefits with careful planning. Tax attorneys and advisers must recognize the impact of key tax provisions applicable to business aircraft and implement tax planning techniques to ensure the best results for taxpayers.
Aircraft owners and operators face complex IRS rules that must be considered to correctly account for deductible expenses and secure tax savings for taxpayers. Tax professionals must navigate the bonus depreciation requirements, properly classifying business use versus personal use, and other items that could prompt high IRS scrutiny.
In addition, tax counsel and businesses must consider the hobby loss rules, consequences of related-party leasing, and passive activity loss limitations, along with many other federal tax issues.
Listen as our distinguished speaker discusses federal tax rules impacting aircraft owners and operators, calculating and reporting available tax deductions, proper documentation required for compliance and to avoid audit adjustments, opportunities for tax savings, and pitfalls to avoid.
Presented By
Ms. Sailor has over 20 years of aviation, tax, and accounting experience. She has assisted hundreds of aircraft owners and operators with aviation tax planning to minimize state tax consequences, maximize federal tax deductions, meet FAA regulatory requirements, and ensure ongoing compliance with recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Ms. Sailor has also assisted clients with structuring a vast number of aircraft transactions, including drafting and negotiating purchase/sales agreements, dry lease agreements, aircraft and charter management agreements, and co-ownership agreements. In addition to tax planning and structuring, she has represented numerous aircraft owners and operators in all aspects of state and federal tax examinations, including representing clients during audit examinations and administrative appeals; negotiating with IRS and state revenue personnel to resolve tax assessments; and representing clients before the U.S. Tax Court and state courts and administrative tribunals. Prior to founding ATA, Ms. Sailor was a Principal at GKG Law, P.C. (2023-2025) in the business aviation and tax practice group and a managing attorney at Advocate Consulting Legal Group, PLLC (“ACLG”), an aviation tax firm she joined in 2009.
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This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
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Date + Time
- event
Thursday, March 26, 2026
- schedule
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
I. Tax treatment of business aircraft ownership and classifying flights under current tax law
II. Sec. 162 ordinary and necessary requirement
III. Sec. 183 hobby loss limitation
IV. Sec. 469 passive activity loss limitation
V. Accelerated depreciation options
A. Sec. 168 Bonus & MACRS depreciation
B. Sec. 179 expense election
C. Section 280F qualified business use requirements and limitations
VI. Key planning techniques to maximize tax benefits
VII. Best practices for recordkeeping and compliance
The panelist will review these and other key issues:
- What are the tax pitfalls to avoid for aircraft owners and operators under current tax law?
- How do you properly classify business use?
- How do you calculate and deduct aircraft expenses?
- What are the tax issues regarding related-party leasing?
- What are the best practices in navigating depreciation options?
- What are the hobby loss and passive activity rules and traps to avoid?
