Can I bill my airplane travel expenses to a client?

Michael 182 wrote:
I have a PPL, no commercial. I travel for my consulting busines, which I
own. Can I bill my client some reasonable rate for travel expenses when I
use my plane? I am not using the plane to generate income, it is tangential
to my business, which happens to be technology litigation consulting.

Michael,

Your best bet is probably to run this question by AOPA and your
accountant.

In contrast to some other responses on this thread, I don't think
the FAA cares (I'm assuming it's just you flying, and not you putting
your clients in the plane and flying them to another locale).
I think it's between you, the client and (if tax issues are
involved) possibly the IRS.

I think if you bill the client a rate commensurate with gov't
milage for driving, or with a commercial airline ticket purchased
on the same time scale, no one will look twice, neither your
client nor the IRS nor the FAA.

I think if your actual flight expenses are significantly higher
than driving or commercial flight, the client might object if you
bill them for the whole thing, but that's between you and the client.

The FAA cares deeply that private pilots not "hold forth" to the
public to provide transportation. Thus the rules that the pilot
can only be reimbursed for certain specified actual expenses such
as fuel and oil, or rental fees, and even then only a pro-rated
share with the pilot paying his part, and that even receiving
logged time can be construed as "compensation". And the flight
must meet other tests, such as you having reasons of your own
to travel to your destination, not going there simply to transport
others.

But if it's just you in the plane, I don't think the FAA cares
how you're funding your "flight addiction": working 9-to-5,
billing the client for reasonable transportation expenses,
inherited wealth, whatever.

The followup question is, if I can't bill the expense, would I be able to if
I got the simplest level of a commercial license?

The commercial license would change the issues if you are flying
others, but I don't think it's relevant if the question is you
traveling on business.

Good luck,
Sydney