Publication 516 |
2001 Tax Year |
Allowances, Differentials, & Other Special Pay
Most payments received by U.S. Government civilian employees for
working abroad, including pay differentials, are taxable. However,
certain foreign areas allowances, cost of living allowances, and
travel allowances are tax free. The following discussions explain the
tax treatment of allowances, differentials, and other special pay you
receive for employment abroad.
Pay differentials.
Pay differentials you receive as financial incentives for
employment abroad are taxable. Your employer should have included
these differentials as wages on your Form W-2, Wage and Tax
Statement.
Generally, pay differentials are given for employment under adverse
conditions (such as severe climate) or because the location of the
post of duty is outside the United States. They include:
- Post differentials,
- Special incentive differentials, and
- Danger pay.
Foreign areas allowances.
Certain foreign areas allowances are tax free. Your employer should
not have included these allowances as wages on your Form W-2.
Tax-free foreign areas allowances are allowances (other than post
differentials) received under the following laws.
- Title I, chapter 9, of the Foreign Service Act of
1980.
- Section 4 of the Central Intelligence Act of 1949, as
amended.
- Title II of the Overseas Differentials and Allowances
Act.
- Subsection (e) or (f) of the first section of the
Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, as amended, or section 22 of that
Act.
These allowances cover such expenses as:
- Certain repairs to a leased home,
- Education of dependents in special situations,
- Motor vehicle shipment,
- Separate maintenance for dependents,
- Temporary quarters,
- Transportation for medical treatment, and
- Travel, moving, and storage.
Allowances received by foreign service employees for
representation expenses are also tax free under the above provisions.
Republic of Panama.
Employees of the Panama Canal Commission and civilian employees of
the Department of Defense stationed in Panama can exclude from their
income certain allowances that are comparable to the allowances (under
the 4 laws listed earlier) that can be excluded by employees of the
State Department stationed in Panama. However, the overseas tropical
differential paid to civilian employees is taxable.
Cost-of-living allowances.
If you are stationed outside the continental United States or in
Alaska, your gross income does not include cost-of-living allowances
(other than amounts received under Title II of the Overseas
Differentials and Allowances Act) granted by regulations approved by
the President of the United States. Cost-of-living allowances are not
included on your Form W-2.
Federal court employees.
If you are a federal court employee, the preceding paragraph
applies to you with one change. The cost-of-living allowance must be
granted by rules similar to regulations approved by the President.
American Institute in Taiwan.
If you are an employee of the American Institute in Taiwan,
allowances you receive are exempt from U.S. tax if they are equivalent
to tax-exempt allowances received by civilian employees of the U.S.
Government.
Reemployment after serving with an international
organization.
Reemployment payments received by a federal employee who is
reemployed by a federal agency after serving with an international
organization are taxable. These payments are equal to the difference
between the pay, allowances, post differential, and other monetary
benefits paid by the international organization and the pay and other
benefits that would have been paid by the federal agency had the
employee been detailed to the international agency.
Allowances or reimbursements for travel and transportation
expenses.
See How To Report Business Expenses, later, for a
discussion on whether a reimbursement or allowance is included in your
income.
Lodging furnished to a principal representative of the United
States.
Lodging (including utilities) furnished as an official residence to
you as principal representative in a foreign country is tax free.
However, amounts paid by your employer for your usual household
expenses (which you must bear) are taxable. If amounts are withheld
from your pay to cover these expenses, they are not deductible.
Peace Corps.
If you are a Peace Corps volunteer or volunteer leader, some
allowances you receive are taxable and others are not.
Taxable allowances.
The following allowances must be included on your Form W-2
and reported on your return as wages. These include:
- Cash allowances received during training.
- If you are a volunteer leader, allowances paid to your
spouse and minor children while you are training in the United
States.
- The part of living allowances designated by the Director of
the Peace Corps as basic compensation. This is the part for personal
items such as domestic help, laundry and clothing maintenance,
entertainment and recreation, transportation, and other miscellaneous
expenses.
- Leave allowances.
- Readjustment allowances or "termination
payments."
Taxable allowances are considered received by you when credited
to your account.
Example.
Gary Carpenter, a Peace Corps volunteer, gets $175 a month during
his period of service, to be paid to him in a lump sum at the end of
his tour of duty. Although the allowance is not available to him until
the end of his service, Gary must include it in his income on a
monthly basis as it is credited to his account.
Nontaxable allowances.
These generally include travel allowances and the part of living
allowances for housing, utilities, food, clothing, and household
supplies. These allowances should not be included on your Form
W-2. These allowances are tax free whether paid by the U.S.
Government or the foreign country in which you are stationed.
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