I’m in need of advice…
I work for a massive production company, if you enjoy sports you probably watch our productions every week. We travel pretty much every week for 6-7 months of the year, and most people are awarded full travel benefits. I started as an intern type contract position, paying for my own travel, but have gained lots of responsibilities and have done 2 full seasons. Boss still won’t give me full travel benefits, but offers to supplement my pay to cover flights. Here’s the catch; there is no way to tell that they actually added the full cost of the flight to my paycheck. My paystubs don’t even represent my hours accurately; It lists my pay at 14/hr when I actually am being paid 30-40/hr. The only indication that there is additional money in each check is a small section that says: “multiplier: 1”. Paystub is as vague as my boss’ promises, which is surprising for a company worth billions.
So here’s where I need advice:
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How will this affect my taxes? Since I’m paying for flights then being reimbursed through my paycheck, won’t the IRS believe that I’m making more than I actually am?
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What moves can I make to protect myself against my boss’ vague promises? For example, I can use airline points to make the cash value of a flight cheaper. (Last year I opened a United card and have a lot of points)
I know this is very specific, but I really appreciate this community and have learned a lot about protecting myself as an employee here.