Question

My wife's boss (company card) bought me a train ticket (He let her use the company card)

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
September 12, 2024
2 replies
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My wife works for a company and she and her supervisor/boss had to travel to another city in Korea. One of her supervisors said I was welcome to join (since the company paid for her hotel) and even said that she could use the company card to buy my ticket too (of course hers was bought too with it). I don't work for this company and I was unemployed entirely at the time. The boss was just being nice or generous with the spending on the card by letting her get me a ticket on it too. Is this reportable as income? He treated us to meals with the card too but I don't think it's applicable to me -- not even my boss nor workplace lol. Just my wife's. Thanks.

DoninGA

Employee

No, that is not taxable income to you.

O

Opus 17

Employee

I don't think the answer is clear cut. It's not income for you, but it might be income for your wife.

Anything your wife's employer provides her in exchange for her services is taxable income, unless it falls into one of the limited categories of tax-free fringe benefits. For example, my wife received a gift card from her employer for flowers when her mother passed away, and the value of the gift card was duly added to her W-2 income and subject to income and social security tax.

The employer can pay for a business trip if it is related to business, and they can deduct the cost as a business expense. However, if the employer said "stay an extra week and take a vacation on me" then any of those costs would not be deductible business expenses and would have to be included in the employee's W-2 wages. So I think it is likely that under the rules, the value of spousal travel would have to be included in her W-2. But that is something the employer should take care of. The value of the ticket is not something you independently report as income because you don't have a relationship with the employer.

S

shanesnhAuthor

Thanks. My wife is an NRA and has never even set foot in the US so I'm certainly not putting her on my taxes. I will file MFS and write in NRA in lieu of an SSN/ITIN.

So, for me, it's nothing to worry about, right?

O

Opus 17

Employee

@shanesnh wrote:

Thanks. My wife is an NRA and has never even set foot in the US so I'm certainly not putting her on my taxes. I will file MFS and write in NRA in lieu of an SSN/ITIN.

So, for me, it's nothing to worry about, right?

Correct. If there are any tax consequences for a Korean business giving a perk to an employee's spouse, that would be handled under Korean law by the employer. You have nothing to report on your tax return.