OTHER COMPENSATION Counted as Income?

[GPark]

Hello all,

I have a quick question about other compensation reported on my paystub.
Basically, I get a vehicle to go to/from work. It does not increase my pay but at the end of the year they will take my gross earnings and add this other compensation (it is about $650/yr) then subtract my non-taxable income to arrive at taxable gross. Will I have to include this for my median income calculations? If I quit using the truck tomorrow, it would not affect my take home by 1 cent. Of course, my gasoline costs will increase, as will wear and tear. Anyone have something similar? This is just enough to bump me over the median.

I have not seen an atty yet, but I just want to go in prepared.

Thanks.

[HHM]

For BK purposes, I don't think so because it is not a cash outlay to you. When it comes to BK and income, the key is "disposible income". Your car thing is a non-cash benefit.

[GPark]

Prepare to Repair

Thanks for the input HHM.

I was assuming the same because it does not add any cash to my wallet. For example, they could make it OTHER COMPENSATION: $10,000/yr and it wouldn't even cover this month's phone bill. However, if an atty tells me it will count as income, I will probably seek another opinion. As a last resort, I will quit using the vehicle for a month or two because they only count usage on the days you actually used the vehicle (our supervisor notes it on our timecard) and maybe take a day of unpaid leave to get back under the median.

[GPark]

One last thought on this topic: For anyone in a similar situation.
In my opinion, due to the fact that Census Bureau Figures are used for median income calculations, and the Census Bureau does not consider non-cash income sources(fringe benefits such as vehicle perks without a cash outlay) , I would not enter it as income for the purposes of the means test even though you may be taxed on it at the end of the year. Many judges have decided that the census bureau's definitions are the guidance for income and household size.
So HHM, it appears that you were dead-on.