ADVANCING AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY SINCE 1931

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the offer to return dues?

On April 19, ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi announced that the Association will offer to return $50 million in dues to its members thanks to a record surplus in 2023.

This first-of-its-kind, across-the-board dues-return offer represents nearly 30 percent of membership dues that went to the ALPA Int’l account and almost 16 percent of total dues. The dues-return funds will come entirely from the ALPA Int’l Administration & Support Account, not your Master Executive Council (MEC) account. Individual MECs may separately offer its own return from MEC account surpluses.

 

I received an email that appeared to be from ALPA asking me for my bank information. Is this legit or a scam?

This is a legitimate email from ALPA, coming from duesreturn@alpa.org with a username of ALPA Dues Return.

In order for you to accept your offered dues return, you must either provide us with direct deposit information for an electronic payment or ensure your mailing address is correct. ALPA will be sending emails and reminders to all eligible pilots throughout the summer with instructions from this email address.

When using the Direct Deposit Authorization Form, ALPA will first encrypt your account information and then house it in ALPA’s cloud-based accounting software, Infor, which is certified as a secure financial provider. Click for more information on Infor Cloud Security.

 

How much is my portion?

Your portion of the offered dues return will be 16 percent of your total 2023 dues obligation. Assessments are not included as they fund segregated accounts and specific activities not payable from dues monies, e.g., merger funds.

Per the ALPA Constitution and By-Laws, your offered return may be applied to certain outstanding balances. If you owe the Association money, your offered dues return may first be applied to that balance, then ALPA will offer any remaining funds to you.

 

How can I estimate my offer to return dues?

If you did not receive a dues reconciliation for 2022 or 2023 and are not paying on an arrangement plan, in most cases your 2023 dues obligation will equal what you paid in dues in 2023. You can access that amount under My Account on alpa.org (see instructions below). For those MECs that charged assessments in 2023, you will need to reduce the amount listed in My Account by the total you paid toward the assessment in 2023. To estimate your offer to return dues, multiply your 2023 dues obligation by 16 percent.

After logging into alpa.org, click on My ALPA (upper right-hand corner, red button). In the drop-down menu, select My Account. On the My Account landing page, select the member Information tile and then the Account tab. The 2023 dues amount listed is the basis for the return of dues, unless yours is one of the three properties that assessed pilots in 2023 to create merger funds (i.e., JetBlue, Mesa, and WestJet Encore).

Special additional information for JetBlue, Mesa, and WestJet Encore pilots

 

What’s the fastest way to accept my offered dues return?

Sign up for direct deposit. If we have your bank information on file, we will send your offered funds electronically. Log in with your ALPA account at mydirectdeposit.alpa.org to confirm, update, or add your bank information.

 

Where do I find my ALPA ID and/or password?

Go to mypassword.alpa.org and select "Password Reset" or "Recover Member Number." You can also access this page when logging into any ALPA site; in the log-in screen, select “Forgot Member ID” or “Forgot Password” and follow the same instructions. If you still need help, please email Membership@alpa.org, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Roughly 78,000 members are going through this same process, so please be patient. The earlier you contact us for assistance, the better the chance for a prompt reply.

 

Where can I find my banking information?

You will need your bank’s routing number and your personal account number to fill out the direct deposit authorization form. You can find these at the bottom of a paper check or by logging into your bank account. If you know your account number but not the routing number, search online for your bank name, your state, and “routing number.” If you need assistance, call your bank and they can provide the numbers.

 

What steps is ALPA taking to ensure my banking information is secure?

ALPA will first encrypt your account information and then house it in ALPA’s cloud-based accounting software, Infor, which is certified as a secure financial provider.Click for more information on Infor Cloud Security. 

 

The Direct Deposit Authorization Form states that ALPA can debit from my account. Isn’t this transaction only one-way, with ALPA putting funds into my account?

ALPA would only debit (take money from) an account if we credited too much in error. For example, if ALPA sent $5,000, but meant to send $500, ALPA would correct the error by debiting $4,500. The language on the Direct Deposit Authorization Form states:

I hereby authorize Air Line Pilots Association, hereinafter referred to as the Association, to initiate credit transactions to my checking account and only if necessary, adjusting debits or credits to correct an error to the initial credit (e.g., if ALPA credits my account $5,000 instead of the correct $500, ALPA will debit $4,500).

 

Can you mail me a check?

Yes, we can. However, ALPA must have your current address and it will take much longer for you to get your portion of the offered dues return. Paper checks require extra work and cost more to process, package, and mail. You’ll get your payment much quicker by signing up for direct deposit.

 

I’d still like a paper check, please.

To ensure accurate processing, please take a moment to log in to your member account to verify your mailing address. If we send your check to an old or incorrect address, it will be deemed a rejection of the offered return of dues.

Pilots without a Direct Deposit Authorization Form on file will automatically be sent a paper check to the mailing address in their member record when the offered returns are processed. There's no further selection you need to make to indicate this choice.

 

What could happen if I take no action or have not provided ALPA with my current mailing address?

You must have either a direct deposit authorization form or a current mailing address in your member record in order to accept the offered dues return. Members who don’t either complete the direct deposit authorization form to enable direct electronic deposit or who don’t have a current mailing address in their member account to facilitate the receipt of a check will be deemed to have rejected the offered return of dues.

 

How can ALPA deem that I “have rejected the offered return of dues”?

While the dues return offer is available to all ALPA pilots subject to dues during the affected time period, we must have the ability to return it to you.

ALPA policy addresses situations where ALPA has no mechanism by which to provide an offered return, which is why it is called an “offer of return.” Eligible members will receive their offered return as long there is a mechanism to return it. If ALPA does not have EITHER a completed Direct Deposit Authorization Form allowing us to remit the funds electronically OR a valid mailing address on file in your member record, there is no mechanism to return it and, per ALPA policy, the offered return will be deemed to have been rejected.

Pilots who believe that their check has been lost or not received can contact ALPA to request that it be reissued.

 

What if the annual dues reconciliation for my MEC is not complete at the time of the offer to return dues?

If dues reconciliation credits or invoices are posted to your account after the all-member offer to return dues, those differences will also be adjusted by 16 percent as if they had been posted and paid before the offer to return dues. 

 

What if I owe ALPA money? Will I receive the offer to return dues?

If you have a balance outstanding for more than 60 days, the amount of your offer to return dues will first be applied to those balances. If the offer of return of dues amount is larger than your outstanding balance, the remainder will be offered to you. You will receive an updated statement showing the amount applied to any outstanding balance.

 

My MEC is also offering to return dues. Does that affect how much I receive in the all-member offered return of dues?

No. The all-member offered return of dues comes from the funds made available to ALPA International, while your MEC offered return of dues comes from the funds made available to your MEC. Since those funds are entirely separate, the offers to return dues do not affect one another. Any questions regarding your MEC's offered return should be directed to your pilot group leaders.

 

In Canada, dues are tax deductible. How does this offer to return dues affect my taxes?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires that ALPA withhold funds for taxes and issue T4s for amounts exceeding $500 CAD. Since Canadian pilots' dues are deducted from their taxable wages on their company’s T4, the return of those funds is a taxable event in 2024. For amounts less than $500 CAD, the Association will not be issuing T4 forms, but we strongly encourage you to consult with your tax advisor as to reporting requirements for such amounts.

• If you are due to receive a return of funds greater than $500 CAD—cumulative with other ALPA payments for stipends or vacation cashout—then you must provide the following information before ALPA can offer the dues return: First name, Last name, Gender, Social Insurance Number, Birthdate, and Home Address. (Apart from ALPA work, you are likely to receive an offer to return funds greater than $500 CAD if you earned $168,000 CAD or more in 2023 from flying.)
• ALPA has created a secure portal where you can provide this information. At the same time, please fill out the direct deposit authorization form to ensure that you receive your offer to return dues as soon as possible.
• If you receive an offer to return dues of less than $500 CAD, but subsequently receive an ALPA payment that cumulatively exceeds $500 CAD, then additional taxes will be subtracted from the later payment to account for the taxes that should have been withheld from the earlier offer to return dues.
• If you receive less than $500 CAD from ALPA in 2024, you need not provide any additional information, but please sign up for direct deposit! (If you wish to receive a physical cheque, please ensure that your address on file with ALPA is correct.)

 

My question isn’t answered here.

E-mail us at DuesReturn@alpa.org and someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.