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Thread: deductions for food at work

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    Default deductions for food at work

    so this is probably a weird question:

    can i deduct food that i'm eating at work? obviously i won't get it from the kitchen, so it would have to be bought on the way to work or at the grocery store for the purpose of eating at work.

    I know i probably can't, but i wouldn'r be eating if i wasn't working... i'd be sleeping lol

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    No you can not deduct food eaten at work in most cases.

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    Not really. If you did , it's a risk anyway. Meal deductions are for when you treat clients to meals as part of the sales process ( many Vanilla business owners do this ). Ask your tax pro on this one if you are determined to do it but he/she will probably advise against it.

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    What zerorg said. Certain business meals may qualify if you are entertaining clients or on a legit business trip, but everyday meals cannot be deducted just because you eat them at work.

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    gotcha. what about when i travel dance?

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    Quote Originally Posted by crystalize View Post
    gotcha. what about when i travel dance?
    Again, your meals on the road are generally not deductible unless you are entertaining a client. The service has a helpful publication that is a start: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463/ch02.html.

    When I travel, I normally have the company pay my hotel and air fare expense. (We actually have 1/2 of a plane, so the company pays the half the pilot's salary, half the plane's fixed expenses and all the variable costs associated with any flying we do.) On my overseas trips, the company pays my air fare and the cost of a limo to and from the airport. I don't bother taking any meals as an expense unless I am entertaining customers. Then I use the company credit card. As with an individual, the company is limited to only deducting 50% of the actual meal cost. So, meals are really more of an accounting expense than they are really worth deducting. Meals just usually don't make it to the tax return. I do fully reimburse my employees though for any business meals they eat. (That really falls under the keeping my place a good place to work category than a tax reason.)

    HTH
    Z

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    Default Re: deductions for food at work

    From IRS.gov:
    Meal expenses are deductible if your business trip is overnight or long enough that you need to stop for substantial sleep or rest to properly perform your duties. Meal expenses are also deductible if the meal is business-related entertainment. You can figure all your travel meal expenses using either of the following methods:
    • Actual cost. If you use this method, you must keep records of your actual cost.
    • The standard meal allowance, which is the federal meals and incidental expense (M&IE) per diem rate. The GSA website lists these rates by location. Note that lower rates apply for the first and last days of travel.
    • The deduction for unreimbursed business meals is generally subject to a 50% limitation.

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