Write Off Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses | FlyFin (2024)

Key takeaways...Read more

Can I deduct meals as an independent contractor?...Read more

When are meals 100% deductible in 2024?...Read more

Can lunch be a business expense?...Read more

Should I keep grocery receipts for taxes?...Read more

Can I write off alcohol as a business expense?...Read more

Can I write off meals while traveling for work? ...Read more

Are office snacks tax-deductible in 2024?...Read more

Is entertainment deductible in 2024? ...Read more

Can you write off country club dues?...Read more

Can you write off a golf membership?...Read more

Are holiday parties tax-deductible?...Read more

Writing off IRS business deductions in 2024...Read more

Imagine you're a freelance graphic designer and have a meeting with a potential client to discuss a new project over lunch at a local restaurant. During the meal, you showcase your portfolio, discuss project details and outline your proposed design solutions. The lunch serves a clear business purpose— a crucial part of your client acquisition process. In this scenario, the cost of the lunch can be considered a deductible meal. You can write half of it off your taxable income because it directly relates to your business. Business meal deductions can lower 1099 income and help you pay less self-employment taxes.

Suppose you operate a small catering business from your home. You regularly purchase groceries and food items to prepare meals for events and clients. In this case, those grocery receipts are essential. They show the cost of ingredients directly tied to your business operations. You can use these receipts to claim those business meals as deductions on your business tax return, reducing your taxable income and, ultimately, your tax liability.

This is a tricky one. Alcohol is considered to be a deductible business expense for your taxes, but it only works if the cost of the drinks purchased aren’t too extravagant. Writing off a couple of co*cktails from a client dinner as a business expense deduction makes sense, but you can’t use the same reasoning if you’re trying to write off a bar tab during happy hour. Deductible meals can include alcohol, but the IRS doesn’t make it easy. There are no clear rules on price limits, so you’ll have to take your chances. But if the costs seem reasonable, you should definitely take advantage.

When it comes to work-related travel in 2024, deducting meals while on a business trip can provide a significant tax advantage. Meals considered necessary and directly related to your business activities while away from your tax home are 50% tax-deductible. This includes meals with clients, colleagues, or any business meetings during your trip. The IRS often uses a "per diem" method for meal deductions during travel. Instead of itemizing every meal receipt, you can deduct meals at a standard daily rate determined by the IRS. This per diem rate accounts for both meals and incidental expenses, and it varies depending on your travel location. For 2024, the IRS has updated per diem rates to $74 for locations outside the contiguous US states (CONUS) and $69 for meals inside CONUS. By using per diem rates, you can deduct meal expenses without needing detailed receipts, making it a convenient option for frequent travelers. You can also deduct other travel-related costs like laundry, vehicle mileage, travel and hotel costs.

Office snacks are 50% tax-deductible in 2024, just like most other business meal expenses. You can also deduct half the costs of buying lunch for your employees. To claim these deductions, saving the receipts is essential. Proper records will prove to the IRS that these expenses were, in fact, business-related.

The entertainment deduction in 2023 remains unchanged in 2024. After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, most client entertainment expenses are not tax-deductible. You may still be able to claim the meals and entertainment deduction in 2024 if you can separate the two costs. Let’s say you’re holding an office function at a hotel. You could deduct the cost of catering for that event but cannot deduct the cost of renting a conference room. Entertainment costs can count as business expense deductions only in certain situations. If you’re a writer who reviews cultural attractions in your city, you can write off the cost of the museum and show tickets as it's a reasonable business expense. If you sell any form of entertainment to your clients, those costs are deductible, too. Bars with live music can deduct the cost of hiring musicians to play in their band.

Even if you meet your client frequently at the country club, the cost of the membership fees cannot be deductible. Regardless of whether you discuss business at the country club, the membership falls under the IRS category of “entertainment,” so it is exempt from the deduction.

Similarly, golf memberships cannot be claimed as a tax deduction. Unlike the business meals deduction in 2024, any kind of membership to entertainment or recreation facilities is no longer considered an itemized business expense.

If you throw your employees a holiday party, the costs can be 100% tax-deductible if you follow some rules. The guest list has to include non-highly compensated employees, the party has to be held in your office, and you have to hold on to all your party records. That includes guest lists, invitations, receipts and a list of expenses.

Knowing what qualifies as a business meal expense can be tricky, as tax rules are always changing. Apart from reaching out to a tax pro, you should also keep organized records to have all the necessary tax information to easily claim your deductions.