Write-offs for work travel
Want to write off the cost of meals while you're traveling? Here's a rundown on what to deduct, and how.
Donna, Rome, N.Y.
My boss is an electrician and is working 4 hours away from his office. Can all his meals be deducted while away from his home office?
By Lenora Chu, CNNMoney.com contributing writer
The IRS allows you to deduct travel expenses, including meals, if you are working away from your “tax home,” or your principal place of business.
Generally, four hours away from your normal place of business would qualify as “away,” says tax attorney Brian Whitlock of Blackman Kallick, based in Chicago.
More specifically, two conditions must be met for you to be eligible to take a meal deduction, says Michael Beauchemin of the Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolina Accounting and Tax Service. Your duties must require you to be away for substantially longer than an ordinary day’s work, and you must need sleep or rest to meet the demands of your work while away from home.
An example might be the electrician who must travel to a job site, perform the work, and then stay in a hotel room to rest before the return trip home. In this case, meals would be eligible for deduction, says Beauchemin. However, should the electrician travel to a work site, take an hour off for a meal, and then return home in the same day, the meal deduction would not be allowed.
Note that should the “away” work extend beyond several months, the IRS may deny the deduction on the grounds that the tax home has shifted to the location of the work, Whitlock says.
How much can you write off for qualifying meals? Generally, you can deduct 50% of the actual cost of the meal, or you can take the IRS's standard meal allowance, says Beauchemin. That's $39 per day in most cities.
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From JK Alexandria, VA Here is a link. It give max meal and lodging allowed by Gov't travel. Also max allowed by IRS for deduction
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=17943
From Audrey Wright, King of Prussia, PA When you say the IRS minimum is $39 per day "in most cities" can you clarify which cities are higher? Certainly you cannot eat in NY City or LA or Miami or actually many big cities for that. Please send me more details on this. Thanks.
I work for a tour bus company and i am on the road about 8 months out of the year. Im never in one city for more than a night or two and im out for about a month at a time. would all the money i spend on food be deductible while i am on tour? also, the standard deduction, do you need receipts to take those? how do you prove you were away from home?