meals when on the road

[oceanlovin'ea]

TP is an insurance adjuster. He goes all over the state of Florida. Most ot the time he is back home at night but he will travel 50 miles one way up to around 200 miles one way some days.

I have always told him he can't take his meals. But I was just wondering if there is a point when TP can deduct meals besides if he stays overnight somewhere.

Just thinking out loud.

Linda

[dyne]

No, meals are NOT allowable. Meals are only allowable to be deducted when the taxpayer
is away OVERNIGHT which generally means he had to pay for lodging expense.

[spencer]

Aggressive

is what I like to be.....BUT TTB 8-5 is careful not to list meals as Ordinary and Necesasary" Still.... Ordinary is an expense that is common and accepted. Necessary is one that is helpful and appropriate. An expense does not have to be required to be considered necessary. Get your client to tell you "everyone else does it"! Just kidding.

[spencer]

Well, really,

No, meals are NOT allowable. Meals are only allowable to be deducted when the taxpayer
is away OVERNIGHT which generally means he had to pay for lodging expense.

dyne has it right.

[oceanlovin'ea]

That was what I thought.

I knew that was the way it is. But I just checking...... He is quite conservative with his meals on the road. Maybe he needs to pack his lunch. He did stay overnight 1 time last year.

When they came to me a couple of years ago, the last person told them he could take the meals. I told them no. He still pays for them with company credit card. I just charge them to owner draws.

Linda

[okie1tax]

Meals for Overnight

It does not HAVE to be overnight, just long enough that safety would require you to get some rest. It should probably be at least 2-4 hours as a minimum. And, that does not mean taking a lisurely? meal, it means rest.

[dyne]

irs.gov says: "You are traveling away from home if your duties require you to be away from the general area of your tax home for a period SUBSTANTIALLY longer than an ordinary day's work, and you need to get sleep or rest to meet the demands of your work while away." I doubt that 2 hours would satisfy IRS. It is true that you are not required to pay for lodging. You could sleep in your car, or in a sleeper cab of a truck cab for example.