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Originally Posted by Kalyn he keeps receipts on both. can we deduct this from our income tax? |
EEs that find themselves with business-related expenses that are not reimbursed could have a viable tax deduction; As a general rule, the IRS doesn't allow taxpayers to deduct their personal expenses, such as meals, rent and lease payments on a personal vehicle. However, there are exceptions to every rule. The expenses you incur to purchase meals as an employee can be deductible only in certain situations while you are working. And even if you qualify, you can never claim a deduction for the entire cost of the meal; as an employee, there are two situations when you can deduct the cost of meals you purchase. The first situation is when your job duties require you to go on overnight trips, such as flying to a client meeting in another state or attending a business conference. Regardless of the reason for your travel, the IRS requires that the trip warrant an overnight stay away from home because you require sufficient rest to perform your job duties. The second situation that allows you to deduct the cost of food is when you conduct business while having the meal. For example, if your boss requires you to take a prospective client to a fancy lunch, you can deduct the cost of the meal if you pay for it yourself. The employee meals you want to deduct fall under the category of work-related expenses. Work-related expenses are only deductible on a Sch A attachment when you elect to itemize your deductions for the year rather than take the standard deduction. Work-related deductions are also considered miscellaneous expenses that are subject to the 2-percent AGI limitation. This means that when you total up all of your work-related expenses, including 50 percent of your meal costs, you can only deduct the portion that exceeds 2 percent of your AGI. Certain situations allow an employee to claim the cost of purchasing his work uniforms as a tax deduction on his federal income tax. An employee is required to meet the criteria put in place by the irs to successfully claim this deduction. The deduction may be claimed every year new uniforms are purchased; According to the irs, you can claim the cost of your work uniforms as a miscellaneous tax deduction provided these uniforms are not fit to wear in any other situation and are required by your employer as a condition of employment. An example of this might be medical scrubs or a police officer's uniform. Your cost for the uniforms must not be reimbursed by your employer and must occur in the same year for which you are filing taxes.