From Flights to Meals: A Guide to Business Travel Tax Deductions

As a business owner, you may travel to visit customers, attend conferences, check on vendors and for other purposes. Understanding which travel expenses are tax deductible can significantly affect your bottom line. Properly managing travel costs can help ensure compliance and maximize your tax savings. Your tax home Eligible taxpayers can deduct the ordinary and necessary expenses of business travel when away from their “tax homes.” Ordinary means common and accepted in the industry. Necessary means helpful and appropriate for the business. Expenses aren’t deductible if they’re for personal purposes, lavish or extravagant. That doesn’t mean you can’t fly first class or stay in luxury hotels. But you’ll need to show that expenses were reasonable. Your tax home isn’t necessarily where you maintain your family home. Instead, it...

Traveling for Business This Summer? Here's What You Can Deduct

If you and your employees are traveling for business this summer, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind. Under tax law, in order to claim deductions, you must meet certain requirements for out-of-town business travel within the United States. The rules apply if the business conducted reasonably requires an overnight stay. Note: Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees can’t deduct their unreimbursed travel expenses on their own tax returns through 2025. That’s because unreimbursed employee business expenses are “miscellaneous itemized deductions” that aren’t deductible through 2025. However, self-employed individuals can continue to deduct business expenses, including away-from-home travel expenses. Rules that come into play The actual costs of travel (for example, plane fare and cabs to the airport) are deductible for out-of-town business trips....

Combining Business with Pleasure Travel

Summer is here, so you might be thinking about getting some vacation time. If you’re self-employed or a business owner, you have a golden opportunity for combining business with pleasure travel for a few extra days and offset some of the cost with a tax deduction. But be careful, or you might not qualify for the write-offs you’re expecting. Combining business with pleasure travel: basic rules Business travel expenses can potentially be deducted if the travel is within the United States and the expenses are: “Ordinary and necessary” and Directly related to the business. Note: The tax rules for foreign business travel are different from those for domestic travel. Business owners and the self-employed are generally eligible to deduct business travel expenses if they meet the tests described...

At this time of year, a summer vacation is on many people’s minds. If you travel for business, combining a business trip with a vacation to offset some of the cost with a tax deduction can sound appealing. But tread carefully, or you might not be eligible for the deduction you’re expecting. General rules Business travel expenses are potentially deductible if the travel is within the United States and the expenses are “ordinary and necessary” and directly related to the business. (Foreign travel expenses may also be deductible, but stricter rules apply than are discussed here.) Currently, business owners and the self-employed are potentially eligible to deduct business travel expenses. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees can no longer deduct such expenses. The potential deductions...