# Will this be deductable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824 "2010-04-12T12:05:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824/1 "2010-04-12T12:05:12Z")
Wondering if food bought for a work crew, such as a couple of pizzas at lunch time or coffee at break time is deductable from Income Tax, also meals bought while at work, are they deductable ? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824/2 "2010-04-12T13:25:33Z")
Depends. Are you an employee, or are you the business owner? Or a contractor to the business? Are you asking if the meal cost is deductible by the worker or by the business? Are you at your normal work location, or out in the field or at a customer’s site? if not at your normal location, is it within normal driving distance of your normal work location, or are you staying overnight out of town? Is this business (or are you) subject to Department of Transportation rules? e.g. are you an airline, trucking company, ocean-, lake- or river-shipping company or a railroad? Once we know all that, we can start to give you the SD answer. But for the generic _I work in an office or factory and buy my lunch at the nearby McD’s every day_ schlub, the answer is absolutely no; they are not deductible. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824/3 "2010-04-12T13:38:21Z")
I am a manager at a small company and occasionally buy lunch for employees. I expense it back, and the company (an LLC) treats it as an entertainment expense. I presume it is treated as an expense when calculating net taxable profit. If I did not get reimbursed by my company, I _might_ be able to treat it as an unreimbursed business expense. Unreimbursed business expenses are only deductible for the amount that exceeds 2% of your AGI. Even then I’m not sure that buying lunch for subordinates would count. Buying lunch for your buddies certainly wouldn’t. Meals bought for yourself at work are not deductible for meals during normal scheduled work hours. If you have to work late and buy dinner, it _might_ be, though would be subject to the limitation I just mentioned. I’m not sure what all the rules are about meal expenses outside normal scheduled hours. I am not a tax advisor. For your specific situation see your tax advisor. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824/4 "2010-04-12T18:03:56Z")
From the perspective of a business/owner buying lunch for employees, it is deductible. You get a 50% Meals & Entertainment deduction by default, which means that you’re only getting a partial benefit. You would have the option of including the cost of the meals in the W-2 wages of the employees (remember to increase FICA withholding too). This makes it 100% tax deductible to you, but it’s taxable income to the employees. If you are an employee, then the answer is probably no (but, as others have said, we’d need more details to provide a definitive answer). ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-be-deductable/535824/5 "2010-04-13T11:52:31Z")
Thank you poasters. I work in road construction I supervise several flaggers, their job is to control traffic so the work crew can facilitate their job. A lot of time we only get bathroom breaks, and during the bitter damp cold days we will send one person (usually myself) to get coffee for the the crew, also I will do the same at lunch time getting pizza or some other hot meal for the crew. Crew being the flaggers and the road crew. There are times the construction will recipricate and buy lunch and coffee.