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Checklist: Meals and Entertainment Tax Deduction in 2019

Written by Darren Reed | Oct 3, 2019 12:15:31 AM

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought about many tax changes, one of which is what and how much of your meals and entertainment expenses are deductible. At a high level, beginning in 2018, entertainment expenses are no longer deductible and the majority of meal expenses are now deductible at 50%.

We first wrote about these changes in this blog post a year ago- and the following checklist provides further clarification on the new rules.

Category Previous Deduction Deduction as of 2018
Entertainment: tickets for sporting events, theater, etc.; club expenses; golf course fees; hunting or fishing trips; etc. 50% 0%
Meals with clients where business is discussed 50% 50%
Meals with clients where business is not discussed (this is classified as entertainment) 50% 0%
Meals with employees where business is discussed 50% 50%
Meals with employees where business is not discussed (this is classified as entertainment) 50% 0%
Food and snacks provided for employees (not considered part of compensation) 100% 50%
Company picnics and parties 100% 100%
Meals for employees while they are on business travel 50% 50%
Meals and entertainment included in an employee's compensation package 100% 100%

Do you have questions on how to classify your meals and entertainment expenses? Contact Sweeney Conrad’s Senior Tax Associate Darren Reed at dreed@sweeneyconrad.com.