Travel can be very expensive. When you travel for business, many of your expenses can be written off at tax time. This will save you a lot of money if you know how to do it correctly. But you don't want to overdo it and risk being audited. It's a careful process and some areas have thin lines. You'll want to know exactly what you're doing.
The most important thing to know is what is deductible and what isn't. A lot of things can be written off as business travel expenses, but you don't want to get ridiculous with it or you could find yourself in trouble. Ask yourself if your trip is primarily for business, or pleasure. Even if it is primarily a business trip, things you do for pleasure on the side may not be deductible.
When a purchase IS business related, you can write it off. Nearly anything counts. Hotel rooms, airfare, travel documents, meals, cab fare, dry cleaning, and business related long distance calls. But you'll need to save all the documentation. This mostly pertains to receipts. While you may not need to send the receipts with your tax claim, you will need to have them in case you get audited so that you can back up your claims if they are called into question.
The most important thing to know is what is deductible and what isn't. A lot of things can be written off as business travel expenses, but you don't want to get ridiculous with it or you could find yourself in trouble. Ask yourself if your trip is primarily for business, or pleasure. Even if it is primarily a business trip, things you do for pleasure on the side may not be deductible.
When a purchase IS business related, you can write it off. Nearly anything counts. Hotel rooms, airfare, travel documents, meals, cab fare, dry cleaning, and business related long distance calls. But you'll need to save all the documentation. This mostly pertains to receipts. While you may not need to send the receipts with your tax claim, you will need to have them in case you get audited so that you can back up your claims if they are called into question.
Don't use the tax write-offs as an excuse to go crazy with your expenses. Getting the most expensive meal on the menu every night and sleeping in a penthouse suite the whole time can cause trouble if you try to write that off. That doesn't mean you have to eat fast-food every night, either. There's no set dollar amount as to what counts as a basic meal and what counts as an overly extravagant luxury. Just try to use your common sense. Another thing to remember when it comes to meals is that typically you will only be able to claim 50% of the meal as a business expense. Percentage amounts may apply to other niceties as well; the IRS changes these amounts every so often.
If you stay on the trip longer than what it takes to conduct business, your deductible expenses only count for the business portion of the trip. If business is concluded a day early, almost anything you do on this last day cannot be written off.
Even if business is still in motion, certain things you do that do not pertain towards business cannot be written off. For example, going to a theater by yourself will probably not be a valid claim. But if you treat your business contact to a local play and business is discussed before and after; you may have a valid claim.
If you bring family or friends along for the trip, only your own expenses are deductible. When going to restaurants and hotels, you may want to request your own bills be put on a separate ticket to simplify things when it comes time to file a tax claim. The only exception being if your friend or family member is also a business partner and you can prove this fact.
It is essential that you keep very good records of your business travel expenses. Tax laws can be confusing and they are changed often. If you have questions, your safest option is to consult a tax specialist.