I'm a bar manager - If I go out and try beers is that a valid expense?

[Zergon]

Title pretty much says it all:

I'm a salaried bar manager and also have a love of beer. If I went to a brewery to sample their drinks with the hope of finding something to bring in to my bar would that be considered a valid expense? Or would it be better to look at my company reimbursing me for it?

Thanks!

[xmasbaby0]

No-----trying beers at other establishments is not deductible for you.  You say you are a salaried employee.   The tax laws dating from tax year 2018 say that W-2 employees cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal tax return.

W-2 employees cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal return.  Job-related expenses were eliminated as a federal deduction for W-2 employees by the tax laws that changed for 2018 and beyond.  Your state tax laws might be different in AL, AR, CA, HI, MN, NY or PA.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4482873-which-federal-tax-deductions-have-been-suspended-by-tax-re...

[Opus 17]

Your employer can reimburse you on a tax-free basis, if your employer has an “accountable reimbursement plan” (which means you provide receipts to prove that the expenses are work-related) and assuming of course that the employer considers the expenses to actually be work-related.