I am self-employed. This is NOT a home office. Others rarely come to the office, but I stock it with bottled water (there is no water to the building) and snacks. Are these a deductible business expense?
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Meals and entertainment that are directly related to your business are deductible. Generally this would mean meeting with clients, or snacks that you provide for customers. (My auto dealership service waiting room is stocked with pop and granola bars, for example). There has to be a direct relationship between the expense and your business income or expectation of future income.
However, food you eat yourself I would interpret as personal expense that is not deductible unless you are traveling away from home on business.
See IRS publication 463. The distinction is between "meals" (food you consume yourself) and "entertainment" (which can include food you provide to customers, including when you share a meal as part of landing a client, but not including personal food.)
in turbo tax it clearly states office snacks are deductible
it clearly states in turbo tax that office snacks are deductible. why are you telling people wrong stories
@jame Office snacks for others (such as clients or employees) may be deductible. Food for yourself is not.
@jame wrote:
in turbo tax it clearly states office snacks are deductible
Read IRS publication 463. There is a difference between food provided for clients or customers as a "ordinary and necessary" business expense, and personal food. Personal food is never deductible. I don't believe Turbotax says that personal food is deductible, but if it does, it's wrong.
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