{"id":2491775,"date":"2026-07-07T12:38:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2491775"},"modified":"2026-07-07T12:38:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:38:04","slug":"tax-tip-whats-deductible-for-meals-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/tax-tip-whats-deductible-for-meals-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax Tip: What\u2019s Deductible for Meals &#038; Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\"> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/synap.so\/t\/XO01VeEkgot19K8QGgkCl7tN7LOytQWIpM3uAviOMXqo4AqaNaySNoEU\" data-reference=\" Meritus \" target=\"_blank\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Meritus-3-9.jpeg.webp\"\/> <\/picture> <\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think you can still write off that client golf outing or business lunch? Think again.<br \/>Tax laws governing meals and entertainment have changed significantly over the past few years. While the temporary 100% deduction for most restaurant meals is long gone, there are still opportunities to maximize deductions\u2014if you know the rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made a few targeted changes, while provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) continue to limit many popular business expenses.<\/p>\n<p><style><![CDATA[#placement_511578_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}]]><\/style>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result? Not every meal\u2014or every outing\u2014is treated the same.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Here\u2019s the good news.<\/strong><br \/>Many legitimate business meal expenses are still deductible. Employee appreciation events remain fully deductible, and ordinary business meals with clients or prospects generally qualify for a 50% deduction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-3\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\"> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/synap.so\/t\/N8KI9u7XOCXdxmxIPo4AKnlOGU57EKtKeXDc9MAwtOTp8rmR7jYZLygW\" data-reference=\" REV FITTNESS \" target=\"_blank\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-banner-1-scaled.png.webp\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Website-banner-1-scaled.png\"\/> <\/picture> <\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, most entertainment expenses\u2014even when they\u2019re intended to generate business\u2014remain completely non-deductible. That means golf outings, sporting events, concerts, and similar entertainment with clients generally won\u2019t reduce your tax bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One notable exception created under OBBBA allows employers operating certain offshore oil and gas drilling rigs or defined fishing vessels to continue deducting qualifying employee meals at 100%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Before You Swipe the Company Credit Card\u2026<\/strong><br \/>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\"> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/synap.so\/t\/K4O5AimrSDrhsyGYer2SER4pvaaIMZ2ShEG9dDmtu1DOYKOcsH9wB2Bc\" data-reference=\"Gateway Auction\" target=\"_blank\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Gateway-6-16.png.webp\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Gateway-6-16.png\"\/> <\/picture> <\/a><\/div>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is this a meal or entertainment?<\/li>\n<li>Who attended?<\/li>\n<li>What was the business purpose?<\/li>\n<li>Is there documentation to support the deduction?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those answers can determine whether your deduction is worth 100%, 50%, or nothing at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chart below provides a quick reference for the most common meal and entertainment expenses you\u2019ll encounter in 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you\u2019re taking a client to lunch, rewarding your employees, or planning your next networking event, knowing the rules before you spend can help you avoid unpleasant surprises at tax time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you\u2019re unsure, don\u2019t guess. The tax professionals at Saunders Tax &amp; Accounting can help you maximize every legitimate deduction while keeping you compliant with ever-changing tax laws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meals &amp; Entertainment Deductions for 2026 and Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Deduction<\/th>\n<th>Expense<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>100% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Year-end party for employees and spouses<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>100% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Golf outing for employees and spouses<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>50% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Restaurant meals with clients and prospects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>50% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Employee meals for required business meetings purchased from a restaurant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>50% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Meals served at a chamber of commerce meeting held in a hotel meeting room<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>50% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Meals consumed at a restaurant during overnight business travel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>50% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Meals cooked in a hotel room kitchen during overnight business travel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>0% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Entertainment such as baseball and football games with clients and prospects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>0% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Employee meals served by an in-house cafeteria for the employer\u2019s convenience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>0% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Break-room coffee, doughnuts and snacks for employees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>0% Deductible<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Restaurant meals for employees working overtime<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with all tax related questions, nothing is cut and dry. For help with your business expenses, contact Saunders Tax &amp; Accounting at http:\/\/www.saunderstax.com or call us at 301-714-2071. Open Monday \u2013 Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm. Awarded the Hagerstown Hot List 2026 and Hagerstown Chamber of Commerce \u201c2023 Small Business of the Year\u201d by providing a Less Taxing Life and More Prosperous Solutions since 1984!<\/p>\n<p><style><![CDATA[#placement_617483_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}]]><\/style>\n<\/p>\n<p><style><![CDATA[#placement_511580_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}]]><\/style>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\" style=\"margin: 8px auto; text-align: center; display: block; clear: both;\"> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ziplink.us\/t\/iDOO2PNXCkAukNweHfotxarr\" data-reference=\" Geisel Funeral \" target=\"_blank\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Geisel6-4.png.webp\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fcfreepresspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Geisel6-4.png\"\/> <\/picture> <\/a><\/div>\n<p> <!-- CONTENT END 2 --><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source fcfreepresspa.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Think you can still write off that client golf outing or business lunch? Think again.Tax laws governing meals and entertainment have changed significantly over the past few years. While the temporary 100% deduction for most restaurant meals is long gone, there are still opportunities to maximize deductions\u2014if you know the rules. The One Big Beautiful [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2491776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2491775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tax-Tip-Whats-Deductible-for-Meals-Entertainment.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2491775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2491775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2491775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2491777,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2491775\/revisions\/2491777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2491776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2491775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2491775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2491775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}