How Do You Handle Meals at Tax Time?

[dave4him]

I do not keep a log of what i feed the kids, since we are not on the food program. I do keep tab of how much we spend on groceries though, so when it comes time for taxes how do i handle food costs?

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I keep track of what meals I feed the kids and then take the standard deduction for each meal. So, if I fed 100 breakfasts, 150 lunches, 150 pm snacks and 100 dinners I would do the standard deduction for each then subtract off the food program reimbursment and that is my food cost.

I don't do it by food receipts because my family eats much of the same food and it would be too hard to seperate what the littles ate and what we ate.

[Heidi]

I do the same as Mrs. Steinel's.

If you haven't been doing that so far this year, you should be able to back track and figure pretty close up until this point. Then, keep track from now on. Just make a little spreadsheet and tick off meals fed each day.

[momofsix]

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2011/...announced.html

This is a link to last year's rates when Tom posted them. So however many of each meal you serve, that's the amount you can deduct from your taxable income. Meals you serve your own children are not deductible. You don't have to record what you serve, save receipts or anything. Just keep track of how many of each meal you serve. (sign in/out sheets are good enough records for this)
I believe that Tom is actually one of the main reasons we can claim the food this way-I think it's something he lobbied for on our behalfhappyface

[dave4him]

Should i print something off Minute menu for my parents to sign then, i dont have them sign anything. I just keep track, two of the kids are DHS anyway so they clock in on the machine.

[Crazy8]

I am not on the food program either and just use the standard deduction. I believe if you were ever audited proving that the food receipt purchases were for daycare only would be tough. Taking the standard deduction removes that issue. I use my sign in sheets to tally up the meals served, I have the times of meals in my contract and posted on our schedule so if you were here during that time you received that meal. I highly recommend having a sign in sheet... it can be useful for so many things - tax purposes, liability claims, etc.

[Abigail]

I'm on the food program but can only claim 2 meals and 1 snack for my income from them but I also do a morning snack. This means I can count 2 snacks, breakfast, and lunch. Is their a limit on how many? I'm wondering mainly because of infants who eat 5 times a day instead of 4.

Also do infants even count for meals being serve since it's breastmilk supplied from home??

[TomCopeland]

Food expenses

When claiming food expenses using the standard meal allowance rate (I got the IRS to pass this in 2003) you can claim up to 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 supper and 3 snacks per day, per chid. If the parent provides the entire food from home, you can't count that meal. But if the parent brings a snack and you provide juice, you can count this as a deductible snack.

When using the standard meal allowance rule, keep records showing which kids ate which meals and snacks each day. You don't need receipts or menus. You can use the Minute Menu Meal Report for this purpose.

[care-care]

tom?

Can you save recipts for your trips to the grocery store through out the year and use some of them for a mileage write off? I do standard deduction for food. But have all my reciepts for the past year and wondered if I enter them in my mileage write off? Id have to figure out a equation for how many are for daycare and home first. does this make sense? for grocery store trips

[MyAngels]

Can you save recipts for your trips to the grocery store through out the year and use some of them for a mileage write off? I do standard deduction for food. But have all my reciepts for the past year and wondered if I enter them in my mileage write off? Id have to figure out a equation for how many are for daycare and home first. does this make sense? for grocery store trips

In order to deduct the mileage for the trip the purpose would have to be "primarily" for business. I think the rule of thumb is if it's at least 50% for business purposes you can deduct it.

[TomCopeland]

standard meal allowance rule

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2011/...announced.html

This is a link to last year's rates when Tom posted them. So however many of each meal you serve, that's the amount you can deduct from your taxable income. Meals you serve your own children are not deductible. You don't have to record what you serve, save receipts or anything. Just keep track of how many of each meal you serve. (sign in/out sheets are good enough records for this)
I believe that Tom is actually one of the main reasons we can claim the food this way-I think it's something he lobbied for on our behalfhappyface

Yes, I came up with the idea and lobbied the IRS to pass the standard meal allowance rule in 2003.

[care-care]

so then throw out any reciepts for groceries unless the trip was more than 50 percent for daycare? because the standard deduction covers it all? Just making sure before I throw them all out because I thought last year I asked and I was to save them. I didnt have them for last yr so I didnt use any for a write off.

[sunlight]

Hi everyone, quick question. I am still new to this forum and would like to know what the minute meal menu is? I have never heard of it. Every year I have to dig through two very large boxes of reciepts for food. If I can find an easier way to do this I am on board!

Thank you all!

[TomCopeland]

MilwFW

so then throw out any reciepts for groceries unless the trip was more than 50 percent for daycare? because the standard deduction covers it all? Just making sure before I throw them all out because I thought last year I asked and I was to save them. I didnt have them for last yr so I didnt use any for a write off.

You can throw away all food receipts if you use the standard mileage method. However, if you bought non food items, save the receipt for that expense.

[shelby]

I was just going to ask this question, glad I came here!

So tell me if I am understanding this.. I just check off each meal my dcks eat and then take the standard deduction rate.. 1.37 for breakfast for my deductions during tax time... right.. ? even if I am not on the food program