Can I deduct this meal? A founder's guide to meals and entertainment

“Can I expense this?” comes up most often with food. The rules are specific, so here’s the short version.

The cheat sheet

What it is	Deductible?
Lunch with a client or prospect to talk business	50%
Meals while traveling overnight for work	50%
A team lunch during a working meeting	50%
Holiday party or team event open to all employees	100%
Tickets to a game, concert, or golf with a client	0% (entertainment)
Food bought at the game, if itemized separately	50%
Snacks and meals at the office for your convenience	Generally 0% starting in 2026

The details that matter

Business meals are 50%. The meal has to have a business purpose, you (or an employee) have to be there, and it can’t be lavish. Coffee with a potential customer counts.

Entertainment is 0%. Since 2018, tickets, golf, and other entertainment aren’t deductible, even when business gets discussed.

Company-wide events are 100%. Holiday parties and team outings open to all employees are an exception and are fully deductible.

Office food changed in 2026. Meals and snacks provided at the office for the company’s convenience used to be 50% deductible. Starting in 2026, most of them aren’t deductible at all.

Record-keeping

For every meal, keep the receipt and note who was there and what business you discussed. A quick note in QuickBooks or on the receipt photo is enough. “Lunch with Sam re: Q3 partnership” does the job.

The short version

Client and travel meals are 50%, all-hands events are 100%, and entertainment is 0%. Write down who and why. When in doubt, drop it in your Slack channel and we’ll tell you how it’s treated.