Business Trips vs. Vacations
Charlene M. Ives, CPA, PC
A business trip or convention must be connected to your business, meaning that the primary purpose is of a business as opposed to a personal nature. You can\'t deduct, for example, the entire cost of a trip that only involves one client phone call and the rest of the time spent on the beach.
If your business trip qualifies as a necessary and reasonable business expense, you can deduct the cost of travel and lodging, and 1/2 the cost of your meals. Personal activities will compromise your ability to deduct these expenses. You cannot deduct the cost of a spouse or other family members\' expenses, unless they are employees of your business and there is a business purpose for their travel.
If you go on cruise ship convention, you can only deduct the cost of the convention if the cruise involves a United State flagship and all ports of call are in the U.S. There is a $2,000 annual limit on deductions, and you must attach a statement to your tax return that includes details about the convention (purpose of the convention, relevance to your business).
The information made available through this site is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as rendering financial, tax, accounting, legal, consulting, investment or other professional advice on any matter. Your use of the site does not create a client, advisory, fiduciary or professional services relationship between you and . Please see the sites Terms of Use for more information.