[MNWC]

Does anyone claim for food eaten when your at work 

[bad trippy]

All tax deductable my friend, just dont take the p1zz to often like 6 coarse meals in posh restaurants

[Pittmonkey]

My Accountant said no can do. Unless I was working away from Home. Not sure what the criteria is for distance.

Think I'll sack him my McDe bill is costing me a fortune.

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

You can only claim for breakfast IF you have to stay away from home to work.

You can not claim for your lunch while out for a day's work.

As my accountant told me "you eat to survive, you would eat anyway it is not a business expense"

[sparklebright]

If you are a Limited Co and the wife is a director you can go out for a meal and have a directors meeting! 
Also if you are Limited the Taxman will let you spend money on an Xmas meal if you do that sort of thing.

[tomy jackson]

 i think its 120 miles

[martinsadie]

Does anyone claim for food eaten when your at work 

stop being a tight arse 

[LWC]

My accountant said nope as its just a neccestiy, every day in day out thing. Fair enough really.

[Pittmonkey]

Think I'll get Ruth Kelly to do my return this year or any other absent minded MP who makes honest mistakes.

[LWC]

Think I'll get Ruth Kelly to do my return this year or any other absent minded MP who makes honest mistakes.

Yes definalty a few changes to be made to my tax return this year.

[Neil Williams]

Does anyone claim for food eaten when your at work 

Oh no! We've been here before on this subject.
You can't claim on what is normal everyday expenditure ie food and drink.
Now, if you vehicle broke down 100 miles from home and you had to stay somewhere over night (away from home) that would be different.
Within limits even sole traders can take 'customers/potential customers' (!) out for entertainment ie a 5 course meal. Read into that what you will

[AuRavelling79]

Yes you can - it's under subsistence on the HM rev and customs.

If you are out working away from your place of work (thats where I fill my van) and you need food and you buy a sarnie or cake or a McD for lunch to keep you going you can claim it. A class restaurant isn't subsistance; a greasy spoon arguably is.

You cannot however make a packed lunch from items from the weekly shop and claim for them.

Technically, you need to keep a receipt.

[leapstallbuildings]

Yes you can - it's under subsistence on the HM rev and customs.

If you are out working away from your place of work (thats where I fill my van) and you need food and you buy a sarnie or cake or a McD for lunch to keep you going you can claim it. A class restaurant isn't subsistance; a greasy spoon arguably is.

You cannot however make a packed lunch from items from the weekly shop and claim for them.

Technically, you need to keep a receipt.

Can you provide a link to that Malc?  That's a new one on me.
The only time I've claimed for food since being self-employed is if I'm claiming B and B such as being away at a cleaning show.  I also did a driving job when I first became self-employed and had to stay away a week at a time.  I offset the B and B then as well.

[AuRavelling79]

Go to IR&C - type "subsistence" in the search box and look up example EIM31818.

My interpretation of EIM31818 example 2 is that if I am on a business journey to a client and I buy some grub in a cafe or bakery or shop or burger van etc and I buy the food to keep me going (subsistance) and not go home or back to my place of work for lunch.

But I cannot claim for a packed lunch or stuff i would have bought anyway.

So usually I take a packed lunch and drink but if I don't or want something hot to continue at work or need more and buy something then I reckon that is claimable.

I'm only talking a few quid here and there but over a year on a once a week basis it can run into the low £100's in a year especially if I go to an all day job and buy a brekkie in a greasy spoon  and have fish and chips for lunch.

[Oakley Windows]

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM31815.htm

EIM31815 - Travel expenses: general: accommodation and subsistence: include associated subsistence
Sections 337 to 339 ITEPA 2003

Travel expenses include the actual costs of travel and also the subsistence expenditure and other associated costs that are incurred as part of the cost of making the journey.

The cost of business travel includes

    * the cost of any necessary subsistence costs incurred in the course of the journey
    * the cost of meals necessarily purchased whilst an employee is at a temporary workplace.

If an overnight stay is needed then the cost of the accommodation and any necessary meals is part of the cost of business travel. Even where an employee stays away for some time and the travel expenses are deductible, the cost of meals and accommodation is part of the overall cost of the business travel, see example EIM31816.

To qualify for a deduction the subsistence costs must be attributable to the business travel in the sense that they are costs incurred in the course of the journey that are additional to any costs that the employee would incur if it were not for the business travel. You will need to make sure that the costs are genuinely attributable to the business travel and not attributable to something else, as in example EIM31817 or example EIM31818.

You should exclude costs incurred as a consequence of the travel that are not incurred in travelling but result from the circumstances of the employee, for example the cost of putting a pet dog in kennels while away from home.

Once it is accepted that the employee has incurred allowable subsistence expenses you do not need to take into account the costs saved as a result of the business travel. For example, if the employee needs to eat in a restaurant while on a business trip you can permit a deduction for the full cost of the meal and should not make any adjustment for the costs saved by not eating at home. There is guidance at EIM31835 onward about the action to be taken where you consider that payments for accommodation, subsistence or other expenditure attributable to business travel are unduly lavish.

Where relief for business travel is given at statutory mileage allowance relief rates and not for actual costs (see EIM31200 onwards) this does not prevent relief for subsistence and accommodation costs. Mileage allowance relief applies to the costs of using the employee's own vehicle and does not prevent relief for additional costs attributable to business travel that are not costs of using that vehicle.

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM31815.htm

EIM31815 - Travel expenses: general: accommodation and subsistence: include associated subsistence
Sections 337 to 339 ITEPA 2003

Travel expenses include the actual costs of travel and also the subsistence expenditure and other associated costs that are incurred as part of the cost of making the journey.

The cost of business travel includes

    * the cost of any necessary subsistence costs incurred in the course of the journey
    * the cost of meals necessarily purchased whilst an employee is at a temporary workplace.

If an overnight stay is needed then the cost of the accommodation and any necessary meals is part of the cost of business travel. Even where an employee stays away for some time and the travel expenses are deductible, the cost of meals and accommodation is part of the overall cost of the business travel, see example EIM31816.

To qualify for a deduction the subsistence costs must be attributable to the business travel in the sense that they are costs incurred in the course of the journey that are additional to any costs that the employee would incur if it were not for the business travel. You will need to make sure that the costs are genuinely attributable to the business travel and not attributable to something else, as in example EIM31817 or example EIM31818.

You should exclude costs incurred as a consequence of the travel that are not incurred in travelling but result from the circumstances of the employee, for example the cost of putting a pet dog in kennels while away from home.

Once it is accepted that the employee has incurred allowable subsistence expenses you do not need to take into account the costs saved as a result of the business travel. For example, if the employee needs to eat in a restaurant while on a business trip you can permit a deduction for the full cost of the meal and should not make any adjustment for the costs saved by not eating at home. There is guidance at EIM31835 onward about the action to be taken where you consider that payments for accommodation, subsistence or other expenditure attributable to business travel are unduly lavish.

Where relief for business travel is given at statutory mileage allowance relief rates and not for actual costs (see EIM31200 onwards) this does not prevent relief for subsistence and accommodation costs. Mileage allowance relief applies to the costs of using the employee's own vehicle and does not prevent relief for additional costs attributable to business travel that are not costs of using that vehicle.

The highlighted text explains that it is only the case if an overnight stay is involved. For example if you had an overnight stay then breakfast and an evening meal could be included, but if it is within the days work then IMO it suggests that it can't be claimed for.