Tax question

When doing a shop at a fast food place with a friend and you oay for all do you claim the whole check on your taxes or just your part of the check? Same with groceries, do you claim the small reimbursed part or the whole shebang which can go over a lot sometimes if really shopping.

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If you are not required to take a friend and the mystery shopping company is not furnishing a reimbursement for the friends' meal, I believe that is your personal expense and you cannot deduct it.

With groceries, unless you cannot make the required purchases within the reimbursed amount you cannot deduct the overage. For example, you have to buy one item from pharmacy, one item from deli, and one item from bakery, and you are reimbursed X dollars. You cannot deduct the overage UNLESS you purchase the least expensive item in each department and the total is still more than the reimbursement.

This is just my opinion, I am not a CPA or an Enrolled Agent.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

you can claim up to what they will reimburse....or
if there is no reimbursement, what is reasonable
to conduct the shop.

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Thanks, my neice likes to go out to the fast food shops sometimes and it makes it easier to blend in if yoiu drag a kid along.

Most fast food shops (not all, but most) don't allow you to have anyone with you on the shop so read the directions very carefully before bringing your niece with you.

Some allow a guest, but their meal must be on a separate ticket, some allow it on the same ticket but only reimburse for your meal.

Time to build a bigger bridge.

Your best bet is to speak to a local tax accountant (each state may vary). A cool one may even give you some free tips. I had my taxes done last year (first year of mystery shopping) and it was only $250. And that's an expense you can include in the next year's taxes.

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