Many of us often eat at the restaurant taking advantage of a small break between work and another. Let’s find out how a self-employed person can deduct lunch expenses by answering five simple questions that came to the editorial office from the readers.
1) If I eat at the bar every day, can I download the cost of the lunch and the VAT paid?
Yes, for tax purposes VAT on lunch is deductible (that is, we can subtract it from the VAT we collected on sales when we make the monthly or quarterly payment), while the cost of the restaurant can be deducted at 75% (if we spend 100 we can therefore deduct only 75).
2) Is there a maximum cost limit that you can download, or not?
Unfortunately, the limit is there and it is also very stringent. We can in fact deduct a maximum amount equal to 2% of our annual revenues. For example, if we invoice 50,000 euros we can deduct 1,000 euros.
3) What do I have to do to be able to unload the expenses?
If we usually have lunch in the same place, the simplest way to deduct the cost of lunch is to have the restaurateur make an invoice every month. In this case, we can communicate our tax data (name, address, VAT number) to the restaurateur in advance, to have them enter them directly into the cash register. In this way you will be able to issue the invoice faster without wasting time filling out the receipt every time we go to pay.
4) Can I download the cost if I pay with the meal voucher without asking for an invoice?
No, the current legislation does not allow us to deduct the purchase cost of meal vouchers if we use them in person. Therefore, the only way to deduct the cost of lunch is to have the bartender or restaurateur invoice us.
5) If I buy meal vouchers to give them to my employees, can I download the cost?
Yes, it is possible to deduct the expense for the purchase of vouchers if we assign them to our employees or our collaborators. In this case we will be able to subtract 100% of the cost incurred to purchase the vouchers from the revenues and we will also be able to regularly deduct the VAT paid on the purchase (the VAT rate is in this case equal to 4%).
