Deducting meals for coworkers, not employees

nmilling13

I work at an urgent care medical facility as a W-2 employee. Once of twice a year when we are slammed, I will purchase lunch or dinner for my team that day. These folks are not my employees, they are my coworkers and I have no managerial/administrative privileges over them. Is this an unreimbursed employee expense that I could claim? It is all of the staff present, on site, and for the purpose of business (we have to work with patients through lunch).

Henry

Hi nmilling13, it sounds like you'd be a great coworker to have!

Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into effect in 2018, suspended the previous
deduction for unreimbursed employee expenses. At this point, the unreimbursed employee expense deduction is only available to certain types of employees—someone who falls into one of these employment categories:

-Armed Forces reservists

-Qualified performing artists

-Fee-basis state or local government officials

-Employees with impairment-related work expenses

No other type of employee is eligible to claim a deduction for unreimbursed employee expenses. You can refer to this IRS website for more information.