Meals

[Guest maya24]

Can someone advise me on what is considered ok to reimburse for meals? From what I have read, I understand it to be only meals at a hospital or medical facility. I know in the past our company allowed meals at restaurants and such, but according to Pub 502 it doesn't include any of that. Grateful for any guidance I can get on this.

[SLuskin]

I just got the EBIA winter 2004/2005 Cafeteria Plan update. Their chart says only meals in a hospital or medical facility. All other meals they consider to be personal expenses.

[GBurns]

You might want to explain better what you mean.

An employee, whether President, VP or sales rep, who takes a client out for lunch or any other meal or entertainment and which meets a business purpose is a reimburseable expense.

Such a lunch would not be at a hospital etc.

If you mean reimbursing an employee from an FSA, then it would have to meet the medical care related "test".

If an eligible person is required to have a meal for medical reasons or as part of seeking medical care, it is not necessary that the meal be in any particular place such as a hospital or medical facility aside from the fact that not all medical facilities have the ability to provide needed meals. Additionally not all hospitals allow non patients to eat in their employee cafeteria which is sometimes the only place where meals are served other than to in bed patients. As a result an outpatient would not get served patient meals and would not be able to eat in the on site cafeteria and therefore must eat elsehwere which would not be at the hospital or medical facility.

Not everything that appears in any manual is correct.

That is why you might want to explain the circumstances etc.