Get tax help covering combined business, pleasure travel

May 30, 2012

You just got home from a quick Memorial Day holiday trip, but if you're planning more travel this summer, you might be able to get some help from Uncle Sam.

The Weekly Tax Tip today looks at how business travelers can tack a few personal days onto the trip and still get tax breaks to cover most of the work-related expenses.

The key to getting travel help from the tax code is to make sure that your main reason for hitting the road (or flying or taking the train) is work. That way those legitimate expenses, including transportation and lodging and some meals, can be deducted.

Then when you stay a day or two to see the sights, you only have to cover those costs on your own.

Remember to carefully document your trip, detailing the separate business and personal expenses.

Good documentation will help you substantiate your legitimate business travel claims just in any IRS auditor questions whether you properly kept business and personal expenses separate.

Airplane photo by Sean MacEntee/Flickr

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic.

TAX-SAVVY WAYS
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill.

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings.

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year.

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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