Is it tax deductible to write off travel expenses and Airbnb stays when touring potential office space in another city?

Yes, you absolutely can deduct those expenses! When you're traveling to scout potential new business locations, that's considered a legitimate business expense as long as the primary purpose of the trip is business-related, which yours clearly is. You can deduct 100% of your transportation costs (flights, taxis, etc.) as well as your lodging expenses like the Airbnb. For meals, you'll be limited to 50% deduction in most cases. Just make sure you keep detailed records of everything - receipts, calendar invites with the real estate agents, notes from property viewings, etc. The key is being able to prove the business purpose if the IRS ever questions it. One important distinction - if you extend your stay for personal reasons (like adding a weekend of sightseeing), you can only deduct the business portion of your expenses. But if it's purely a business trip as you described, you're good to deduct the whole thing!

Just wanted to chime in with my experience using taxr.ai to handle these exact kinds of business expense questions. Last year I was traveling between three states looking at potential warehouse spaces, and I wasn't sure how to properly document and deduct everything. I uploaded my receipts and trip notes to https://taxr.ai and it automatically categorized everything correctly and told me exactly what was deductible. Saved me from accidentally claiming things that would've raised red flags! They also provided documentation I could use if I ever got audited.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my recent business trip to Chicago where I was looking at retail spaces! I was skeptical at first but decided to give it a shot. Uploaded all my receipts, flight info, and calendar showing my property tours. The service automatically categorized everything and even flagged that my extra night stay (which was personal) needed to be properly allocated. It generated a perfect expense report that my accountant said was exactly what he needed! Saved me hours of sorting through receipts and probably prevented me from making some costly mistakes too.

If you're trying to reach the IRS to confirm any of this tax deduction stuff about business travel, good luck! I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to them to ask about some similar business expansion expense questions. After being on hold for hours and getting disconnected twice, I finally tried https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent within 45 minutes when I'd been unable to get through for days on my own. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to know about deducting expenses for touring potential business locations.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr from my earlier comment. After continued frustration trying to get IRS clarification about some business travel deductions similar to what the OP was asking about, I decided to try the service out of desperation. I was still convinced it wouldn't work, but within about 35 minutes I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS representative! I was able to verify exactly how to handle deductions for scouting potential business locations, and the agent even emailed me documentation I can keep with my tax records. The time saved was absolutely worth it - I would have wasted an entire day otherwise.

Just to add another perspective - I did something very similar last year when expanding my consulting business to Denver. My accountant advised me to create a specific folder for this expansion project and document EVERYTHING. Keep a log of all buildings you tour, take photos of properties, save email threads with real estate agents, etc. The more documentation you have showing this was legitimately for business purposes, the better position you're in if questioned.

Don't forget about per diem rates! Instead of tracking every food receipt, you can use the standard meal per diem rates for Charleston which is much simpler. Still only 50% deductible though. Also remember your ground transportation (Ubers from airport to Airbnb to property sites) is 100% deductible. Keep a simple log of where you went each day.

Great question! I went through something similar when I was expanding my marketing agency to Austin last year. Everything Sofia mentioned is spot-on - you can absolutely deduct those travel expenses since you're traveling primarily for business purposes. One thing I'd add is to be extra careful about timing. If you book your flights and accommodations well in advance and then end up not moving forward with the Charleston expansion for whatever reason, you can still deduct the expenses as long as you had a legitimate business intent at the time of the trip. The IRS looks at your intent when you incurred the expenses, not the ultimate outcome. Also, consider documenting your business plan or expansion strategy beforehand - even just a simple outline showing you've done market research on Charleston and identified specific business reasons for potentially expanding there. This helps establish that legitimate business purpose from the get-go. Safe travels and good luck with your property search!