Tax Question: Can I deduct meals as an independent contractor for logistics deliveries?

Based on current tax rules, you can potentially deduct 50% of your meal expenses while working as an independent contractor, but there are some important conditions. These meals need to be directly related to your business activities - not just eating because you're hungry during your workday. For your situation as a delivery driver, meals you consume during your normal delivery routes would typically be considered personal expenses and not deductible. However, if you have a meal that serves a clear business purpose beyond just sustenance (like meeting with a potential client or having a business discussion), those could qualify for the 50% deduction. Also, keep in mind the IRS has specific documentation requirements. You need to record the date, amount, place, business purpose, and business relationship for each meal expense you're claiming. Just having receipts isn't enough without documenting the business purpose.

I faced this exact question last year with my delivery side gig! After lots of research and confusion, I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that cleared everything up. You just upload your 1099 docs, answer a few questions about your work situation, and it tells you exactly what you can deduct based on your specific independent contractor job. For my situation, it showed that regular meals during local deliveries weren't deductible but gave me clarity on when travel meals could be. The tool also flagged some deductions I was missing completely like partial phone expenses and certain vehicle maintenance costs. Saved me from missing legitimate deductions while avoiding questionable ones that might trigger an audit.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai since I was skeptical in my previous comment. I decided to try it anyway since I was desperate for help with my contractor taxes, and wow - completely changed my understanding of what I could deduct! For my delivery work, it confirmed what others said about regular meals (not deductible) but showed me exactly when travel meals did qualify based on time and distance requirements. It also identified vehicle deductions I was calculating all wrong. The documentation guide they provide makes it super easy to know exactly what receipts and records to keep for each type of expense. Definitely worth checking out if you're doing IC work!

If you're having trouble getting clear answers about your meal deduction question, you might want to just call the IRS directly. I know it sounds painful, but I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that gets you through to an actual IRS agent quickly. They have a demo video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was going crazy trying to figure out some weird 1099 deduction rules for my home inspection business, spent hours on hold normally, then tried Claimyr and got through to someone in about 15 minutes. The agent walked me through exactly what qualified for my situation and what documentation I needed. For something specific like meal deductions for delivery drivers, getting direct answers from the IRS might save you a lot of guesswork.

I need to eat some crow here. After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I decided to test it myself since I was absolutely desperate to talk to someone about an IRS notice I received about my independent contractor income. I'm honestly shocked - it actually worked exactly as described. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had previously wasted HOURS trying on my own. The agent clarified my exact situation with meal deductions (turns out I'd been incorrectly deducting some meals that weren't eligible while missing others that were). Just having that clear guidance directly from the IRS gave me peace of mind about what I can claim on my Schedule C. Sometimes it's worth getting the official word straight from the source!

My accountant told me the rules changed recently for business meals. For 2021-2022, business meals from restaurants were 100% deductible (temporary COVID relief), but now in 2025 we're back to the standard 50% deductible for legitimate business meals. Make sure whatever advice you're following is current!

Doordash driver here. Don't overlook the mileage deduction! It's WAY more valuable than trying to deduct meals. For 2025, the standard mileage rate is 67 cents per mile which adds up super fast and is much easier to defend in an audit than meal expenses.

As a newcomer to independent contractor taxes, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation doing part-time delivery work and had no idea about the distinction between regular meals (not deductible) vs. travel meals when you're away from your normal business area. One thing I'm still confused about - how do you define your "tax home" or "normal business area" when you're doing deliveries? Is it based on where you live, or the area you typically cover for deliveries? I usually work within about a 30-mile radius of my house, but occasionally get those longer rural routes that take me 50+ miles out. Would love to understand better when those longer trips might qualify for the meal deduction rules that were mentioned. Also really appreciate everyone sharing the different tools and resources - definitely going to look into better mileage tracking since that seems like the bigger opportunity here!

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who's been doing independent contractor work for several years. One thing that helped me tremendously was setting up a separate business checking account and business credit card specifically for all my contractor expenses. This makes tracking everything so much cleaner come tax time. For meals specifically, I learned the hard way that the IRS is pretty strict about the business purpose requirement. I used to think any meal while "on the job" counted, but after getting some guidance from a tax pro, I realized most of my regular delivery route meals were just personal expenses that happened to occur during work hours. The real game-changer for me was focusing on the bigger deductions like mileage, phone expenses (you can deduct the business portion), and equipment costs. I also deduct things like insulated delivery bags, phone mounts, and even a portion of my car insurance since I use my vehicle for business. Keep detailed records of everything though - date, amount, business purpose. The IRS loves documentation if they ever come knocking. Good luck with your taxes!