I am trying to claim my food expenses for last season. I have the TL2 form, but have a question...... My employer provided me with a place to live, so i cant claim any expenses for lodging. I never had to pay for a place to stay when i was away from base. However, i had to buy my own food for the season. Can you claim your grocery bill as meal expenses?
Does anyone do this, or is everyone honest and only claim 'away from base' expenses?
Thanks for any info
Tax Time
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
Okay, I used to do taxes part time. You can claim $11 for each 4 hours of flight time! The form you'll need is listed under "railroad". Most tax people will point you in the right direction...but yes, you can claim this amount. It's assumed that you would have had a meal every four hours, and the eleven dollars is the government rate. Hope this helps.
The TL2 is the form you need. Just go to the right side(meals), divide the number of flight ours by 4 then multiply that number by 11$ and fill in the number! BUT....use an e-file program, like Quick Tax. It'll save you filling in all the blanks...and on paper, it ALL the spaces aren't filled in, well, you know where this is going...
And dont forget your uniforms(like they'd ever check)medicals and the like!
The TL2 is the form you need. Just go to the right side(meals), divide the number of flight ours by 4 then multiply that number by 11$ and fill in the number! BUT....use an e-file program, like Quick Tax. It'll save you filling in all the blanks...and on paper, it ALL the spaces aren't filled in, well, you know where this is going...
And dont forget your uniforms(like they'd ever check)medicals and the like!
185 Guy,
Under batching you can claim $35 dollars for each day (as long as you were away for 12 or more hours) for groceries, without providing a receipt. You may have to provide RC with a signed document from work stating that you were in fact gone for that time, but you don't need that unless they ask. If you are doing your taxes yourself don't forget to multiple the number of days by 35, or you won't get the right deduction.
You can find links to get more info on this on the revenue canada website, or through http://www.quicktaxweb.ca.
I am in the exact same situation, so if you need any more info, PM me.
F
Under batching you can claim $35 dollars for each day (as long as you were away for 12 or more hours) for groceries, without providing a receipt. You may have to provide RC with a signed document from work stating that you were in fact gone for that time, but you don't need that unless they ask. If you are doing your taxes yourself don't forget to multiple the number of days by 35, or you won't get the right deduction.
You can find links to get more info on this on the revenue canada website, or through http://www.quicktaxweb.ca.
I am in the exact same situation, so if you need any more info, PM me.
F
Be careful claiming meals for work days.
The revenue canada website makes it pretty clear that claiming meals is only for when you do not return to your home base at the end of the day. It says you "generally must be gone overnight"
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/whatsnew/truck-allow-e.html
The revenue canada website makes it pretty clear that claiming meals is only for when you do not return to your home base at the end of the day. It says you "generally must be gone overnight"
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/whatsnew/truck-allow-e.html
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co-joe
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Not so Disco,
To meet the requirements of the TL2E form you have to be away from base for 4 hours to claim the meal rate of $15/ meal (not 11 anymore) but then you can only deduct 50% of the $15 to a max of 3 meals a day. No mention of staying over night.
There's more fine print on the back of the form, and 3 different options available. Remember to get the form signed by your employer, and keep it on file.
As far as I know you can't deduct any medical expenses unless you exceed the $1755 total on the year. I don't know if capt s'nj's phallectomy counts?
I am curious about the vehicle expenses for a non contract employee. I've heard air amb pilots qualify for some kind of write off but can't find any info to confirm it. Anybody able to point me in the right direction? CJ
To meet the requirements of the TL2E form you have to be away from base for 4 hours to claim the meal rate of $15/ meal (not 11 anymore) but then you can only deduct 50% of the $15 to a max of 3 meals a day. No mention of staying over night.
There's more fine print on the back of the form, and 3 different options available. Remember to get the form signed by your employer, and keep it on file.
As far as I know you can't deduct any medical expenses unless you exceed the $1755 total on the year. I don't know if capt s'nj's phallectomy counts?
I am curious about the vehicle expenses for a non contract employee. I've heard air amb pilots qualify for some kind of write off but can't find any info to confirm it. Anybody able to point me in the right direction? CJ
Based on what I've heard from an accountant and based on the CCRA website, it seems to me that you must be gone overnight. Read the link I posted. At best it is a rather grey area.co-joe wrote:Not so Disco,
To meet the requirements of the TL2E form you have to be away from base for 4 hours to claim the meal rate of $15/ meal (not 11 anymore) but then you can only deduct 50% of the $15 to a max of 3 meals a day. No mention of staying over night.
There's more fine print on the back of the form, and 3 different options available. Remember to get the form signed by your employer, and keep it on file.
As far as I know you can't deduct any medical expenses unless you exceed the $1755 total on the year. I don't know if capt s'nj's phallectomy counts?
I am curious about the vehicle expenses for a non contract employee. I've heard air amb pilots qualify for some kind of write off but can't find any info to confirm it. Anybody able to point me in the right direction? CJ
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klimman123
- Rank 3
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 10:30 pm
This info came from Bugz in the older forum
Claim for Meals and Lodging Expenses – TL2
Form TL2 is used by transport employees, such as employees of airline, railway, bus, trucking, or other transport companies. You have to complete Form TL2 if you are deducting expenses and your employer's principal business is transporting goods, passengers, or both. Your employer must sign the form.
Employment conditions
You can deduct the cost of meals and lodging if you meet all the following conditions:
you work for an airline, railway, bus or trucking company, or for any other employer whose principal business is the transport of goods, passengers or both;
you travel in vehicles your employer uses to transport goods or passengers;
you regularly have to travel away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located; and
you incur meal and lodging expenses while travelling away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located.
If your employer's business is not transporting goods, passengers, or both, you may still be able to claim expenses. For more details, get Information Circular 73-21, Away-from-Home Expenses.
You can also deduct the cost of meals and lodging when you meet one of the following conditions:
You work for a railway company as a telegrapher or station agent in a relief capacity, or you carry out maintenance and repair work for the railway company while working away from home.
You are a railway employee who works away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located. You also work at such a distant location that it is unreasonable for you to return daily to your home where you support a spouse or common-law partner or a dependant related to you.
Note If your employer has repaid or will repay you for your meal and lodging expenses, subtract from your claim the amount of the repayment.
Deductible expenses
Deductible expenses include any goods and services tax (GST) and provincial sales tax, or harmonized sales tax (HST) you paid on these expenses. You may be able to receive a rebate of the GST/HST you paid. For further information, see GST 370 - Employee and Partner GST/HST Rebate.
On the Other Employment Income and Expenses Worksheet you must to split meals and lodging expenses into the portion incurred within Canada and the portion incurred outside of Canada. This is done so that the Employer and Partner GST/HST rebate is calculated correctly.
Meals - To calculate your meal expenses, use one of the following methods:
The detailed method - requires you to keep a record book itemizing each expense. You also have to keep receipts to support the amount you deduct.
The simplified method - is based on a daily meal rate of $11 for each meal. You do not have to keep receipts for your meals, but you do have to keep a detailed list of the trips you take.
The batching method - When you are part of a work crew, such as on a train, your employer may provide you with cooking facilities. If you buy groceries and cook meals either by yourself or together, each person can claim up to $22 for each day. As long as you do not claim more than this amount, you do not have to keep receipts.
Under either the detailed or simplified method, you can claim one meal after every four hours from the check-out time, to a maximum of three meals per day. For the purposes of calculating the maximum number of meals allowed, a day is considered to be a 24-hour period that begins at the check-out time.
Workers on scheduled runs of 10 hours or less during their normal working hours (e.g., 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) are generally expected to eat their breakfast and dinner at home. Therefore, lunch is the only meal claim allowed per day in these circumstances.
The most you can deduct for meal expenses is 50% of your actual claim. For example, if you use the simplified method, which is based on a daily rate of $11 per meal, the most you can deduct for each meal is $5.50 ($11.00 X 50%) for each meal.
Lodging - You can deduct your lodging expenses. Keep receipts to support the amount you deduct.
How to claim your expenses
Enter the details of the trips and the meal and lodging expenses. Enter the amounts according to the rules above and the method selected.
On lines 2 and 5, enter any repayments you received or will receive for these expenses.
On the bottom of the Other Employment Income and Expenses Worksheet you must divide the meal and lodging expenses into the portions incurred in specified regions of Canada and Outside of Canada. This is done so that the Employer and Partner GST/HST rebate is calculated correctly.
Your employer has to complete section 3 and sign the form. You do not have send this form with your income tax return. However, keep it in case CCRA asks to see it later.
Claim for Meals and Lodging Expenses – TL2
Form TL2 is used by transport employees, such as employees of airline, railway, bus, trucking, or other transport companies. You have to complete Form TL2 if you are deducting expenses and your employer's principal business is transporting goods, passengers, or both. Your employer must sign the form.
Employment conditions
You can deduct the cost of meals and lodging if you meet all the following conditions:
you work for an airline, railway, bus or trucking company, or for any other employer whose principal business is the transport of goods, passengers or both;
you travel in vehicles your employer uses to transport goods or passengers;
you regularly have to travel away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located; and
you incur meal and lodging expenses while travelling away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located.
If your employer's business is not transporting goods, passengers, or both, you may still be able to claim expenses. For more details, get Information Circular 73-21, Away-from-Home Expenses.
You can also deduct the cost of meals and lodging when you meet one of the following conditions:
You work for a railway company as a telegrapher or station agent in a relief capacity, or you carry out maintenance and repair work for the railway company while working away from home.
You are a railway employee who works away from the municipality and the metropolitan area (if there is one) where your home terminal is located. You also work at such a distant location that it is unreasonable for you to return daily to your home where you support a spouse or common-law partner or a dependant related to you.
Note If your employer has repaid or will repay you for your meal and lodging expenses, subtract from your claim the amount of the repayment.
Deductible expenses
Deductible expenses include any goods and services tax (GST) and provincial sales tax, or harmonized sales tax (HST) you paid on these expenses. You may be able to receive a rebate of the GST/HST you paid. For further information, see GST 370 - Employee and Partner GST/HST Rebate.
On the Other Employment Income and Expenses Worksheet you must to split meals and lodging expenses into the portion incurred within Canada and the portion incurred outside of Canada. This is done so that the Employer and Partner GST/HST rebate is calculated correctly.
Meals - To calculate your meal expenses, use one of the following methods:
The detailed method - requires you to keep a record book itemizing each expense. You also have to keep receipts to support the amount you deduct.
The simplified method - is based on a daily meal rate of $11 for each meal. You do not have to keep receipts for your meals, but you do have to keep a detailed list of the trips you take.
The batching method - When you are part of a work crew, such as on a train, your employer may provide you with cooking facilities. If you buy groceries and cook meals either by yourself or together, each person can claim up to $22 for each day. As long as you do not claim more than this amount, you do not have to keep receipts.
Under either the detailed or simplified method, you can claim one meal after every four hours from the check-out time, to a maximum of three meals per day. For the purposes of calculating the maximum number of meals allowed, a day is considered to be a 24-hour period that begins at the check-out time.
Workers on scheduled runs of 10 hours or less during their normal working hours (e.g., 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) are generally expected to eat their breakfast and dinner at home. Therefore, lunch is the only meal claim allowed per day in these circumstances.
The most you can deduct for meal expenses is 50% of your actual claim. For example, if you use the simplified method, which is based on a daily rate of $11 per meal, the most you can deduct for each meal is $5.50 ($11.00 X 50%) for each meal.
Lodging - You can deduct your lodging expenses. Keep receipts to support the amount you deduct.
How to claim your expenses
Enter the details of the trips and the meal and lodging expenses. Enter the amounts according to the rules above and the method selected.
On lines 2 and 5, enter any repayments you received or will receive for these expenses.
On the bottom of the Other Employment Income and Expenses Worksheet you must divide the meal and lodging expenses into the portions incurred in specified regions of Canada and Outside of Canada. This is done so that the Employer and Partner GST/HST rebate is calculated correctly.
Your employer has to complete section 3 and sign the form. You do not have send this form with your income tax return. However, keep it in case CCRA asks to see it later.
Thanks for the help. I did see the CCRA website, but i thought it was kinda grey. I am going to claim for meals on days where i was gone for more than 4 hours......nobody will know if the 4.2 in my logbook was for 1 trip, or 5 ( i do daily entries)
To claim moving expenses, you need T1-M, moving expenses deduction This is easy. You can either do a simple method, which you find out the rate per km. your province pays, and the distance you moved. Use the km. rate for the province you moved FROM. Or you need to know the total KM you drove the tax year, the km you moved, all vehicle expenses........maybe check out the CCRA web site.
The simple method is indeed simple, and the rates are a lot better than if you use your own records! (at least if your car gets 50 mpg!!)
Good Luck, hopefully everyone will get back some of thier hard earned coin back from those money grabbin' bas@#rds
To claim moving expenses, you need T1-M, moving expenses deduction This is easy. You can either do a simple method, which you find out the rate per km. your province pays, and the distance you moved. Use the km. rate for the province you moved FROM. Or you need to know the total KM you drove the tax year, the km you moved, all vehicle expenses........maybe check out the CCRA web site.
The simple method is indeed simple, and the rates are a lot better than if you use your own records! (at least if your car gets 50 mpg!!)
Good Luck, hopefully everyone will get back some of thier hard earned coin back from those money grabbin' bas@#rds
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North Shore
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