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#7
03-25-2006, 08:03 AM
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 Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? Joe Morris <jcmorris[at]mitre.org> wrote: - quote - > Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> writes:
I said I can't get the gov't rate - you said "not quite> > As an aside, the government reimbursement policy is nuts. > > They will reimburse me only for the government rate for > > hotels, but since I do not have a government ID card I can't > > get the government rate! > Um...not quite correct. Assuming that you have > documentation to show your status as a federal contractor > and are actually travelling on Government business, hotels > that have a GSA rate *may* offer you the GSA rate *if* they > have available rooms and haven't been maxed-out for their > contracted number of GSA-rate guests. correct" but then say they "may" offer me the gov't rate. Of course they "may". They could give me any rate they want - even give me the room for free if they wanted to - but they don't have to. Have you ever tried to get the gov't rate in Washington DC without a gov't ID? - quote - > Note that there is no requirement that they offer the GSA
I do call when I am searching for a hotel. The answer is> rates to contractors, but many do. When you're expecting to > be travling for the gov'mt, call the hotel and ask if they > extend GSA rates to government contractors. always "not without a government ID." -- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address. << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#6
03-21-2006, 04:23 PM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> writes: - quote - > As an aside, the government reimbursement policy is nuts.
Um...not quite correct. Assuming that you have> They will reimburse me only for the government rate for > hotels, but since I do not have a government ID card I can't > get the government rate! documentation to show your status as a federal contractor and are actually travelling on Government business, hotels that have a GSA rate *may* offer you the GSA rate *if* they have available rooms and haven't been maxed-out for their contracted number of GSA-rate guests. Note that there is no requirement that they offer the GSA rates to contractors, but many do. When you're expecting to be travling for the gov'mt, call the hotel and ask if they extend GSA rates to government contractors. Joe Morris << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#5
03-21-2006, 03:06 PM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote: - quote - > spope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote:
You can certainly report actual expenses. Somewhere, I read> > According to Lasser's tax guide for 2006, persons filing > > Schedule C can/should use the GSA numbers rather than actual > > meal expenses, and they state the GSA numbers to be about > > $31/day for most metropolitan U.S. cities. However a look > > at the GSA site reveals higher numbers, around $80/day for > > some cities. > If I spent more money that the GSA amount and have the > receipts to prove it, why would I want to report less? Does > Lasser quote any section of the tax code that requires this? 300% of GSA amounts are acceptable if substantiated, but I'm not sure of the context of that (it may not have been for Schedule C filers). - quote - > Since I am now a C Corp I don't file Schedule C anymore, but
I used to usually get the government rate by being a> have the same issue. I file a fully itemized expense > account with all receipts with my company. If my client for > a trip is a government agency and if I exceed the per-diem > (which I almost always do) the company will charge them only > the per-diem amount and then the company picks up the rest > (as a 50% deductible meal expense, of course) > As an aside, the government reimbursement policy is nuts. > They will reimburse me only for the government rate for > hotels, but since I do not have a government ID card I can't > get the government rate! government contractor. If it's a hotel near a base or large contractor facility it's more possible. The really tricky part is convincing the hotel that you shouldn't be charged sales or hotel taxes -- the governement's position is it doesn't pay these. We had a weasel-letter from a auditor that would sometimes convince the hotel. Usually I didn't bother trying. Steve << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#4
03-20-2006, 07:23 AM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? spope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote: - quote - > Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote:
If I spent more money that the GSA amount and have the> > spope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote: > > > This is true for the purposes of what you bill the > > > government for. However for the purposes of what to put on > > > line 24(b) of schedule C, you need to not include the > > > "incidental expenses" part of M&IE. Furthermore is lunch is > > > provided (such as at a conference) you want to take that off > > > as well. > > Back when I used Schedule C I would enter the actual amount > > spent for meals as the meal cost, etc. I did not use a > > government formula. Perhaps that the formula is needed if > > you don't maintain complete records of travel expenses, but > > since most of my clients paid actual costs instead of > > per-diem I did keep complete records of all my travel > > expenses. Meals and such were lumped together ONLY when > > billing the government, and then limited to the per-diem > > amount while my business absorbed any additional cost. > According to Lasser's tax guide for 2006, persons filing > Schedule C can/should use the GSA numbers rather than actual > meal expenses, and they state the GSA numbers to be about > $31/day for most metropolitan U.S. cities. However a look > at the GSA site reveals higher numbers, around $80/day for > some cities. receipts to prove it, why would I want to report less? Does Lasser quote any section of the tax code that requires this? Since I am now a C Corp I don't file Schedule C anymore, but have the same issue. I file a fully itemized expense account with all receipts with my company. If my client for a trip is a government agency and if I exceed the per-diem (which I almost always do) the company will charge them only the per-diem amount and then the company picks up the rest (as a 50% deductible meal expense, of course) As an aside, the government reimbursement policy is nuts. They will reimburse me only for the government rate for hotels, but since I do not have a government ID card I can't get the government rate! -- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address. << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#3
03-19-2006, 07:07 AM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote: - quote - > spope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote:
According to Lasser's tax guide for 2006, persons filing> > This is true for the purposes of what you bill the > > government for. However for the purposes of what to put on > > line 24(b) of schedule C, you need to not include the > > "incidental expenses" part of M&IE. Furthermore is lunch is > > provided (such as at a conference) you want to take that off > > as well. > Back when I used Schedule C I would enter the actual amount > spent for meals as the meal cost, etc. I did not use a > government formula. Perhaps that the formula is needed if > you don't maintain complete records of travel expenses, but > since most of my clients paid actual costs instead of > per-diem I did keep complete records of all my travel > expenses. Meals and such were lumped together ONLY when > billing the government, and then limited to the per-diem > amount while my business absorbed any additional cost. Schedule C can/should use the GSA numbers rather than actual meal expenses, and they state the GSA numbers to be about $31/day for most metropolitan U.S. cities. However a look at the GSA site reveals higher numbers, around $80/day for some cities. Steve << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#2
03-16-2006, 11:04 PM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? spope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote: - quote - > Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote:
Back when I used Schedule C I would enter the actual amount> > pope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote: > > > The GSA site has (at least) two tables of how to break down > > > the M&IE (meal and incidental expenses) per-diem rate > > > into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidental expenses: > > When I have done consulting work for the Federal government > > all they required is that my total per day did not exceed > > the M&IE amount. They never required that the expenses be > > broken down in any exact manner. If I wanted to have a cheap > > lunch and pay more for dinner, that was my choice. > This is true for the purposes of what you bill the > government for. However for the purposes of what to put on > line 24(b) of schedule C, you need to not include the > "incidental expenses" part of M&IE. Furthermore is lunch is > provided (such as at a conference) you want to take that off > as well. spent for meals as the meal cost, etc. I did not use a government formula. Perhaps that the formula is needed if you don't maintain complete records of travel expenses, but since most of my clients paid actual costs instead of per-diem I did keep complete records of all my travel expenses. Meals and such were lumped together ONLY when billing the government, and then limited to the per-diem amount while my business absorbed any additional cost. -- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address. << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#1
03-16-2006, 06:19 AM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? Victor Roberts <xxx[at]lighting-research.com> wrote: - quote - > pope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote:
This is true for the purposes of what you bill the> > The GSA site has (at least) two tables of how to break down > > the M&IE (meal and incidental expenses) per-diem rate > > into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidental expenses: > When I have done consulting work for the Federal government > all they required is that my total per day did not exceed > the M&IE amount. They never required that the expenses be > broken down in any exact manner. If I wanted to have a cheap > lunch and pay more for dinner, that was my choice. government for. However for the purposes of what to put on line 24(b) of schedule C, you need to not include the "incidental expenses" part of M&IE. Furthermore is lunch is provided (such as at a conference) you want to take that off as well. Steve << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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03-15-2006, 07:49 AM
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| Re: which GSA per-diem breakdown? pope33[at]speedymail.org (Steve Pope) wrote: - quote - > The GSA site has (at least) two tables of how to break down
When I have done consulting work for the Federal government> the M&IE (meal and incidental expenses) per-diem rate > into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidental expenses: > http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/651.htm > http://www.gsa.gov/gsa/cm_attachment...DZ-i34K-pR.doc > Any idea if one or the other is the correct one to use? > (The first is far more complete.) all they required is that my total per day did not exceed the M&IE amount. They never required that the expenses be broken down in any exact manner. If I wanted to have a cheap lunch and pay more for dinner, that was my choice. -- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address. << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
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#-1
03-13-2006, 06:37 PM
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| which GSA per-diem breakdown? The GSA site has (at least) two tables of how to break down the M&IE (meal and incidental expenses) per-diem rate into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidental expenses: http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/651.htm http://www.gsa.gov/gsa/cm_attachment...DZ-i34K-pR.doc Any idea if one or the other is the correct one to use? (The first is far more complete.) Steve << ================================================== ===== > << The foregoing is intended for educational purposes only > << and does NOT constitute legal OR professional advice. > << > << The Charter and the Guidelines for submitting > << messages to this newsgroup are at www.asktax.org. > << Copyright (2006) - All rights reserved. > << ================================================== ===== > |
| Tags |
| breakdown, gsa, perdiem |
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