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What Are Convention Expenses?

Esther Ejim
Esther Ejim

During the calculation of applicable tax deductions, certain expenses are legally deductible so far as they are included in the list of expenses that may be deducted by those affected. An example of such a category of legally deductible taxes is referred to as convention expenses. These expenses occur when an individual attends a business conference, meaning that the only types of applicable expenses are those that accrue to the individual strictly by virtue of the business convention and no other expenses. For example, someone may attend a business convention and incur expenses for seeing a movie or for gambling in a casino but would not be able to deduct such expenses. Examples of applicable convention expenses include money spent by the individual on transportation and food as well as other costs like the applicable registration fees.

Allowable convention expenses include the expenses incurred by the individual in the process of getting to the venue of the convention. The exact source of the transportation costs differ and may come from the money spent on purchasing bus tickets, the money spent on purchasing gas, or the money spent on purchasing plane tickets, depending on the means by which the individual went to the convention. Usually, in the case of the gas expenses, there is a predetermined limit on the allowable reimbursement per gallon.

When someone attends a business conference, they may be eligible for tax deductions.
When someone attends a business conference, they may be eligible for tax deductions.

For those who attend an educational seminar, they may be able to apply their registration fees as part of their convention expenses. The only limitation to this type of deduction flows from the fact that such a deductible expense is only restricted to the type of seminars that helps the affected individual improve his or her skills to make an improvement in his or her business. Another applicable set of convention expenses are derived from the money an individual may have spent on accommodation while he or she attends the convention, including costs of hotel rooms and other related lodgings. Such costs must also be within limit, since unnecessary expenses incurred by staying at expensive lodgings will not be accommodated in the deduction calculations. Someone who attends such a business convention may also spend money on food, and the food expenses may also be deducted as part of the applicable convention expenses flowing from the attendance of the convention.

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    • When someone attends a business conference, they may be eligible for tax deductions.
      By: Alessandro Capuzzo
      When someone attends a business conference, they may be eligible for tax deductions.