Are Tips Tax Deductible?

✓ Yes, when business-related
Tips follow the same rules as the expense they're attached to. Tip on a business meal? 50% deductible (same as the meal). Tip to a bellhop or Uber driver during business travel? 100% deductible. Tip to your barber? Personal, not deductible.

How tips are categorized

The tip is part of the underlying expense:

Include the tip in the total expense. You don't need to track tips separately from the underlying charge.

Tips on personal expenses

Tips on personal expenses are personal. Tipping your hairdresser, restaurant server on a personal dinner, or your Uber to the airport for vacation are not deductible.

IRS Reference
Tips are treated as part of the expense they relate to. See IRS Publication 463 for travel and meal expense rules.

Include tips in your expense tracking

When you log a business meal or travel expense in Hivebooks, include the tip in the total. It gets categorized and tracked automatically.

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