Business Gifts Expense Deductions
Many businesses show appreciation to other that bring them customers by giving a business gifts.
Each gifts is $25 limit per person per year.
You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year.
A gift to a company that is intended for the eventual personal use or benefit of a particular person or a limited class of people will be considered an indirect gift to that particular person or to the individuals within that class of people who receive the gift. If you give a gift to a member of a customer’s family, the gift is generally considered to be an indirect gift to the customer. This rule does not apply if you have a bona fide, independent business connection with that family member and the gift is not intended for the customer’s eventual use.
If you and your spouse both give gifts, both of you are treated as one taxpayer. It does not matter whether you have separate businesses, are separately employed, or whether each of you has an independent connection with the recipient. If a partnership gives gifts, the partnership and the partners are treated as one taxpayer.
Example.
John Doe sells products to Local Company. He gave Local Company 2 gourmet gift baskets to thank them for their business. They paid $60 for each gift basket, or $120 total. Three of Local Company’s executives took the gift baskets home for their families’ use. Bob and Jan have no independent business relationship with any of the executives’ other family members. They can deduct a total of $50 ($25 limit × 2) for the gift baskets.
Incidental costs wrapping or packaging, insuring, and mailing, are generally not included in determining the cost of a gift for purposes of the $25 limit. A cost is incidental only if it does not add substantial value to the gift. For example, the cost of gift wrapping is an incidental cost. However, the purchase of an ornamental basket for packaging fruit is not an incidental cost if the value of the basket is substantial compared to the value of the fruit.
Exceptions. The following items are not considered gifts for purposes of the $25 limit.
- An item that costs $4 or less and:
- Has your name clearly and permanently imprinted on the gift, and
- Is one of a number of identical items you widely distribute. Examples include pens, desk sets, and plastic bags and cases.
- Signs, display racks, or other promotional material to be used on the business premises of the recipient.
Any item that might be considered either a gift or entertainment generally will be considered entertainment. However, if you give a customer packaged food or beverages you intend the customer to use at a later date, treat it as a gift.
If you give a customer tickets to a theater performance or sporting event and you do not go with the customer to the performance or event, you have a choice. You can treat the cost of the tickets as either a gift expense or an entertainment expense, whichever is to your advantage.
You can change your treatment of the tickets at a later date by filing an amended return. Generally, an amended return must be filed within 3 years from the date the original return was filed or within 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever is later.