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Daycare and Taxes>Food Program & Meal Deduction?
midaycare 10:17 AM 01-06-2015
I'm hiring an accountant this year, but I want to understand how this works. How do you use the food program, and also claim the Standard Meal Allowance?

I know for the FP I can only claim a variation of 3 meals/snacks per day. The SMA allows you to claim up to 6. I never serve more than 4, but how does that work? Am I supposed to be keeping track of all of the extra meals in Minute Menu and then give that tally to my accountant?

TIA,
midaycare
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Michael 02:06 PM 01-06-2015
Some more threads on Meal Deductions: https://daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=meal+deductions
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Unregistered 02:41 PM 01-06-2015
I keep track of all extra meals in minute menu, the food program knows your doing this for taxes, and just disallow the extra meals.
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spinnymarie 05:29 PM 01-06-2015
I think the answer is yes TOm's book, the Tax guide one, has a place for you to track all the meals that were paid for by a food program PLUS all the meals that weren't reimbursed and that's the number you use for the taxes. You will also claim the income from the Food program as income.
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TomCopeland 02:13 PM 01-07-2015
Originally Posted by midaycare:
I'm hiring an accountant this year, but I want to understand how this works. How do you use the food program, and also claim the Standard Meal Allowance?

I know for the FP I can only claim a variation of 3 meals/snacks per day. The SMA allows you to claim up to 6. I never serve more than 4, but how does that work? Am I supposed to be keeping track of all of the extra meals in Minute Menu and then give that tally to my accountant?

TIA,
midaycare
You can deduct all meals/snacks served to daycare children, including those that are not reimbursed by the Food Program. If your CACFP sponsor allows you to put all your meals/snacks into Minute Menu, then do so. If they don't want you to do this, then keep track of these extra meals/snacks elsewhere and add them together when claiming your food expenses.
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M&Mgal 02:27 PM 02-17-2015
My food program lady doesn't work with Minute Menu, unfortunately. So no submitting electronically for me. And she doesn't want me to check the extra boxes; she seems to think I'm asking to be paid for those meals I have to print out my MM paperwork for FP each month without the extra meals marked, then after I have printed my monthly forms for the FP I go through and check the extra boxes for my taxes. (Thanks for the reminder! I just realized/remembered that I never checked the afternoon snack boxes for one child last month after printing my FP stuff!)
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Tags:food program, meal deductions
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