Guide · Any country · Tax

Can you deduct client meals, entertainment and gifts as a freelancer? The IRS, HMRC and CRA rules (US, UK, Canada)

Freelancers take clients for lunch, buy tickets to an event, send a thank-you gift at the end of a project, and eat on the road. Here's what the IRS, HMRC and the CRA say about which of those costs count as a business expense, the limits on meals and gifts, what entertainment rules out, and the records to keep.

General information, not tax or legal advice. Not written or reviewed by a lawyer or an accountant. The short answer, the side-by-side summary, the steps, the checklist, the wording to copy and all the other wording are ours; the official items come from the US, UK and Canadian government pages linked below. This page is about a self-employed person (a sole proprietor or sole trader) paying for meals, entertainment or gifts for clients and other business contacts. It doesn't tell you whether a particular meal or gift is deductible, and it doesn't cover employees, staff parties and benefits, sales tax, VAT or GST/HST, companies, US states, Canadian provinces, Quebec, or other countries. Rules change; check the current official pages before you claim. Official pages were read on .

The short answer

  1. US: "You can no longer take a deduction for any expense related to activities generally considered entertainment, amusement, or recreation. You can continue to deduct 50% of the cost of business meals if you (or your employee) are present and the food or beverages aren’t considered lavish or extravagant." For gifts: "You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year."
  2. UK: "You cannot usually claim for food or drinks provided to clients, suppliers or customers - for example you cannot claim for the cost of lunch during a meeting discussing work." Gifts are only allowable in a narrow case: "You can claim for most promotional items that display your business name or logo, such as diaries or keyrings. You cannot claim for food, drink, or tobacco." "The maximum you can claim is £50 per recipient per tax year. This limit applies to the total cost of all items given to the same person during the tax year."
  3. Canada: "The maximum amount you can claim for food, beverages and entertainment expenses is 50% of the lesser of the following amounts:"
    • the amount you incurred for the expenses
    • an amount that is reasonable in the circumstances
    The pages we read for the self-employed don't set a separate rule for other client gifts.
  4. Entertainment such as tickets, shows and club days is the hardest to claim: not deductible in the US, not allowable in the UK, and under the meals limit in Canada.
  5. Billing the client for a meal can change who carries the limit in the US and Canada; see sections two and five.

On this page

1. United States: business meals and entertainment

For the schedule itself, see Schedule C for US freelancers; for putting meals on a client's invoice, see charging clients for expenses.

2. United States: client gifts and records

3. United Kingdom: entertaining clients

Allowable costs go in your self-employment expenses: see UK Self Assessment for freelancers.

4. United Kingdom: gifts and promotional items

5. Canada: meals and entertainment

The allowable part goes on your statement of business or professional activities: see our guide for Canadian freelancers.

6. Canada: gift certificates, tickets, clubs and records

7. Side by side

Our summary of sections one to six, not official wording.

QuestionUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanada
A meal with a clientPart of the cost, if you or an employee is there and the meal isn’t lavish or extravagantUsually not allowable: food and drink for clients counts as business entertainmentLimited to part of the lesser of the cost and a reasonable amount
Tickets, shows and other entertainmentNot deductibleNot allowable, and nor are costs that go with it, such as venue hire or invitationsUnder the same limit as meals, including tickets, private boxes and hospitality suites
Food and drink at an eventCan be a business meal if bought separately or shown separately on the billNot allowable when it is hospitality for clients or guestsUnder the meals and entertainment limit
A gift to a clientCapped for each person each year; wrapping, engraving and mailing usually aren’t countedNot allowable unless it carries a conspicuous advertisement for your business and isn’t food, drink, tobacco or a voucher, within a yearly limit for each personNo gift rule on the self-employed pages we read; a restaurant gift certificate counts as food and drink
Small branded itemsCheap items with your name imprinted that you hand out widely aren’t counted as giftsDiaries, pens and mouse mats with your name or logo, within the limit for each personNot covered on the pages we read
Your own meals on a business tripUnder the same limit as business mealsMeals on overnight business trips are listed as allowableThe meals limit applies in most cases
Club duesNot deductible for clubs organised for business, pleasure, recreation or social purposesNot covered on the pages we readNot deductible if the club’s main purpose is dining, recreation or sport
Meal costs you bill to a clientNot limited for you if the client reimburses you and you give adequate records; the client’s deduction is limited insteadNot covered on the pages we readNot limited for you if you bill the client and show the cost on the bill; the archived bulletin says the client’s limit applies
RecordsA restaurant receipt with the place, number of people, date and amount; for gifts, the cost, date and descriptionNot set out on the pages we readNames and business addresses of the people entertained, with places, dates, times and amounts
Where it goesDeductible meals have their own line on your business schedule; entertainment doesn’t go thereYour self-employment expenses, leaving out what isn’t allowableThe meals and entertainment line of your business statement, allowable part only

8. Step by step

Our order of steps, based on sections one to six — not an official checklist.

  1. Before you pay, decide what kind of cost it is: a meal, entertainment such as tickets or an event, a gift, or your own meal on a business trip.
  2. Check the rule for your country: in the US entertainment isn’t deductible, in the UK entertaining clients usually isn’t allowable, and in Canada meals and entertainment share one limit.
  3. For a meal, note who was there, their business connection and what you discussed, and keep the itemised receipt.
  4. If food and drink came with tickets or an event, ask for them to be shown separately on the bill.
  5. For a gift, keep a running total for each person for the tax year, and note whether it carries your business name or logo.
  6. If you bill the client for a meal, show it as its own line on the invoice and keep the receipt.
  7. Log each cost in your expense records on the date you paid, with the category, a short description and your reason.
  8. At the end of the year, work out only the part you can claim, or ask an accountant before you claim it.

9. Wording to copy

Replace everything in [brackets]. This is ours, not from any agency, and it's not tax or legal advice. It doesn't replace the receipts or records your tax office asks for.

A meal, entertainment or gift record for your files

A question to your accountant before you claim

10. Checklist

Our summary of the official pages above, not an official checklist.

Free tools and kits

Where the sources differ

When to get advice

Talk to an accountant or a tax adviser in your country. This page is general information only. Our tax audit guide covers what the agencies ask for in a check, and our training costs guide covers meals on a trip to a course or conference.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-19. Found a mistake? Tell us via Support.