Consulting services to the travel and tourism industries.
Purchasing Resources for Travel Consultants
Travel Specialists for Consultants Its Business Travel. Done Right!
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A Travel Agent Career is Possible w/ a Business Phoenix Univ. Degree.
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Tax Deductions for Business Travel
Maximize deductions with strategic planning and careful record-keepingBy Betty W. Stark, Business travel consultant and columnist, Stark Consulting Tossing business travel receipts into your briefcase or desk drawer or even a shoe box is easy at the time — out of sight, out of mind. But come tax time, you'll wish you had been more organized. And it doesn't hurt to know a few of the IRS rules for business travel deductions ahead of time either.
If you take time to educate yourself on what business travel expenses are deductible and move past shoe box mode you'll go a long way toward:
- Streamlining the record-keeping process
- Maximizing deductibility and minimizing expenses
- Furthering your business goals by meeting, traveling and entertaining smart.
Know ahead of time what the IRS allows
The IRS has strict rules for which business travel expenses you can--and can't--deduct. If you're audited, it will be up to you to prove that your declared expenses are ordinary and necessary, not "lavish or extravagant" and that they are directly related to your trade or business. Knowing the rules makes it easier to keep and organize the paper trail required for each business trip.
Try:
The IRS spells it out, at length. Look for the rules governing allowable business deductions, along with specific examples, in Publication 463. If you travel internationally, look into the rules on conducting business outside the US.
Use federal per diems as a guide
To make doubly sure you don't overspend on your business trips, the Feds publish guidelines for daily lodging and meal allowances, adjusted for location. The guides are intended for government employees and contractors but the IRS uses them to measure whether your deductions fall in the "lavish or extravagant" category.
Try:
Familiarize yourself with the federal rules for domestic and foreign per diems that relate to your frequent destinations.
Know the rules for attending meetings and conventions
Whether you're attending someone else's business meeting, convention or cruise seminar or planning one for your own staff, clients and/or vendors, to avoid nasty surprises at tax time know in advance what's deductible and what's not.
Try:
Check out the deductibility rules for domestic and foreign meetings. Pay special attention to IRS rules for the deductibility of meetings on cruise ships.
Track expenses and organize receipts
The IRS will want proof of the "who, what, where, when, and why" of your business travel deductions. It's more important THAT you keep careful records than HOW you do it. Low-tech or high, the more organized your receipts and supporting documents are at tax time, the better.
Try:
If a simple filing system is more your style, look into Office Depot's storage and filing systems. Check out the American Express OPEN card for small business; with the card, you'll have access to a web-based expense tracking program. ExpensAble gets the job done too.
Get professional help
If you lack the time or the inclination to decipher all the IRS regulations on business travel, get professional help.
Try:
Find a CPA firm in or near your home base zip code.
- Don't put off organizing your receipts. Doing it automatically after each trip is a lot easier than scrambling just before tax time.
- Think you can deduct the cost of a vacation by tacking on a couple of business appointments? Think again; the IRS has specific guidelines for how much time you must devote to business before you can head to the beach or golf course.
- Instead of using the "per diem" method to assign trip expenses, you can opt to tally your actual costs for food, lodging, taxis etc. Careful record-keeping is essential.
- Even if you hire a professional to interpret the IRS code and prepare your returns, you'll want to get your receipts and records in order.
Travel Specialists for Consultants Its Business Travel. Done Right!
Find Local Businesses and Great Daily Deals in Your Area
A Travel Agent Career is Possible w/ a Business Phoenix Univ. Degree.
Find open positions near you. New jobs added daily. Apply today.
Adventure Business Consultants
Consulting firm specializing in sales, marketing, publicity, management and operations for travel outfitters, agents, destinations and outdoor education.
http://www.adventuresports.com/service/adventurebiz/services.htm
Marketing firm for the travel and tourism industry. Services include venue marketing, travel agency and meeting management.
Company provides technology and training outsourcing services for small to medium-sized travel agencies.
http://www.crossoverconsulting.com/
Company develops email marketing applications for the travel industry.
http://www.travelagentpromos.com/
Provider of business and technology consulting services for the transport, travel, tourism and leisure industries.
Consultants specializing in information technology for the travel, tourism and leisure industry.
IBM Travel and Transportation Solutions
Company provides e-business consulting to the travel and transportation industries.
http://www.ibm.com/solutions/travel
Company provides hotels with web site development, reservations software and Internet marketing.
Technology company for the leisure travel industry specializing in Yield Optimization Reservations Technology.
Independent strategy and research company for the online travel marketplace. Located in Sherman, Connecticut.
Pragmatic Systems International
Consulting firm that specializes in travel, transportation, media and data warehousing.
http://www.pragmatic-systems.com/
Marketing communications agency serving the technology and travel industries.
Provider of information and analysis of the lodging industry.
Company provides information technology services, systems and solutions to the travel and tourism industries.
Travel consulting firm that provides itinerary planning services.
Marketing channel for travel agencies and tour operators. Network includes AllBikeTrips.com, AllScuba.com, AllSafaris.com, NatureTravel.com and Vacation.com.
Consulting firm specializing in web site design and newsletter for travel agencies.
Provider of marketing consulting services to the tourism, real estate and finance industries.
Provider of customer relationship management solutions to the travel, financial, healthcare and call center industries.
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Travel Consultants
Travel consultants are useful and helpful to both the professional traveling on a business trip and the individual who needs to plan a vacation or travel for any other reason. These professional consultant types ensure that the business professional or the leisurely traveling individual conduct their traveling in the most cost effective and safe manner.
Businesses and companies of any size can benefit greatly from seeking the professional aid of a traveling consultant. Whether a business needs to send certain employees to a location inside the country or outside the country to complete business-related tasks, travel consultants can appropriately arrange these travels. Companies ... more
Travel consultants are useful and helpful to both the professional traveling on a business trip and the individual who needs to plan a vacation or travel for any other reason. These professional consultant types ensure that the business professional or the leisurely traveling individual conduct their traveling in the most cost effective and safe manner.
Businesses and companies of any size can benefit greatly from seeking the professional aid of a traveling consultant. Whether a business needs to send certain employees to a location inside the country or outside the country to complete business-related tasks, travel consultants can appropriately arrange these travels. Companies will not have to worry about their employees' well-being or about overwhelming travel costs with a travel consultant managing business trips.
Companies that incorporate travel into their business services, such as delivery companies, will find a travel consultant is needed. This is especially the case for companies that deliver inside and outside their countries of residence. In these situations, travel consultants will effectively reduce overall business traveling costs and employees can feel at ease with their travel plans.
To find out more about travel consultants, visit Business.com and follow specific links on the main page. Both individuals and companies can count on Business.com for important information on this topic.
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