I am a locomotive engineer and I have a question about the meal allowance. I work on call and out of NYC. I usually work within the limits of just the calendar day but there are plenty of times I work overnights or longer shifts that require a break. I know that I do qualify for the DOT Meal Allowance because of my job and I am not reimbursed by my employer.
Am I able to claim the meal allowance for: each day that I work, only under certain conditions or not at all. When I read the IRS info I get a little confused and looking around the internet for answers just doesn't seem reliable. There is some info about claiming 3/4 of the standard amount and some info that just says 50% if it's more than 2% of my income.
If I am able to claim the meal allowance does it matter how much I spent if I go with the standard rate? What I mean is if the standard allowance is $59 and I only spend $16 on my meals for that day do I just claim the $16 or can I claim the whole $59.
I know that there are different amounts for the different cities that I travel to, but If my schedule for the day requires me to go back and forth between the different states & cities do I just claim my home terminal?
Any help would be great, I know that I am not the only person in this boat so if you can answer this then I extent a huge thanks from all of us with this question.