Can I claim food and lunch as a self-employed tradesperson?

Can I claim food and lunch as a self-employed tradesperson? Not for your everyday lunch on site, which HMRC's manual (BIM47705) treats as a normal living cost. In 2026-27 you can claim reasonable meals on jobs that need a night away, and on occasional trips outside your normal pattern. Not if it is part of your normal working pattern. HMRC treats everyday food as a living cost, because everyone has to eat, and you cannot claim even the extra cost of eating away from home. Yes. When a job needs one or more nights away from home, the accommodation and reasonable meals are deductible, whether or not the meals are on the same bill as the room. It can be allowable if you do not travel there more than occasionally and the trip is outside your normal pattern of travel, and the travel itself is a business cost. Read the full answer, with every source, at rightotax.co.uk.