Hospitality voucher – All important information!

Error-free entertainment receipts can save companies hundreds or even thousands of euros in tax every year. Nevertheless, costly mistakes are often made when documenting business meals. The good news is that this can be easily avoided with the right knowledge.

Here is our practical guide on how to create legally compliant entertainment receipts, avoid the most common sources of error and avoid missing out on tax benefits.

What is a hospitality voucher? Definition and examples

A hospitality receipt can be issued by a restaurant or catering service to prove the costs of a business meal. It serves as proof that the expenses were incurred for business purposes and is required in order to claim them as business expenses for tax purposes.

Important: The hospitality receipt is not identical to the receipt, but contains additional information that is required by the tax office. A receipt or a normal restaurant bill alone is therefore not sufficient to deduct the costs for tax purposes. The hospitality receipt is a separate document that lists all business-relevant details and supplements the receipt.

Typical occasions for a hospitality voucher

A hospitality voucher is issued when hospitality takes place in a business context. Examples of this are

• Business lunch with customers to discuss a project
• Contract negotiations or final talks
• Company-related celebrations, such as anniversaries or Christmas parties
• Get-to-know-you meeting with potential new customers

In all these cases, the hospitality receipt documents the participants, the occasion and the costs incurred. Only with this documentation will the tax office recognize the expenses as business costs.

Fill in the hospitality voucher correctly: You must pay attention to this

Correctly completing a hospitality receipt is the basis for being able to deduct the costs as business expenses. If information is missing or inaccurate, the tax office may refuse tax deductibility.

Mandatory information on a hospitality voucher

In order for a hospitality receipt to be recognized for tax purposes, you must fill in the following information correctly:

1. Name and address of the restaurant:
   Without this information, the receipt will not be accepted by the tax office.
2. Date and place of hospitality:
   The exact date and place of the business meal are mandatory.
3. Reason for the hospitality:
   General descriptions such as “business lunch” are not sufficient. Specify a concrete occasion, e.g. “Project meeting for customer order XY”.
4. Names of the participants:
   List both the guests and the person hosting the event (host), ideally with details of the respective company.
5. Hospitality costs:
   These must be itemized in detail, including gross and net amounts and the VAT shown.
6. Tipping:
   If a tip was paid, it should also be listed and, if possible, acknowledged by the service.
7. Signature of the host:
   By signing this form, you confirm that the information provided is correct.

Tip: In general, but especially if the receipt was printed on thermal paper, you should make a copy or digital backup, as the writing can fade over time.

Under what conditions does the tax office recognize a hospitality receipt?

In order for the tax office to recognize a hospitality receipt, further criteria must be met.

Business occasion is a prerequisite

The reason for the hospitality must be clearly business-related. This means that the business meal must serve to maintain existing or potential business relationships.

These include, for example, contract discussions, meetings on ongoing projects or team-building measures with a business background. Purely private invitations or personal meetings with no business connection are not recognized for tax purposes.

Reasonableness of the costs

The costs of the hospitality must be proportionate to the occasion. The tax office decides what is considered reasonable on a case-by-case basis. A multi-course meal for important contract negotiations may be justifiable, while excessive costs for everyday meetings may be viewed critically. Hospitality in nightclubs or luxurious establishments is generally not recognized.

The tax office distinguishes between business and business-related entertainment expenses.

Business-related costs

They arise from entertaining external persons such as customers, business partners or suppliers. These costs are 70% tax-deductible.

Operational costs

This includes hospitality for employees, for example at company celebrations or anniversaries. These expenses can be deducted at 100%.

The decisive factor here is that business hospitality must always take place outside the company. Hospitality on the company’s own premises, on the other hand, must be borne in full by the company.

Hospitality receipts: documenting business meals correctly

In order to successfully deduct entertainment costs from the tax office, it is important to ensure complete documentation. This includes not only the hospitality receipt itself, but also other evidence.

Connection between hospitality voucher and till receipt

An entertainment receipt does not replace the till receipt, but supplements it. The receipt documents the actual costs incurred, while the entertainment receipt records the circumstances and details of the business meal. Both documents must be kept together.

Important: The receipt should show net and gross amounts and the VAT amount separately. For invoices over 250 euros, the name and address of the invoice recipient are also required.

Small amount invoice vs. ordinary invoice

• Small-value invoice (up to 250 euros): The receipt is sufficient here as long as it contains details such as the date, place and occasion of the hospitality.
• Ordinary invoice (over 250 euros): In addition to the details of the small-value invoice, the name and address of the host and the restaurant must also be listed here.

Special cases: Catering, delivery service and abroad

Caterers or delivery services can also incur entertainment costs. It is important that the catering company issues a proper catering receipt. Tax deductibility remains limited to 70% if external persons are catered for.

Hospitality receipts from abroad

The same principles apply to hospitality abroad as in Germany. However, handwritten receipts may be accepted if it can be proven that no machine-generated receipts are issued in the country in question.

Hospitality receipts and tax audits: What you need to bear in mind

Hospitality expenses are a popular starting point for tax audits. This is because they are often documented incorrectly and can therefore be rejected by the tax office. The most common reasons for objections are

• Incomplete information: Missing names or inaccurate descriptions of the event often lead to rejection.
• Inappropriate costs: If the hospitality costs are disproportionately high compared to the occasion, the tax office can limit the deductibility.
• Missing receipt: The receipt must always be submitted together with the hospitality receipt

Hospitality voucher and personal voucher: When is a personal receipt useful?

Sometimes restaurants do not issue a hospitality receipt, for example for smaller restaurants or international business trips. In such cases, it is possible to create your own receipt. A self-billed receipt fulfils the same function as a regular hospitality receipt, but must also contain all relevant mandatory information in order to be recognized for tax purposes.

The self-certification should include the following points:

• Date and place of hospitality
• Occasion and participants of the business dinner
• Details of the food and drinks consumed
• The total cost including tip

Self-supporting vouchers are a helpful means of remaining flexible and still working correctly for tax purposes. However, they should only be used in exceptional cases. Although the tax authorities accept personal receipts, they often check them more strictly than regular hospitality receipts.

Conclusion: Efficient processes create space for the essentials

Hospitality receipts are an indispensable tool for entrepreneurs to take advantage of tax benefits and correctly document their business expenses. However, errors in documentation can be expensive, which is why it is important to know and implement the requirements of the tax office.

Structured processes are crucial, especially in the hectic day-to-day running of a business, in order to manage all receipts and supporting documents in a timely and complete manner. While Teamhero itself does not organize receipts, the software provides optimal support for personnel and resource planning. By reducing the workload in other administrative areas, you have more time to concentrate on important tasks such as the correct documentation of your hospitality costs.

Optimize your internal processes with digital solutions – and free your mind for the really important things!