Federal employee per diem rates will tick up slightly in 2027

Maryland Matters · Federal News Network · September 5, 2026

The General Services Administration announced that per diem rates for federal workers would inch up next year. (Photo by Douglas Rissing/iStock, Getty Images Plus) By Drew Friedman

Federal employees traveling for business will see a slight bump in their daily reimbursable allowance, according to new per diem rates set by the General Services Administration.

Starting Oct. 1, employees on official travel will see a $3 increase in the standard lodging per diem rate, from $110 to $113, GSA announced last month. Allowances for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) will remain between $68 and $92 for the upcoming fiscal year, with the lower end of that range serving as the standard base rate.

Agencies use per diem rates to reimburse federal employees for lodging, meals and other expenses during official travel. GSA announces the government’s per diem rates each August, ahead of the upcoming fiscal year.

The upcoming allowance increase follows GSA’s decision to keep per diem rates flat during fiscal 2026 for the first time in five years, citing “cost efficiency goals” of the Trump administration.

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GSA bases per diem rates on average daily rate (ADR) data from the lodging industry, minus 5%. Some regions also have seasonal fluctuations in per diem rates, when ADR data differs by a certain percentage for at least two consecutive months.

In instances where standard per diem rates are insufficient, federal regulations allow employees to request a reimbursement of up to 300% of the per diem rate based on actual expenses.

Much of the United States is covered by the standard Continental United States (CONUS) per diem rates. But GSA has identified 295 nonstandard areas (NSAs), which are regions frequently traveled by federal employees and with individualized allowances higher than the standard CONUS rates. A per diem travel calculator on GSA’s website lets users determine exact rates by location.

GSA establishes per diem rates for CONUS, which includes the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. The Defense Department sets rates for Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories, while the State Department establishes foreign rates.

In July, GSA also made a mid-year adjustment to mileage reimbursement rates for federal employees who use personal vehicles for work purposes. The rate rose from 72.5 to 76 cents per mile, in line with the IRS’s increase, and retroactively applied to travel and relocation that occurred on or after July 1.

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