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<\/a><\/p>\n Drew Friedman<\/a>@dfriedmanWFED<\/a><\/p>\n \n September 4, 2026 4:48 pm <\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Starting Oct. 1, employees on official travel will see a $3 increase<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Agencies use per diem rates to reimburse federal employees for lodging, meals and other expenses during official travel. GSA announces the government\u2019s per diem rates each August, ahead of the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n The upcoming allowance increase follows GSA\u2019s decision to keep per diem rates flat<\/a> during fiscal 2026 for the first time in five years, citing \u201ccost efficiency goals\u201d of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n GSA bases per diem rates<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n In instances where standard per diem rates are insufficient, federal regulations<\/a> allow employees to request a reimbursement of up to 300% of the per diem rate based on actual expenses.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0per diem travel calculator<\/a>\u00a0on GSA\u2019s website lets users determine exact rates by location.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In July, GSA also made a mid-year adjustment to mileage reimbursement rates<\/a> 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\u2019s increase, and retroactively applied to travel and relocation that occurred on or after July 1.<\/p>\n If you would like to contact this reporter about recent changes in the federal government, please email\u00a0drew.friedman@federalnewsnetwork.com<\/a> or reach out on Signal at drewfriedman.11<\/p>\n Copyright
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