New Per Diem Rates Ahead

The General Services Administration likely will soon announce new per diem rates for federal travelers to be effective October 1, an annual announcement closely watched not only travelers themselves—who often complain that they end up paying costs out of their own pockets even when reimbursement rates go up–but by members of Congress whose districts are heavy travel destinations. The new rates also commonly make changes in boundaries and in the dates of seasonal rates, for destinations whose rates vary, and set the "meals and incidental expenses" reimbursement rate for non-lodging costs. The last several years the announcement has come in early August.