Federal employees on official travel will soon enjoy another bump in reimbursable travel costs, as the General Services Administration has increased per diem rates for lodging and meals.

Starting Oct. 1, the reimbursable daily limit will rise to $178, from $166 last year. This increase marks the third consecutive year feds saw lodging rates go up, while rates for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) last went up in 2022.

The standard per diem lodging rate within the continental United States (CONUS) went up from $107 to $110, while the rates for M&IE increased from a range of $59 to $79, to a range of $68 to $92.

Agencies use per diem rates to reimburse employees for lodging and M&IE during official travel. Even with inflation growth in the U.S. now losing steam, the continued increase in per diem rates reflect the persistent rise in overall costs that Americans face across the board. The inflation rate for July was 2.9%, down from 3% in June and the lowest percentage since 2021.

GSA sets per diem rates each fiscal year, based on average daily rate (ADR) data from the lodging industry — in hopes that federal employees can avoid coming out of pocket for official travel expenses.

Non-standard rates

Non-standard areas (NSAs) are regions frequently traveled by federal employees that have individual rates higher than the standard CONUS per diem rate.

For instance, Washington, D.C., an obvious hub for federal travel, has a daily lodging rate for 2025 that ranges from $183 to $275, and an M&IE rate of $92.

A per diem travel calculator on GSA’s website lets users determine exact rates by location.

GSA identified 296 NSAs for 2025, down from 302 last year. The drop is accounted for by GSA’s recategorization of six areas into standard CONUS rates:

• Wayne, Indiana (Allen County)
• Canton, Ohio (Stark County)
• Mentor, Ohio (Lake County)
• East Greenwich/Warwick, Rhode Island (Kent County)
• Waco, Texas (McLennan County)
• Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin (Columbia County)

GSA did not add any new NSAs for 2025.

The agency is responsible for establishing per diem rate for CONUS, which includes the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. The Defense Department handles rates for Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories, and the State Department establishes foreign rates.

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