Per Diem Calculator
Add up per diem for a business trip from the daily lodging and meals rates, with 75% meals on the first and last travel days. Start with the GSA standard rate for your dates, or type the rate for the city you are visiting.
Your trip
Standard continental US rate: FY2027 $113 lodging, $68 M&IE; FY2026 $110 lodging, $68 M&IE. Cities with their own rate: GSA's per diem lookup.
Leave empty for the nights between the dates. Lodging is paid for the first nights of the trip.
Per diem for the trip
–
- Lodging, 0 nights
- $0
- Meals and incidentals, 0 days
- $0
M&IE is 75% on the first and last day of travel. Estimates for a claim or a budget; your company's travel policy decides what it pays.
The calculation runs in your browser and ParrotNotes does not store your trip. The dates and rates sit in the page address so you can bookmark or share the result; the meals you tick do not.
How it works
- 1
Enter the trip dates
The day you leave and the day you get back. Nights of lodging default to the nights between them; change it if you stayed with a friend or flew home on a red-eye.
- 2
Pick the rates
The GSA standard rate for each date (it follows the federal fiscal year, which starts on 1 October), or the lodging and meals rate you look up for the city you are visiting.
- 3
Mark meals provided
Tick breakfast, lunch or dinner on the days a conference or customer event fed you. The table shows every day; copy it or download it as a CSV for the expense report.
GSA standard per diem rates
The standard rate applies anywhere in the continental US without its own rate. Rates follow the federal fiscal year, which starts on 1 October; FY2027 lodging goes up to $113.
| Travel dates | Lodging a night | M&IE a day | First, last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY20271 Oct 2026 to 30 Sep 2027 | $113 | $68 | $51 |
| FY20261 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 | $110 | $68 | $51 |
| FY20251 Oct 2024 to 30 Sep 2025 | $110 | $68 | $51 |
Sources: GSA Per Diem Bulletins FTR 27-01 and FTR 26-01, checked on gsa.gov in September 2026. City and county rates: GSA per diem lookup.
M&IE breakdown for meals provided
GSA splits each M&IE rate into meals and incidentals. These are the amounts that come off when a meal is provided, for example at a conference.
| M&IE total | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Incidentals | First, last day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $68 | $16 | $19 | $28 | $5 | $51 |
| $74 | $18 | $20 | $31 | $5 | $55.50 |
| $80 | $20 | $22 | $33 | $5 | $60 |
| $86 | $22 | $23 | $36 | $5 | $64.50 |
| $92 | $23 | $26 | $38 | $5 | $69 |
Source: GSA M&IE breakdown, checked in September 2026. GSA says complimentary hotel breakfasts and meals served by an airline do not change the allowance.
How per diem is calculated
Per diem has two parts. Lodging is paid per night, up to the lodging rate. Meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) are paid per day as a flat amount, with no receipts for meals.
On the first and last day of travel, GSA pays 75% of the M&IE rate, because those are partial days. The last day has no lodging, since you sleep at home.
When a meal is provided, for example lunch at a conference, its amount from GSA's M&IE breakdown comes off that day's M&IE. On the first and last day the full meal amount comes off the 75% figure, and the day never drops below the incidentals amount.
Who uses GSA per diem rates
GSA sets per diem rates for federal employees on official travel. Many private employers use them as the benchmark for their own travel policy, which is why reps and managers look them up, but your company's policy decides what it pays: some pay the GSA rate, some a flat amount of their own, some actual receipts.
The standard rate covers every place in the continental US that is not listed with its own rate. Busy cities and counties have higher rates; look yours up on GSA's per diem page and type it in. Lodging taxes are not included in GSA's lodging rate.
For how per diem paid to employees is treated for tax, see IRS Publication 463 (Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses).
This is a calculator, not tax advice. Your company's travel policy decides what it pays. More on the rep's week on the road: What an outside sales rep does all day, Field sales management, What a sales engineer does.
Per diem covers the trip
Per diem covers the trip; the customer visits are why you went. ParrotNotes records each visit and writes the summary and follow-ups before you reach the car.
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