The General Services Administration on Wednesday announced it would increase its reimbursement rates associated with federal workers' official travel for lodging, though meals and other expenses will reimbursed at current rates. pinstock/Getty Images
GSA announces per diem increases for feds this fall
Beginning in October, the amount federal agencies reimburse employees for daily lodging associated with official travel will increase by at least $3.
The General Services Administration announced Wednesday that it would increase per diem rates associated with lodging when fiscal 2027 begins on Oct. 1.
Each year, GSA updates the reimbursement rates it offers federal employees who travel on official business, based upon the average daily rate at hotels in each region of the continental United States. Beginning in October, the agency said it will increase the base lodging rate from $110 to $113 per night.
The update, announced in a filing scheduled for publication in the Federal Register Thursday, does not include changes to other federal per diem rates. The standard meal and incidental expenses rate will stay at $68, while non-standard meal and incidentals rates will remain between $68 and $92.
Last year, GSA kept all per diem rates static. The last time the reimbursement rate for meal and incidentals increased was October 2024.
Unlike previous years, no regions were added or removed from the list of locations with reimbursement rates higher than the base amount. In 2024, six cities were removed from the list, while in 2023, GSA added two cities while removing 16 others.
With Wednesday’s filing, GSA has updated its online tool where federal workers can check the per diem rates throughout the continental U.S., which is available on the agency’s website.