Federal per diem rates for FY 2027October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 · continental U.S.
The standard daily rate is $181: $113 for lodging and $68 for meals and incidentals. GSA lists 295 areas that get more, some only in certain months. Add up a trip below, or open any destination to see its rate for every month.
Example: New York City, Tue Dec 29, 2026 to Sat Jan 2, 2027, comes to at most $1,677. See it day by day.
The twelve highest full-year averages
Bars run October to September; orange marks the high months, the dashed line the $113 standard.
When the caps peak
Of the 295 areas, 149 change their lodging cap during the year. July is the most common high month (96 areas), November the rarest (8). Ski towns such as Aspen and Park City peak from December to March, islands such as Nantucket in summer, and New York and Boston in September and October.
GSA moved Allentown / Easton / Bethlehem (PA) back to the standard rate for FY 2027. How seasonal rates work.
Travel desk
- How a federal per diem rate is built
Lodging cap plus M&IE: the two parts, the five meal tiers and how far the 295 areas sit above the standard.
- First and last day of travel: the 75% rule
The breakdown table for all five M&IE tiers, and what the travel-day rule takes off short and long trips.
- The highest per diem destinations in FY 2027
Key West leads by full-year average, Park City by peak month: the top 20 and what separates them.
- Seasonal per diem rates: when the lodging cap changes
149 areas change their cap during the year: winter, summer and autumn peaks and the widest swings.
- How per diem rates changed from FY 2021 to FY 2027
The standard rate year by year, the FY 2026 freeze, and the areas that rose and fell the most.
- Meals and incidentals: the five tiers, state by state
104 areas at $80, 33 at $92: where each meal tier applies.
- Adding up a per diem trip, day by day
Four worked examples: a season change, the October 1 fiscal-year change, a step into high season and the standard rate.