The General Service Administration (GSA) establishes per diem rates for the continental US, which are referred to as CONUS. The Department of State establishes rates outside the continental US, which are OCONUS. These are generally referred to as foreign. Per Diem rates are reviewed on an annual basis.
A government traveler is eligible for per diem when they perform official travel away from their official duty station. The traveler must be in a travel status for more than 12 hours in order to be entitled to per diem. Lodging, meals, and incidental expenses make up the per diem allowance of a government traveler. The allowance is an amount that is allowed for each day. The travelers Temporary Duty (TDY) location determines the maximum per diem reimbursement rate.
Meals that are provided by the government must be deducted from the meal allowance. The total amount of the deductions will not cause a traveler to receive less than the amount allowed for incidental expenses. Travelers who use the E-Gov Travel Service can indicate which meals were provided and the daily meal amount will automatically be reduced. Federal employees are only entitled to 3/4 or 75% of M&IE (Meals and Incidentals) on the first and last days of official travel.
Lodging taxes for OCONUS and non-foreign travel are included in the per diem rate and cannot be claimed as a separate expense. Taxes for CONUS travel are not included in the per diem allowance. The taxes can be claimed as a separate miscellaneous expense. Receipts must be provided for lodging. However, receipts for meals only need provided when the expense incurred is over $75. The agency, with proper justification, can approve actual meal expenses.
By: John Duncan
Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.