FY 2025 Per Diem Rates: Bump in Meals, Small Increase in Lodging

Federal employees on official business travel inside the continental United States will soon see bigger reimbursement checks.

The General Services Administration (GSA) announced per diem rates for fiscal year (FY) 2025, which starts on October 1.

The standard reimbursement rate will be $178 per day ($110 for base lodging and $68 for meals and incidentals).

Base lodging rises to $110 from $107, smaller than the $9 increase for FY 2024, when inflation was more prevalent. GSA bases the lodging rate on the average daily rate (ADR) in the nation’s hotel industry.

Meals and incidentals rose from $59 to $68, the first increase in the metric since FY 2022.

Exceptions

GSA notes that the per diem rates apply to standard areas. There are 296 non-standard areas where per diem rates are higher and fluctuate based on seasonality.

Those includes pricey cities like Washington, DC (lodging rate as high as $276 in spring of 2025, M&I of $92), San Francisco ($272, $92), and Miami ($232, $92).

GSA added six regions back into standard areas for FY 2025. Those are:

·      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)

While GSA handles per diem rates for the 48 continental U.S. states and Washington, DC, the Department of Defense sets rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, while the Department of State handles overseas reimbursement.

Employees can check exact per diem rates using a tool on GSA’s website.

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