The Department of Defense has announced that GSA Per Diem Rates for military travel will go up slightly for Fiscal Year 2022, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022. The standard per diem rate will increase from $151 to $155 daily, which equates to an average FY22 Per Diem Rate Increase of 2.6%.
FY22 GSA Per Diem Rate Calculator & Query
FY 2022 Per Diem Highlights
Federal per diem reimbursement rates consist of a maximum lodging allowance component and a meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) component. Most of CONUS (approximately 2600 counties) is covered by the standard per diem rate of $155 ($96 lodging, $59 M&IE). In fiscal year (FY) 2022, there are 319 non-standard areas (NSAs) that have per diem rates higher than the standard rate. Some locales in high cost areas of living can expect a higher Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase of up to about 5%, with very few markets seeing an increase.
The General Services Agency (GSA) of the Federal Government establishes the annual per diem rates for the continental United States (CONUS), which also includes all of the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. All Agencies of the Federal Government use the daily per diem rate to reimburse employees for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred while on official travel.
How is the FY22 GSA Per Diem Lodging Rate Calculated?
GSA bases the maximum nightly lodging allowance on an average daily rate (ADR), and has done so since 2006. The ADR widely accepted throughout the lodging industry as a calculated measure of a property’s nightly room revenue (the rate per night) which is then divided by the total number of rooms rented as reported by the hotel property. This industry recognized calculation is what the GSA then uses to calculate the average nightly lodging rate based on city, state, and zip code. Agencies are reminded that the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) also allows for the reimbursement of actual expenses when the per diem rates for a travel location are insufficient to meet necessary expenses while the government or military member is on official travel. Please reference FTR 301-11.300 through 306 for additional information.
