FY2027 GSA Per Diem Rates: What Changed on October 1
The new federal travel year began October 1, 2026. Standard lodging rises from $110 to $113 a night, meals hold at $68, and one Pennsylvania city drops off the high-cost list.
Every September, the General Services Administration resets the numbers that govern federal travel reimbursement, and a surprising amount of private-sector travel policy just follows along. This year's update is modest but not trivial: after a complete rate freeze in FY2026, lodging moves up again. If you manage travel budgets, approve expense reports, or travel on government rates yourself, here is exactly what changed and what it costs.
The headline numbers
| Component | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard lodging, per night | $110 | $113 |
| Standard M&IE, per day | $68 | $68 |
| Combined standard full day | $178 | $181 |
| M&IE tier range | $68–$92 | $68–$92 |
| Non-standard areas | 296 | 295 |
Source: GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 27-01, published August 18, 2026. The rates apply to travel performed October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What it means in dollars
A five-night trip at standard rates now reimburses $565 for lodging instead of $550, a $15 increase, with $340 for meals and incidentals unchanged. The combined standard day is $181. Nothing dramatic, but across a team of traveling employees the $3-a-night adds up over a fiscal year, and budgets built on FY2026 caps will run short.
The meal side deserves an explanation. GSA reviews M&IE on a three-to-five-year cycle rather than annually, and the last increase took effect in October 2024. No M&IE tier changed anywhere in the country this year. If your travelers feel the meal allowance is tight, that is a policy conversation, not a rate error.
Beyond the standard rate
The 295 non-standard areas, localities with hotel costs above the standard, mostly moved up: among the destinations appearing in both years' rate files, 258 raised their peak-season lodging caps, 18 lowered them, and 18 held flat, with a median increase of $7 a night. Albuquerque jumped 44%, from $144 to $208. Allentown, Pennsylvania, went the other direction and returned to the standard $113 rate. North Dakota remains the only continental state with no non-standard areas at all.
One timing trap: if a trip spans September 30 and October 1, each travel day reimburses at the rate in effect on that date. Split the claim at the fiscal year boundary instead of applying one rate to the whole trip.
Look up your destination's exact FY2027 rate. Lodging caps and meal tiers vary by locality and season.
Frequently asked questions
When do the FY2027 per diem rates take effect?
October 1, 2026, for travel performed on or after that date through September 30, 2027. Travel completed in September 2026 still reimburses at FY2026 rates.
Did the meal per diem change for FY2027?
No. The standard M&IE rate stays at $68 per day and every locality kept its FY2026 meal tier. GSA reviews meal rates on a multi-year cycle; lodging is the component that moved this year.
What if my destination is not listed in the GSA tables?
You get the standard rate: $113 per night for lodging and $68 per day for M&IE. The standard rate covers most US counties.
Can an agency reimburse more than the per diem rate?
Yes, through actual expense reimbursement, which the Federal Travel Regulation permits up to 300% of the applicable maximum per diem when rates are insufficient. It requires authorization, not just a expensive hotel receipt.
Get one practical travel-policy guide a week: subscribe to the newsletter for per diem explainers and rate change alerts.
Related reading: The 75 Percent Rule: How GSA Per Diem Works on Your First and Last Travel Days · When Your Hotel Costs More Than the GSA Per Diem: The Actual Expense Escape Hatch