Per Diem in Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam: Why GSA Rates Do Not Apply
Per diem in Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam is not set by GSA. GSA covers the continental United States, the 48 contiguous states plus DC. Everything else runs through different agencies: the Defense Department sets rates for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the territories, and the State Department sets foreign rates. Looking up Honolulu on the GSA site returns nothing, and that is by design.
The confusion is understandable, because the GSA per diem lookup is the page everyone bookmarks. You type in Anchorage, the page errors or points elsewhere, and you assume the site is broken. It is not broken. GSA's own FAQ says it plainly: GSA establishes rates for travel within CONUS. Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense. Rates for foreign countries are set by the Department of State. Three agencies, three territories, and one traveler who has to know which map they are on.
For Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the other territories, the rates come from the Defense Travel Management Office, DTMO, through the Per Diem Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee. The lookup lives at travel.dod.mil, not gsa.gov. The authority traces back to 5 U.S.C. section 5702 and a 1955 executive order that delegated OCONUS rate-setting to the Secretary of Defense. The mechanics work the same way, lodging plus M&IE, but the numbers come from a different table, and your voucher has to cite the right one.
Which per diem table applies to your trip
Three cases. Traveling in the 48 contiguous states or DC: GSA. Traveling in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory: DoD through DTMO. Traveling in a foreign country: the State Department. The edge cases are where people get burned. A trip that touches both, say DC then Guam, needs each leg rated from its own table. Federal contractors should check their contracts, since many mirror GSA rates by agreement rather than by regulation.
One more wrinkle worth knowing. In CONUS, an unlisted county falls back to the standard CONUS rate. OCONUS has no equivalent fallback. DoD rates each OCONUS location individually, so there is no generic number to plug in. If you cannot find your location in the DTMO lookup, that is a question for your travel office, not a license to use the GSA standard rate.
Price the CONUS legs: the GSA per diem calculator looks up current CONUS rates by city. For OCONUS legs, use the DTMO lookup at travel.dod.mil.
Bookmark two lookups, not one. GSA for the lower 48 and DC, DTMO for everything else American. The five minutes this saves is not the lookup. It is the voucher rejection you avoid when the reviewer asks why your Honolulu claim cites a table that does not cover Honolulu.
Frequently asked questions
Does GSA set per diem rates for Hawaii?
No. GSA covers CONUS only: the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Hawaii rates are set by the Department of Defense through DTMO.
Who sets per diem rates for Alaska and Guam?
The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), part of the Department of Defense, sets rates for all non-foreign OCONUS locations: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories.
Who sets per diem rates for foreign travel?
The U.S. Department of State sets M&IE rates for foreign areas. Lodging abroad is reimbursed at actual expense.
Where do I look up OCONUS per diem rates?
On DTMO's website at travel.dod.mil, which hosts the per diem rate lookup for OCONUS locations.
Do federal contractors use GSA or DoD rates?
It depends on the contract. Many contracts specify GSA rates as the reimbursement basis even for OCONUS travel. Check the contract terms.
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