GSA issues revised per diem reimbursement

Federal employees on business travel will see changes in per diem reimbursements starting Oct. 1, according to the General Services Administration.

Lodging reimbursement, which can change based on season, will rise $15 in the Washington area to $226 in October 2011 and September 2012. From April to June 2012, the nightly per diem will increase $13 to $224. Hotel per diem rates in Chicago will rise 10 percent in October and November 2011 and in September 2012, up $17 to $190 per night. Boston will see a $15 increase in October 2011 and September 2012.

Other major metropolitan areas will see small increases in 2012. Per diem rates in Los Angeles and San Diego will rise $2; they will increase $7 in Orlando, $1 in Atlanta and $6 in Las Vegas.

GSA establishes per diem rates for lodging and meal expenses in the continental United States. A standard per diem is applied in locations less commonly traveled by federal workers, while nonstandard areas frequently visited are granted individual rates based on the average daily industry rates. The standard lodging rate, which covers hotels in 2,600 counties nationwide, will remain at $77, while the standard meal rate is $46.

In fiscal 2012, Alexandria-Leesville-Natchitoches, La., for the first time will receive a nonstandard area designation. Montgomery, Ala.; Ocala, Fla.; Michigan City, Ind.; Benton Harbor, Mackinac Island and Mount Pleasant, Mich.; Jefferson City, Mo.; and Sheboygan, Wis., previously converted to the standard per diem, also will be given separate rates.

When GSA published fiscal 2011 per diem rates in August 2010, rates for lodging had decreased in 310 of the 378 nonstandard, mostly metropolitan areas across the country because of the economic recession. At that time, the reduced rates for nonstandard areas reflected a 5.73 percent drop in the cost of lodging from fiscal 2010, while the fiscal 2011 per diem rates reflected an overall decrease of 3.85 percent when compared with fiscal 2010 rates. But after a midyear review, GSA in April raised lodging per diems in several major metropolitan areas, including New York City and San Francisco.

According to GSA, if a per diem rate is insufficient to meet necessary expenses in any given location, agencies can request a review of that area.