Government per diem rates fall in most metro areas
Federal employees traveling to places like New York City for business soon will have less money to spend on lodging.
Beginning Oct. 1, federal employees traveling on business to major metropolitan areas will receive on average less money for lodging than they did in fiscal 2010, according to the General Services Administration.
The per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses, which ranges from $46 to $71, will remain the same in fiscal 2011.
Per diem rates for lodging will decrease in 310 of the 378 nonstandard, mostly metropolitan areas across the country because of the economic recession, according to GSA. The reduced rates for nonstandard areas reflect a 5.73 percent drop in the cost of lodging from fiscal 2010. The fiscal 2011 per diem rates reflect an overall decrease of 3.85 percent when compared to fiscal 2010 rates.
For example, the fiscal 2011 per diem rate for lodging in New York City (including all five boroughs) ranges from $191 to $269, depending on the time of year; in fiscal 2010, the per diem range for that area was $209 to $340.
Government employees visiting San Francisco in fiscal 2011 will receive a lodging per diem ranging from $142 to $174, depending on the season. In fiscal 2010, the per diem rate for lodging in the city ran from $166 to $192. Federal travelers coming to the Washington area will see reduced per diem lodging rates throughout the entire year. Rates for fiscal 2011 will range from $157 to $211, depending on the time of year, compared to the fiscal 2010 range of $170 to $229.
GSA, which sets the federal per diem rates, assigns a reimbursement rate higher than the standard to frequently traveled regions considered more expensive. The standard lodging rate, which covers hotels in 2,600 counties nationwide, will increase from $70 to $77 in fiscal 2011.