Federal employees will see slightly more leeway in their maximum travel reimbursements in fiscal year 2019, according to new per diem rates released by the General Services Administration Aug. 14.
The standard rate cap for lodging, which applies to all non-specified counties in the continental U.S., increased from $93 in FY18 to $94 in FY19. The cap for meals and incidental expenses increased more, going from $51 in FY18 to $55 in FY19.
“Based on local market costs of mid-priced hotels, lodging per diem rates provide caps, or maximum amounts, that can be reimbursed to federal employees for lodging and meals while on official travel. As an additional savings measure, GSA’s lodging per diem rate methodology includes taking five percent off of the final average daily rate in each location,” a GSA news release on the caps said.
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More expensive locations, like Washington, D.C., have much higher lodging and meals rates, and the caps can shift from month to month depending on cost averages.
The new rates are effective Oct. 1, 2018.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
