Federal Per Diem Planning
A federal per diem estimate helps travelers plan reimbursable trip costs before submitting an expense report. It separates lodging from meals and incidental expenses. This matters because each part follows a different rule. Lodging often depends on the allowed nightly ceiling. Meals and incidental expenses usually follow a daily allowance.
Why This Calculator Helps
This calculator gives a clear worksheet for trips, audits, and internal approvals. You can enter custom rates for any city, county, fiscal year, or agency table. You can also choose how lodging is handled. Some offices reimburse the allowed rate. Others reimburse actual lodging up to the federal limit. The form supports both methods.
Travel Day Adjustments
Many travel policies reduce meals and incidental expenses on the first and last travel days. A common percentage is seventy five percent. The calculator lets you change that percentage. This makes it useful for federal, contractor, nonprofit, and company travel policies that mirror public rate tables.
Lodging, Meals, And Deductions
The result separates lodging, full day meals, travel day meals, taxes, extra reimbursable charges, and advances. Meal deductions can be entered when breakfast, lunch, or dinner was provided. The calculator subtracts those values from the meal allowance, but never lets the adjusted meal amount fall below zero.
Better Records
A detailed breakdown helps travelers explain how the claim was built. It also helps reviewers confirm nights, days, rates, and reductions. CSV export is useful for spreadsheets. PDF export is helpful for attachments, approvals, and saved records. The example table below shows common trip patterns and rate combinations.
Practical Notes
Always confirm the official rate table before final submission. Federal locality rates can change by fiscal year and month. Some destinations also have seasonal lodging limits. Taxes, conference hotels, long term travel, and agency exceptions may need separate approval. This calculator is an estimate tool, not a policy ruling. Use it as a clean planning sheet. Then compare the final totals with your agency, employer, or contract travel rules.
Advanced Use
Use the notes field for project codes, grant numbers, conference names, or traveler explanations. Keeping these notes beside the math reduces confusion later. It also makes repeated monthly claims easier to compare during review cycles.