Thread: NEW GSA PER DIEM RATES FOR 2015

GSA has published the new rates for Per Diem effective October 1st, 2015.

The nationwide rate remains the same, but some localities have changed.

See:

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/10...aign=shortcuts

Highlights:

FY 2015 Per Diem Highlights

GSA establishes the per diem rates for the lower 48 Continental United States (CONUS), which are the maximum allowances that federal employees are reimbursed for expenses incurred while on official travel.
The CONUS per diem rate for an area is actually three allowances: the lodging allowance, the meals allowance and the incidental expense allowance. Most of the CONUS (approximately 2600 counties) are covered by the standard CONUS per diem rate of $129 ($83 lodging, $46 meals and incidental expenses). In fiscal year (FY) 2015, there continue to be about 400 Non-Standard Areas (NSAs) that have per diem rates higher than the standard CONUS rate.
Since FY 2005, NSA rates have been based on Average Daily Rate (ADR) data from the lodging industry, which GSA obtains through a contract with a leading provider of lodging industry data. For more about how per diem rates are determined, visit Factors Influencing Lodging Rates. The ADR is a widely accepted lodging-industry measure based upon a property's room rental revenue divided by the number of rooms rented as reported by the hotel property to the contractor. This calculation provides GSA with the average rate in a given area.
As in previous years, GSA still uses:

• Only "fire safe" properties; GSA is required by law to use only properties that are certified as being in compliance with the Hotel & Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990.
• Properties that fall within the mid-price range.
• Data from the prior 12-month period. For FY 2015, this is from April 2013 through March 2014;
• Business travel week data (Monday through Thursday)

Agencies are reminded that the Federal Travel Regulation allows for actual expense reimbursement when per diem rates are insufficient to meet necessary expenses. Please see FTR §301-11.300 through 306 for more information.

FY 2015 Results:
Two locations will become new NSAs in FY 2015: Kayenta, AZ (Navajo County) and San Angelo, TX (Tom Green County).
Elmore County, ID is now included with the Sun Valley, ID NSA location. The Middlebury, VT (Addison County) NSA has been combined with the Burlington/St. Albans, VT (Chittenden/Franklin Counties) NSA. Finally, the Manhattan NSA has been renamed New York City, which more accurately recognizes that GSA no longer sets rates for individual New York City boroughs as had been done in the past.
In FY 2015, five locations that were NSAs in FY 2014 will move into the standard CONUS rate category. They include:

Destination/State
Glenwood Springs/Grand Junction, CO
Lakeville, CT
Chesapeake/Suffolk, VA
Lake Geneva, WI
Sheridan, WY