Are GSA per diem rates set by city or by county?

GSA establishes CONUS per diem for non-standard areas (NSAs) that are typically a key city/primary destination and the surrounding county or counties. Locations that are not in an NSA use the standard CONUS rate.

What is the standard CONUS rate for FY2026?

For FY2026, standard CONUS lodging is $110 and M&IE is $68, per GSA FTR Bulletin 26-01.

How GSA per diem rates are determined

Q: Why is first/last travel day M&IE only 75%?

Under the Federal Travel Regulation, travelers generally receive 75% of the applicable M&IE rate for the first and last calendar day of travel.

Short version: GSA sets Continental U.S. (CONUS) reimbursement ceilings primarily by county geography, not by arbitrary city boundaries. Non-standard areas (NSAs) get their own lodging (sometimes seasonal) and M&IE tier; everywhere else in CONUS uses the standard rate.

County mechanism

GSA’s published rates and lookup tools resolve a traveler’s city, ZIP, or locality to the applicable county (or county grouping). If that county sits inside an NSA definition, the NSA rates apply; otherwise the standard CONUS rate applies. Official overview: gsa.gov per diem rates.

Non-standard areas (NSAs)

Most NSAs are a primary destination plus surrounding county or counties. Lodging may vary by season within the federal fiscal year; M&IE is a daily tier total for that locality. FY2026 data on this site lists 298 NSA destinations from the GSA Per Diem API.

Standard CONUS rate

For FY2026, GSA kept standard CONUS lodging at $110 and standard M&IE at $68 (FTR Bulletin 26-01). Counties (and ZIPs) that are not part of an NSA use these figures.

Fiscal-year seasons

The federal fiscal year for these rates runs 2025-10-01 → 2026-09-30. Some NSA lodging rates change by month/season inside that window; M&IE tiers for a destination stay on their published total. Master files and API docs: per diem files, Per diem API.

The 75% first/last-day rule

On the first and last calendar day of travel, travelers generally receive 75% of the applicable M&IE rate. Meal-by-meal breakdowns of each CONUS tier are published by GSA: M&IE breakdowns. Use our M&IE calculator to apply the 75% figure to a tier.

FAQ

City vs county — which wins?: The county (or NSA county grouping) that GSA assigns to the location. A city name is a lookup convenience; the rate follows the NSA/standard mapping.
Does this site replace gsa.gov?: No. Confirm rates on gsa.gov/perdiem before filing.

Related: Methodology · Location lookup