The U.S. government’s General Services Administration will freeze the FY2022 federal per diem rates for government travel in the continental United States at FY2021 levels, which are based on pre-COVID-19 rates. The rates will take effect on Oct. 1.
The FY22 per diem rate is $151, which comprises $96 for lodging and $55 for meals. This is the same rate as FY21, to ensure the maximum lodging allowances for federal travelers are sufficient in FY22 as the lodging industry recovers, according to the GSA.
Each year, the General Services Administration sets a per diem rate to reimburse federal employees’ lodging expenses for official travel within the continental U.S. Normally, the GSA calculates per diems based on the average daily rate from the previous fiscal year, less 5 percent, but pandemic-related shutdowns, capacity restrictions and safety precautions meant that calculating per diem rates the normal way would have led to an artificially low rate.
“GSA focuses on evidence-based policymaking that strives to balance the mission requirements of federal agencies, the needs of federal employees, and the interests of the American public,” said Krystal Brumfield, associate administrator in the GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy. “Equity in the way we collect, analyze, apply, and publish data is a top priority for GSA. Ultimately, we want federal travelers to be able to find affordable lodging as they return to mission-critical, time-sensitive official travel required to perform their essential duties.”
“AHLA thanks the General Services Administration for setting fair FY2022 per diem rates that recognize the devastating impact COVID-19 continues to have on hotel employees and small businesses,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. “This is a big win for hoteliers across the country, as government travel supports tens of thousands of jobs and billions in travel spending, and many private sector organizations also base travel reimbursements on federal per diem rates. Freezing per diem rates at pre-pandemic levels is vital to the hotel industry as we continue down the long and uneven road to recovery. We are grateful for GSA’s work to ensure reasonable per diem rates for FY22, and we look forward to welcoming back our government guests as travel resumes.”