Federal Per Diem Rate

2010 Per Diem Rates Announced; Meal and Incidental Expenses Rates To Increase

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the federal government's Fiscal Year 2010 standard per diem allowance, which reimburses employees for expenses incurred on authorized official travel within the continental United States (CONUS), will increase to $116 per day.

Breakdowns of the rate’s effects in Arkansas are as follows:

•    The standard CONUS rate is $116 per day for federal employees on official travel—$70 per day for lodging and $46 per day for meals and incidental expenses.

In addition, two areas in Arkansas, Little Rock and Hot Springs, qualify for “non-standard” per diem rates due to the volume of government travel and local market conditions.

•    The new rate for travelers to Hot Springs/Garland County is $148 per day—$102 per day for lodging and $46 per day for meals and incidental expenses.

•    The new rate for travelers to Little Rock/Pulaski County is $149 per day—$88 per day for lodging and $61 per day for meals and incidental expenses.

The new rates will take effect on October 1, 2009.

GSA uses market data provided by Smith Travel Research to establish per diem rates.

For more information, call Montine McNulty at (501) 376-2323.

For more information on the Fiscal Year 2010 per diem rates and how GSA establishes them, visit www.gsa.gov/perdiem .