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Per diem calculator for GSA and NJC rates

Pick the rate table for the destination and enter the days and nights. You'll see the meals, incidentals and lodging allowance for the trip.

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Daily rates built in

Under GSA rules, the first and last days of a trip pay 75% of meals and incidentals.

  • GSA standard, lodging and meals$181.00 a day
  • NJC Canada, meals and incidentalsCA$148.20 a day

Calculate a per diem

Rate table

Trip

Meals claimed

Uncheck any meal that was provided, for example by a conference, an airline or a host.

Incidentals: CA$25.00

Paid for every day in travel status, whichever meals are claimed.

Lodging

This rate table reimburses lodging at actual cost. There is no nightly cap to apply.

Estimated allowance

Estimated total

CA$444.60

Meal allowance per full dayCA$148.20
Full days3
Meals and incidentalsCA$444.60

How to calculate a per diem allowance

A per diem pays a flat daily amount instead of reimbursing receipts one at a time. Canada and the United States work that amount out differently. Start by settling which table applies to the trip.

  1. Choose the destination's table

    Canada's NJC rates vary by region, with separate tables for the provinces, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The US uses one standard rate for most destinations and higher ones for roughly 300 named localities.

  2. Enter days and nights

    Days in travel status set the meal allowance and nights away set lodging. A three-day trip is normally two nights.

  3. Uncheck any meal that was provided

    A conference lunch or a breakfast included with the room can't be claimed. Incidentals are still paid for every day in travel status, whichever meals you claim.

  4. Apply the reductions that fit

    GSA pays 75% of the meal rate on the first and last day. The NJC drops meal allowances to 75% after 30 days in the same location, and to 50% after 120.

Per diem rates in Canada (NJC) and the US (GSA)

The full tables behind the calculator. The Canadian territories are listed on their own because their rates really are different: dinner in Nunavut is set roughly 70% higher than in the provinces.

RegionBreakfastLunchDinnerIncidentalsDaily total
Canada: provincesCA$29.95CA$30.55CA$62.70CA$25.00CA$148.20
YukonCA$27.35CA$34.70CA$81.30CA$25.00CA$168.35
Northwest TerritoriesCA$29.30CA$34.75CA$74.15CA$25.00CA$163.20
NunavutCA$35.55CA$42.20CA$101.90CA$25.00CA$204.65
United States: standard rate$16.00$19.00$28.00$5.00$68.00

Frequently asked questions

$181 a day for destinations without their own rate, made up of $113 for lodging and $68 for meals and incidentals. The federal fiscal year it applies to runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. In FY2026 the standard rate was $178, with $110 for lodging.

Because you aren't travelling for the whole of either day. Instead of asking travellers to prorate by the hour, GSA pays a flat 75% of the meals and incidentals rate.

The NJC Travel Directive sets separate amounts for breakfast, lunch, dinner and incidentals instead of one combined figure, and it reimburses lodging at actual cost with no cap. Its meal and incidental allowances drop to 75% after 30 days in the same place, and meals drop again to 50% after 120 days while incidentals stay at 75%.

Only if you travel for government or your contract requires it; private employers set their own rates. The published rates are still a useful benchmark, because a rate at or below them is generally easy to justify to a tax authority.

Where these numbers come from

Rates come from the two agencies' published tables:

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Travel claims coded before you're home

Smartbills keeps per diems, bookings and the card charges from the trip together. The claim is already coded by the time the traveller gets home.

See expense management