Per Diem
Let’s Talk Per Diem
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Per Diem is a flat rate amount that covers your lodging and meals during your authorized travel days between your losing location and your gaining location.
2023 Standard CONUS rate is $157.
Service Member receives 100% per authorized travel day used.
Dependents 12 and older receive 75% per authorized travel day used.
Under 12 receives 50% per authorized travel day used.
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Travel days are calculated as Day 1 being 400 miles, each additional day is 350 miles, and if the remainder is 51+ miles then you get an extra travel day.
Example- a trip of 1,751 miles would receive 5 travel days.
A trip of 1,132 would receive 3 travel days.
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Let’s do an example. A family of 5 that is the service member, 3 dependents over 12 and 1 dependent under 12. They are authorized 9 travel days.
Service member - $157
3 x dependents over 12- $117.50 x 3 = $353.25
1 x dependent under 12 - $78.50
Total for 1 travel day is- $588.75 per day for meals and lodging.
The family is only using 7 of the 9 authorized travel days. So they will only receive per diem for 7 days which would be $4,121.25
If they decided to take all 9 travel days authorized they would receive $5,298.75
If they decided to take 12 days to visit other locations, they would only be paid for the 9 authorized travel days. The other 3 days would be out of pocket.
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When you submit your travel voucher (either paper copy or smart voucher depending on your service)- you fill out DD Form 1351-2, you list each travel day where you started and stopped. Many transportation offices will ask for hotel receipts as a way to verify that what you listed on the travel voucher is accurate and you are not claiming travel days that you did not use.
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Per Diem Calculator to see current rate
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