Per diem calculator
Useful for employees and HR teams to work out the allowance due from the daily rate and trip length.
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How to use it
- Enter daily rate, trip days, travel-day rate and meals provided deduction.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
One-day trip: allowance = rate × travel-day %. Otherwise: rate × (days − 2) + 2 × rate × travel-day % ÷ 100, minus meal deductions.
Example
Inputs: Daily rate = 300, Trip days = 5 days, Travel-day rate = 75 %, Meals provided deduction = 0. Result: Allowance due: 1,350.00; Before deductions: 1,350.00; Full days: 3.
Limits and caveats
- The 75% default follows the US GSA first and last day rule; your employer's policy may differ.
- Lodging allowances paid separately from meals are not included.
Questions about this tool
Why are travel days paid at a lower rate?
The traveler spends part of those days at home or in transit, so many policies pay only a share.
What if our policy pays the full rate every day?
Set the travel-day rate to 100% and the result becomes rate times days.
What is the meals provided deduction?
The total to subtract when a conference or hotel provides free meals, entered as one amount for the trip.