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QUESTION:  Where do you get your per diem rates?  Can they be adjusted to reflect families?

 

"Per Diem" means a "per day" (for one person) allowance for short stays in international locations.

 

ERI Per Diem estimates are based upon published rates provided by the US Department of State, United Nations, GSA, IRS and other sources.  Maximum travel per diem allowances for international areas are published by the US Department of State and United Nations. Non-international locality rates are also available as established by the US Department of Defense for the following areas: Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Johnston Atoll, Midway Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Wake Islands.

 

•Lodging - Daily hotel/lodging rate consistent with published sources such as those noted above.

 

•Food/Other - Daily meals and incidental expenses consistent with published sources such as those noted above.

 

ERI doesn’t suggest any specific methodology for Per Diem amounts for family size since our research finds organizations have individual policies.

 

ERI Per Diem estimates are collected and stored in USD since they are the amounts paid by organizations that use the USD as a base currency. They are the amounts a US citizen traveling to US, Canada, or an international location would be allotted if they worked for one of the above mentioned organizations. Per Diems are calculated in USD and, therefore, exchange rate fluctuations between the USD and the local currency and the changes in local supply and demand conditions for Lodging and Food/Other are accounted for with monthly (averaged over the previous six weeks) changes.

 

In higher cost-of-living locations, ERI Shortfall Analyses (provided, if applicable, in the Estimated Per Diems table) suggests additional amounts that may be included:

 

•Lodging - ERI's recommended adjustment for a livable Lodging per diem. In areas where there is an ERI Shortfall value, ERI recommends that a realistic per diem is higher than the standard rates published by sources such as those noted above.

 

•Food/Other - ERI's recommended adjustment for a livable Food/Other per diem. In areas where there is an ERI Shortfall value, ERI recommends that a realistic per diem is higher than the standard rates published by sources such as those noted above.

 

For a list of data sources used in the calculation of cost-of-living differentials, see Data Background FAQ #19.