What is per diem travel?
A per diem is the right choice when you and your DLC decide that:
- your trip will be so lengthy that keeping track of individual expenses will be unusually difficult or burdensome
- your DLC is hosting a guest and you want to cover that individual’s expenses
When you travel on a per diem basis, you receive a flat sum per day to cover meals, lodging, and incidental expenses. You may not use the MIT travel card on the trip or submit charges or receipts for reimbursement.
Who Can Use Per Diem
Anyone can apply to use per diem for domestic or international travel—as long as the appropriate permissions are received prior to the trip. This approval must come from the department head, account supervisor, laboratory director, or project director for both sponsored and non-sponsored accounts.
How do I get started with per diem travel?
How to get started with per diem travel varies depending on if you are traveling domestically or internationally.
Domestic Travel
You must first get approval from the department head, laboratory director, or project supervisor, attaching this approval to your travel report (an email or other written format is fine). Travelers should have also submitted their request to VPF Travel and Card Services for final approval before their trip.
International Travel
You should attach written approval to your travel report, unless you’re the account supervisor. For international travel, no additional VPF approval.
Canada and Mexico are not international for per diem purposes! All trips within North America are considered domestic travel.
How do I submit a travel report for per diem travel?
Expenses are submitted based on per diem rates.
For international travel, the rates are decided by the government and are based on the destination of the traveler. They are a combination of the meals and incidentals (M&IE) rate, and the lodging rate (hotel). You can claim below the number provided by the government. A list of government rates for international per diem travel can be found on the US Department of State’s website.
For domestic travel, the rates can be found on the site of the General Services Administration and change each year on October 1.
Helpful to remember:
- Taxes and gratuity are included in the per diem rate and should not be listed on the travel report in addition to a per diem line.
- On the first and last days of travel, federal accounts can only be charged at 75% of the per diem daily rate.
- If you’re provided meals during your trip, like at a conference, then the meals per diem should be deducted from the per diem rate. Similarly, if you choose to reimburse hotel receipts instead of including lodging in your per diem, then the lodging portion of per diem should be removed from the total amount. If you’re provided meals but can’t eat them for religious or dietary reasons, then you may still charge the meals per diem to your travel.
This information should all be kept on hand when submitting a travel report.
Can I submit both per diem and non-per diem travel expenses?
No, this is not possible. If you have special circumstances, please reach out to the travel office directly at travelsupport@mit.edu.
Additional information and assistance
You can find more information on VPF’s page for per diem expenses or reach out to the travel office directly at travelsupport@mit.edu.
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