Pay, pay raises, pay allowances, pay charts - Marine Corps Times

Per Diem

Per diem is a daily allotment for the cost of food and lodging for service members on government business or temporary duty away from their home station. The military also pays per diem for lodging and transportation during a permanent change-of-station move.

Lodging costs are reimbursed with a maximum amount set for each area.

The General Services Administration oversees per diem rates for the continental U.S. and the District of Columbia; the State Department oversees the program for all foreign countries; and the Defense Department handles per diem for U.S. locations outside the continental U.S., such as Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

The allowance for the cost of lodging, meals and incidental expenses ranges from as low as $4 per day while visiting Port Said, Egypt, to $501 a day for the Holy See at the Vatican. Usually, the per diem is more modest, often about $100 to $200 per day in the U.S. and $100 to $300 per day overseas.

U.S. per diem computations are based on food and lodging costs gathered each year in more than 440 locations. Locations that are not specifically listed qualify for a standard per diem rate of $99 per day.

Foreign overseas rates are reviewed monthly by the State Department. For locations not specifically listed, the standard per diem rate overseas is $50 per day.