Per Diem & Travel Budget Calculator
Estimate a trip budget from daily meal allowance, incidentals, lodging nights, taxes, transport, and other expenses. Use your company, agency, or project rates and keep the calculation private.
Trip inputs
Budget results
Total = travelers * (M&IE allowance + lodging + lodging tax + transport + other).
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How the travel budget is calculated
Per diem budgeting separates daily meals and incidentals from lodging and other travel costs. Enter the rates from your employer policy, grant budget, project estimate, or official rate table. The calculator then applies first-day and last-day percentages, subtracts provided meal reductions, adds lodging nights and lodging taxes, and includes transport and other known expenses.
The default first-day and last-day meal allowance is 75%, a common travel policy pattern, but your organization may use a different rule. If your policy pays a full daily allowance for every calendar day, set both percentages to 100. If lodging is paid directly and should not appear in a reimbursement estimate, set the lodging rate to zero and track it separately.
Formula and assumptions
Allowance days: first day % + last day % + full middle travel days
M&IE allowance: max(0, allowance days * daily M&IE - provided meal reduction)
Lodging: lodging nights * nightly lodging rate
Lodging tax: lodging subtotal * lodging tax %
Total per traveler: M&IE + lodging + lodging tax + transport + other costs
This is a planning calculator, not a reimbursement determination. Validate policy rules, receipts, caps, and non-reimbursable expenses with the responsible finance or travel office.
Example calculation
For a 5-day trip with 4 lodging nights, a $74 M&IE rate, $189 nightly lodging, 75% first and
last travel days, 14% lodging tax, $320 transport, and $85 other costs, the allowance days are
0.75 + 3 + 0.75 = 4.5. Meals and incidentals are 4.5 * $74 = $333.
Lodging is 4 * $189 = $756, lodging tax is $756 * 14% = $105.84, and
total estimated trip cost is $333 + $756 + $105.84 + $320 + $85 = $1,599.84.
FAQs
What is a per diem travel budget?
It is a planning estimate based on daily allowance rates, lodging nights, transport, and other trip expenses.
How are first and last travel days handled?
Use the first-day and last-day percentage fields. Set both to 100 if your policy pays full allowance for travel days.
Does this calculate official government per diem rates?
No. Enter the rates from the applicable policy or rate table. This tool does not fetch live rate data.
What should go in provided meal reduction?
Enter the total amount your policy requires you to subtract for included meals, hosted meals, or conference meals.
Is this calculator private?
Yes. The calculation runs locally in your browser.
Disclaimer
This calculator is for travel planning and budget comparison. It does not provide tax, legal, payroll, or reimbursement advice and does not determine eligibility under any specific travel policy.