Per Diem Rates Atlanta
The GSA per diem rate for Atlanta is $188 a night for lodging, $207 from January to March, and $86 a day for meals. Enter your travel dates to see the total as an employee or self-employed.
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Per diem rates Atlanta follow an unusual calendar: the GSA lodging rate is highest from January to March, at $207 a night, and $188 for the rest of the year. The M&IE rate is $86 a day, one level below the $92 of cities like New York or Chicago. The entry covers Fulton and DeKalb counties.
Enter your dates in the calculator. It prices each night with the rate of its date and shows the first and last day at 75% of $86, which is $64.50.
Not tax advice. DiemWise applies published rates and rules; check your own case with a tax professional.
Data used: GSA per diem rates FY2027 (continental U.S.) (effective 2026-10-01, expires 2027-09-30, last checked 2026-10-24); GSA M&IE breakdowns (CONUS) (effective 2026-10-01, expires 2027-09-30, last checked 2026-10-24). All sources and dates.
How to work out the Atlanta per diem
- Enter the first and last day of travel. Atlanta is preselected.
- Choose employee or self-employed.
- Read the total and the day table. The first and last day have $64.50 of M&IE and the days in between $86.
- For a stay outside Fulton and DeKalb, type the city: Marietta, Athens, Augusta, Savannah and Jekyll Island / Brunswick have their own Georgia entries.
- Share the link from the address bar.
- Read the yellow notes above the table, if there are any. They appear when the rates have expired or when a date is outside the loaded files.
- For a single night, set the last day one day after the first. A one-night trip has two travel days and one night.
The result is a ceiling for lodging and a fixed amount for meals. If your employer pays a per diem at the GSA rate, the total is what the policy allows for these dates. If you are self-employed, treat the meals figure as your deductible meals and add your actual hotel receipts separately. Changing the dates updates every number at once, so try the first week of April to see the drop from $207 to $188. Both rates are taken from the three rows of the Atlanta entry that you can read in the table of the guide.
| Dates | Lodging per night | M&IE per day | Lodging + M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 | $188 | $86 | $274 |
| Jan 1, 2027 to Mar 31, 2027 | $207 | $86 | $293 |
| Apr 1, 2027 to Sep 30, 2027 | $188 | $86 | $274 |
The file lists 3 lodging rates for Atlanta. The highest is $207 a night (Jan 1, 2027 to Mar 31, 2027) and the lowest is $188 (Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026), a gap of $19 a night. The standard rate in the same file is $113 for lodging and $68 for M&IE, so the highest Atlanta rate is $94 above it.
M&IE is $86 a day: $22 breakfast, $23 lunch, $36 dinner and $5 incidentals. On the first and last day of travel you get 75%, which is $64.5. The rate covers Fulton / Dekalb.
Compared with the FY2026 file, the highest lodging rate for Atlanta rose by $10 (from $197 to $207).
What does an Atlanta trip cost?
Five days from Monday 29 March to Friday 2 April 2027, across the season change: the nights of 29, 30 and 31 March are at $207, which is $621, and the night of 1 April is at $188, so lodging is $809. M&IE is 64.50 + 86 + 86 + 86 + 64.50 = $387. The per diem total is $1,196. The same dates at the standard rate would come to $758: lodging 4 × $113 = $452 and M&IE 51 + 68 + 68 + 68 + 51 = $306.
Why is Atlanta cheaper than the $92 cities?
M&IE of $86 against $92 is $6 a day less, and the peak lodging of $207 is $151 lower than in New York City ($358) and $31 lower than in Chicago ($238). Atlanta is still $94 above the standard lodging rate of $113 at its peak, and $18 above the M&IE standard of $68.
How did Atlanta change from FY2026?
The peak lodging rate rose by $10, from $197 to $207, and the $188 rate replaced $182. M&IE stayed at $86. 79 destinations in the file have a higher peak lodging rate than Atlanta.
What if I am self-employed in Atlanta?
You count meals only, at 50%: a four-day trip at $86 with 75% on the first and last day gives M&IE of $301 and a deductible amount of $150.50, with no lodging amount.
How much is a one-night trip to Atlanta?
Two travel days at 75% of $86, which is $64.50 each, and one night. From 2 to 3 February 2027, in the high season, it is $207 + $129 = $336. From 8 to 9 June 2027 it is $188 + $129 = $317. The difference is $19, the gap between the two lodging rates.
Why is the Atlanta season pattern different?
Chicago, Denver and New York City are all cheapest in winter. Atlanta’s high rate sits in the first quarter of the calendar year, January to March, and the other nine months share the lower rate. That is the opposite of Denver, whose low season runs from November to March. A trip in the first three months costs $19 a night more, which is $76 for a four-night stay.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
The rates are the GSA FY2027 lodging and M&IE rates for Atlanta, Georgia taken without change from the flat file; the table in the guide is generated from the same data the calculator reads. A trip is priced night by night, so a trip that crosses a change of season gets both lodging rates. The first and last day of travel count 75 percent of the M&IE rate, and the self-employed view follows IRS Publication 463 (meals only, 50 percent deductible).
Sources
- GSA, Per diem files (FY2027 and FY2026 rates) (FY 2027 rates published 2026-09-03) · checked
- GSA, M&IE breakdowns (page last updated 2026-10-27) · checked
Frequently asked questions
What is the per diem for Atlanta in 2027?
$188 to $207 a night for lodging and $86 a day for M&IE, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
When is the Atlanta per diem highest?
From 1 January to 31 March, at $207.
Does the Atlanta rate apply in Marietta?
No. Marietta has its own entry in the Georgia list; so do Athens, Augusta, Savannah and Jekyll Island / Brunswick.
Is Atlanta M&IE the same as New York?
No. Atlanta is $86 and New York City $92.
Does the rate include lodging tax?
No.
What if my hotel in Atlanta costs more than the rate?
The lodging rate is a ceiling for the standard reimbursement, not a price. Federal agencies can authorize actual expenses above it in some cases, and private employers set their own rules, so ask your travel office or employer. For the self-employed there is no lodging ceiling at all: you deduct what you paid.
Can I use these rates for a trip after 30 September 2027?
No. They are the FY2027 rates and expire on that date. GSA publishes the Atlanta rate again for each new fiscal year, and this page then shows the new file. If you open the page after the expiry date, it shows a warning.
- Per diem calculator: any destination and dates.
- GSA per diem rates: search Savannah, Marietta and other Georgia entries.
- Per diem rates Denver: a $92 city with a winter low.
- Per diem rates Washington DC: five seasons.
- M&IE rates: the $86 level split into meals.
- Federal per diem rates: compare with every destination.