Per Diem Rates Chicago
The GSA per diem rate for Chicago runs from $148 a night in winter to $238 in spring, with $92 a day for meals. Enter your dates to price the trip as an employee or as self-employed.
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Per diem rates Chicago follow the weather, with M&IE at the top level of $92 a day. In the GSA file the lodging rate has five rows: $232 a night in October and November, a winter rate of $148 from December to March, $238 in spring, $213 in July and August and $232 again in September. The entry covers Cook and Lake counties.
Enter the dates of your trip below. The calculator uses the row for each night, so the same number of nights costs $90 a night less in January than in April.
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 Chicago per diem
- Set the first and last day of travel. Chicago is already selected as the destination, and you can change it if your hotel is elsewhere.
- Pick An employee or Self-employed.
- Read the total and the day table. The first and last day show 75% of $92, which is $69.
- For a stay in the western suburbs, search “Oakbrook Terrace” or “Bolingbrook” in the destination box: they have separate entries in the file with their own rates.
- Use the link in the address bar to share the same dates.
- 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 last days of November and the first days of December to see the drop from $232 to $148.
| Dates | Lodging per night | M&IE per day | Lodging + M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 to Nov 30, 2026 | $232 | $92 | $324 |
| Dec 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | $148 | $92 | $240 |
| Apr 1, 2027 to Jun 30, 2027 | $238 | $92 | $330 |
| Jul 1, 2027 to Aug 31, 2027 | $213 | $92 | $305 |
| Sep 1, 2027 to Sep 30, 2027 | $232 | $92 | $324 |
The file lists 5 lodging rates for Chicago. The highest is $238 a night (Apr 1, 2027 to Jun 30, 2027) and the lowest is $148 (Dec 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027), a gap of $90 a night. The standard rate in the same file is $113 for lodging and $68 for M&IE, so the highest Chicago rate is $125 above it.
M&IE is $92 a day: $23 breakfast, $26 lunch, $38 dinner and $5 incidentals. On the first and last day of travel you get 75%, which is $69. The rate covers Cook / Lake.
Compared with the FY2026 file, the highest lodging rate for Chicago rose by $4 (from $234 to $238).
What does a Chicago trip cost at the per diem rate?
Four days from Monday 9 to Thursday 12 November 2026: three nights at $232 is $696, and M&IE is 69 + 92 + 92 + 69 = $322, for $1,018. A January trip of the same length, 12 to 15 January 2027, uses the winter rate of $148: lodging $444, M&IE $322, total $766. The difference between the two trips is $252, all of it lodging.
When is the Chicago per diem lowest?
From 1 December to 31 March, at $148 a night. The two high seasons are April to June at $238 and the shoulder months of October, November and September at $232.
How does Chicago compare with other cities?
38 of the 295 destinations in the file have a higher peak lodging rate than Chicago’s $238. The M&IE is at the top level of $92, as in 32 other destinations. The peak rate rose by $4 from FY2026, when it was $234.
Do Chicago suburbs use the same rate?
The GSA entry for Chicago names Cook and Lake counties. Oakbrook Terrace, Bolingbrook / Romeoville / Lemont and East St. Louis / O’Fallon / Fairview Heights are separate entries in the Illinois list, and the rest of Illinois falls under the standard rate of $113 and $68.
What if I am self-employed in Chicago?
Meals only: 50% of the $92 M&IE rate, with 75% on the first and last day. The November trip above gives $161 of deductible meals, and nothing for lodging, which you deduct at actual cost with receipts.
How much is a one-night trip to Chicago?
Two days of travel at 75% of $92, which is $69 each, and one night of lodging. A night in the winter season, from 7 to 8 December 2026, is $148 + $138 = $286. A night in April or May 2027 is $238 + $138 = $376. The M&IE part is $138 in both cases; the whole difference is the season.
Which Chicago season is cheapest to plan around?
Winter. The $148 rate covers four months, December to March, and is $84 below the $232 of the shoulder months and $90 below the $238 of spring. If your trip dates are flexible, moving a four-night stay from April into January lowers the lodging ceiling by $360.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
The rates are the GSA FY2027 lodging and M&IE rates for Chicago, Illinois 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 rate for Chicago in 2027?
$148 to $238 a night for lodging, depending on the date, and $92 a day for M&IE, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Is the Chicago M&IE the highest level?
Yes, $92 is the top of the five levels.
When does the Chicago winter rate start?
On 1 December and it runs until 31 March.
Is Chicago O’Hare covered by the Chicago rate?
O’Hare is in Cook County, which the Chicago entry covers.
Where are the numbers from?
The GSA FY2027 flat file; see Sources and dates.
What if my hotel in Chicago 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 Chicago 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 any dates.
- GSA per diem rates: search the suburbs and other Illinois destinations.
- Per diem rates New York: another five-season $92 city.
- Per diem rates Denver: three seasons, winter low.
- M&IE rates: what the $92 level contains.
- Per diem rates 2026: last fiscal year’s Chicago rates.