Per Diem Rates Denver
The GSA per diem rate for Denver and Aurora is $227 a night for lodging, with a winter low of $170 from November to March, and $92 a day for meals. Enter your dates for the total.
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Per diem rates Denver come from one GSA entry shared with Aurora, “Denver / Aurora”, covering Denver, Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties. It has three lodging rates: $227 a night in October, $170 from 1 November to 31 March, and $227 again from 1 April to 30 September. The M&IE rate is $92 a day, the top of the five levels.
The calculator below prices your dates night by night. Colorado also has separate, higher-priced resort entries, which you can search for in the destination box.
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 calculate a Denver per diem
- Enter the first and last day of travel. The destination is set to Denver / Aurora.
- Choose employee or self-employed.
- Read the total and the table. If your trip straddles 31 October and 1 November, the table shows the rate dropping from $227 to $170 on the first night of November.
- Staying in Boulder, Fort Collins or Colorado Springs? Type the name: they have their own entries, which are not the Denver rate.
- Share the link from the address bar if someone else needs the same trip.
- 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 March and the first days of April to see the rate climb from $170 back to $227.
| Dates | Lodging per night | M&IE per day | Lodging + M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2026 | $227 | $92 | $319 |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | $170 | $92 | $262 |
| Apr 1, 2027 to Sep 30, 2027 | $227 | $92 | $319 |
The file lists 3 lodging rates for Denver / Aurora. The highest is $227 a night (Oct 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2026) and the lowest is $170 (Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027), a gap of $57 a night. The standard rate in the same file is $113 for lodging and $68 for M&IE, so the highest Denver / Aurora rate is $114 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 Denver / Adams / Arapahoe / Jefferson.
Compared with the FY2026 file, the highest lodging rate for Denver / Aurora rose by $12 (from $215 to $227).
What does a trip across the season change cost?
Seven days from Wednesday 28 October to Tuesday 3 November 2026. The nights of 28, 29, 30 and 31 October are at $227, which is $908. The nights of 1 and 2 November are at $170, which is $340. Lodging is $1,248. M&IE is 69 + 5 × 92 + 69 = $598. The total is $1,846. Had all six nights been priced at the October rate, lodging would have been $1,362, so the winter drop saves $114 on the two November nights.
How much lower is the Denver winter rate?
$57 a night: $170 against $227. The low season covers five months, November to March. The peak rate rose by $12 from FY2026, when it was $215, and the winter rate rose from $165 to $170.
How does Denver compare with Colorado’s mountain towns?
Denver’s peak is $227, and 50 of the 295 destinations in the file are higher. Several Colorado entries are far above it: Aspen $419, Vail $417 and Telluride $367 at their highest season, all with the same $92 M&IE. Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Durango are separate entries in the Colorado list.
What if I am self-employed?
The IRS view counts meals only at half: for a four-day Denver trip the meals at $92 with 75% on the first and last day are $322 and the deductible half is $161. There is no lodging amount.
How much is a one-night trip to Denver?
Two travel days at $69 and one night. From 10 to 11 November 2026, in the winter season, that is $170 + $138 = $308. From 7 to 8 April 2027 it is $227 + $138 = $365. The winter night is $57 cheaper.
Which Colorado destinations have their own rate?
The Colorado list in the FY2027 file has 15 entries. Besides Denver / Aurora they include Aspen, Boulder / Broomfield, Colorado Springs, Cortez, Crested Butte / Gunnison, Douglas, Durango, Fort Collins / Loveland, Grand Lake, Montrose, Silverthorne / Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and Vail. A hotel in any of them is priced at that entry, not at the Denver rate. Anywhere in Colorado that is not listed gets $113 and $68.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
The rates are the GSA FY2027 lodging and M&IE rates for Denver and Aurora, Colorado 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 Denver in 2027?
$170 to $227 a night for lodging and $92 a day for M&IE, for 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Does the Denver rate include Aurora?
Yes. The GSA entry is Denver / Aurora, covering Denver, Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties.
When does the Denver per diem drop?
On 1 November, to $170. It goes back up on 1 April.
Is Denver per diem the same as Boulder?
No. Boulder / Broomfield has its own entry; search for it in the calculator.
Is the M&IE the highest level?
Yes: $92, the top level.
What if my hotel in Denver 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 Denver 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: price any trip, any destination.
- GSA per diem rates: search Aspen, Vail, Boulder and the rest of Colorado.
- Per diem rates Chicago: another city with a winter low.
- Per diem rates Atlanta: a city where winter is the high season.
- M&IE rates: the $92 level.
- Federal per diem rates: all destinations compared.