Per Diem Rates Washington DC
The GSA per diem rate for Washington DC changes five times a year, from $192 to $295 a night for lodging, with $92 a day for meals. Check your dates and get the total for your trip, as an employee or self-employed.
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Per diem rates Washington DC are among the more complicated in the GSA file. The lodging rate changes five times in the fiscal year, from $192 a night in July and August to $295 a night from March to June, and the M&IE rate is the top level of $92 a day. The same rate also applies in the nearby jurisdictions that GSA names in the entry, in Virginia and Maryland.
Use the calculator below with your dates: it picks the right season for every night. The guide lists all five rows as they are in the GSA file.
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 find your DC per diem
- Enter the first and last day of travel in the calculator. The destination is already set to the District of Columbia.
- Choose whether you are an employee or self-employed. The employee total adds lodging and M&IE; the self-employed total counts meals only, at 50%.
- Check the table: each night shows the lodging rate of its own date, so a trip that spans 28 February and 1 March is priced with both $203 and $295.
- If your hotel is in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church or in Montgomery or Prince George’s County, the same rate applies, because the GSA entry covers them.
- Copy the link in the address bar to send the same trip to a colleague.
- 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 end of June and the start of July to see the rate fall from $295 to $192.
| Dates | Lodging per night | M&IE per day | Lodging + M&IE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2026 | $287 | $92 | $379 |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | $203 | $92 | $295 |
| Mar 1, 2027 to Jun 30, 2027 | $295 | $92 | $387 |
| Jul 1, 2027 to Aug 31, 2027 | $192 | $92 | $284 |
| Sep 1, 2027 to Sep 30, 2027 | $287 | $92 | $379 |
The file lists 5 lodging rates for District of Columbia. The highest is $295 a night (Mar 1, 2027 to Jun 30, 2027) and the lowest is $192 (Jul 1, 2027 to Aug 31, 2027), a gap of $103 a night. The standard rate in the same file is $113 for lodging and $68 for M&IE, so the highest District of Columbia rate is $182 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 Washington DC (also the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax, in Virginia; and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland).
Compared with the FY2026 file, the highest lodging rate for District of Columbia rose by $19 (from $276 to $295).
Which dates have the highest DC lodging rate?
March to June, at $295 a night, followed by October and September at $287. The lowest season is July and August, at $192, and the winter rate of $203 runs from 1 November to 28 February. The gap between the highest and lowest season is $103 a night, so a three-night stay costs $309 more in April than in July.
How much is a trip to Washington DC?
A four-day trip from 12 to 15 April 2027, an employee, three nights at $295: lodging $885. M&IE is $69 on the first and last day and $92 on the two days between, $322 in total. The per diem total is $1,207. The same trip at the standard rate would be $577. Self-employed, the meals are $322 × 50% = $161 and there is no lodging amount.
How does DC rank among GSA destinations?
Only 18 of the 295 destinations have a higher peak lodging rate than Washington DC, and 33, DC among them, have the top M&IE level of $92. Its peak lodging rate rose by $19 from FY2026, when it was $276.
What does the DC rate cover?
The county field of the GSA entry reads: Washington DC, also the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax in Virginia, and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s in Maryland. Other Virginia and Maryland places have their own entries or the standard rate; search for them in GSA per diem rates.
How much is a one-night trip to Washington DC?
A one-night trip has two days of travel, both at 75% of the $92 M&IE rate, and one night of lodging. Staying from 14 to 15 July 2027, in the low season, that is $192 for the night plus $69 + $69 for meals, a total of $330. Staying from 12 to 13 April 2027, in the high season, it is $295 + $138 = $433. The $103 difference is the lodging gap, because M&IE is the same all year.
Why do the DC dates matter so much?
Because the file has five rows for one destination. The table above shows them in order of date. A trip that starts on 28 February and ends on 3 March is priced with two lodging rates, $203 and $295, and the calculator handles that without you adding anything by hand.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
The rates are the GSA FY2027 lodging and M&IE rates for the District of Columbia 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 Washington DC in 2027?
Between $192 and $295 a night for lodging depending on the date, and $92 a day for M&IE, for travel from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Is the Washington DC per diem different from Arlington or Alexandria?
No. The GSA entry for the District of Columbia lists Arlington County, Alexandria and Fairfax among the places it covers.
When is the DC per diem highest?
From 1 March to 30 June, at $295 a night.
Does the DC per diem include taxes?
No, the lodging rate excludes taxes.
Is it the same for the self-employed?
No. The IRS counts meals only, at 50%, and no standard lodging amount. Use the switch in the calculator.
What if my hotel in Washington DC 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 Washington DC 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 a trip to any destination, not only Washington DC.
- GSA per diem rates: search Maryland and Virginia destinations that have their own rate.
- Per diem rates New York: another $92 M&IE destination with five seasons.
- Per diem rates Chicago: five seasons from $148 to $238.
- M&IE rates: the $92 level split into meals.
- Federal per diem rates: all destinations in one table.