Per diem for travel without an overnight stay

FTR §301-11.1 requires qualifying official travel away from the official station or another applicable area, per diem expenses, and travel status for more than 12 hours. A trip of exactly 12 hours does not satisfy the more-than-12-hour condition. Being away from home by itself does not establish eligibility.

Your agency determines the qualifying travel area and authorization. Private employers and contractors may follow different rules. This reference addresses the federal civilian rule rather than every employer’s day-trip policy.

Under FTR §301-11.20, this duration category uses 75% of the applicable M&IE rate for each calendar day in travel status. A qualifying trip that begins and ends on the same calendar day therefore has one reduced meal day. A qualifying trip spanning midnight can touch two calendar days; it should not be treated as the same example just because there is no hotel bill.

At the $68 CONUS meal level, one 75% day is $51 before deductible provided meals. This arithmetic illustrates the rate treatment; eligibility and the applicable locality still need confirmation.

The calculator on this site requires at least one overnight stay and accepts dates rather than departure and return times. It cannot determine the duration of a same-day trip. Do not insert a fictitious hotel night to obtain a result.

Use the M&IE reference table, record the actual times and calendar days, and apply the provided-meal rule if relevant. Ask the travel office to resolve a boundary case or an agency exception before submitting the claim.