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Meal Per Diem rate?

Done-it-again

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Anyone here pay employees or employees that can share what they get for meal per diem when traveling for work.... My guys haven't complained but i might be on the lite side......I cover hotels, car, laundry, etc.... This is strictly meals that I pay per day, if they use it or not.
 

evantwheeler

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We always max out Per-Diem for our out of town crews as allowed by the US General Services Administration.


We leave it up to the guys to find a hotel as we don't like to play travel agent. That allows them to find something that suits their tolerance and maybe put some tax free money in their pocket.

You could probably pay more, but may open up an issue for potential audit or tax penalties?
 

H20 Toie

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Looking for average. I pay more in CA/NY/ Canada. Would rather not change it to every state they go too. It could be for 1-2 days up to 16 weeks at a location.
Average would be $50 day for us
 

evantwheeler

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Personally I think $40-$50 is more than fair. If they were home, they would have to eat, so really you're just trying to cover the differential between what it would cost for food say buying at store and cooking at home vs. eating every meal out. As a single dude, I spend about $100-$150/week at the grocery store when I am home. Maybe supplement with a couple meals out during the week so probably $200/week in food all in. When I am on the road, I'll spend $30-40 per day. So $210-280. $40-$50 a day would put money into my pocket being on the road vs. being at home.
 
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was thatguy

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We always max out Per-Diem for our out of town crews as allowed by the US General Services Administration.


We leave it up to the guys to find a hotel as we don't like to play travel agent. That allows them to find something that suits their tolerance and maybe put some tax free money in their pocket.

You could probably pay more, but may open up an issue for potential audit or tax penalties?
The outfit I work for does it similarly.
Field hands can engineer whatever accommodations they want and can make some profit if they bunk up or go cheap.
$125 a day all in.

Supervisors can stay where they want on the company card, and get $40 a day for food, which kind of sucks sometimes but is great at other times.
 

WYRD

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50/day in kern County 120/day San Bernardino and riverside counties
 

X Hoser

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$56. when I was with the College District for meals
 

riverroyal

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50 in downtown LA. I doesnt cover it though. If you do 3 times a day eating its more around 65
 

was thatguy

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Personally I think $40-$50 is more than fair. If they were home, they would have to eat, so really you're just trying to cover the differential between what it would cost for food say buying at store and cooking at home vs. eating every meal out. As a single dude, I spend about $100-$150/week at the grocery store when I am home. Maybe supplement with a couple meals out during the week so probably $200/week in food all in. When I am on the road, I'll spend $30-40 per day. So $210-280. $40-$50 a day would put money into my pocket being on the road vs. being at home.

You would think, but I paid almost $8 just for an egg McMuffin this morning. (No meal, just the sandwich!)
If possible I buy groceries on the road if my room has a fridge and microwave.
Lean cuisine and tortilla and lunch meat roll ups for lunch.
Don’t forget coffee.
That $40 disappears real quick on the road, and eating sucks as compared to home.
 

Blackmagic94

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Anyone here pay employees or employees that can share what they get for meal per diem when traveling for work.... My guys haven't complained but i might be on the lite side......I cover hotels, car, laundry, etc.... This is strictly meals that I pay per day, if they use it or not.


My company pays 39.00 a day to our contractors when on the road for food. Hotels we pay for.
 

DrunkenSailor

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100 a day in major cities. 50 if not in a major city. Food in Vegas for instance is stupid and getting off property is hard.
 

USMC2010

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And people accept that?
Are these overnight jobs?
I'm accepting it. I just started and have barely been home while training. For the most part I've been buying meals and eating in the hotel so I come out ahead.
 

was thatguy

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I'm accepting it. I just started and have barely been home while training. For the most part I've been buying meals and eating in the hotel so I come out ahead.
No microwave in my damned room, no other room for 40 miles.
It’s 48 miles to the mine site. Not a damned thing in between.
I have to at least get lunch supplies in Vegas next trip, there is the Denny’s in searchlight, but 18 miles of dirt road one way for lunch isn’t going to happen.
 

USMC2010

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No microwave in my damned room, no other room for 40 miles.
It’s 48 miles to the mine site. Not a damned thing in between.
I have to at least get lunch supplies in Vegas next trip, there is the Denny’s in searchlight, but 18 miles of dirt road one way for lunch isn’t going to happen.
Getting away from the west coast has been enlightening. My training has been in Irving (Dallas) and I had a hotel room with a kitchenette. This week I'm in OKC, no stove top or full size fridge but I'm making it work. After 12 hour days this week and waking up to a tornado warning this morning, I don't want to eat out anywhere. I would rather relax in my room.
 

81Sprint

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I have guys in Dallas right now, per diem there is 66 a day for meals. I use the government website posted above and pay what the rate is for meals and hotels.
 

Bowtiepower00

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35-65 depending on where I was at and who I worked for. Lodging provided. This was 15 years ago. This was in AZ and the Midwest- no expensive states like California. 50/day on my most recent travel earlier this year in TX, lodging again included.
 

dezrtracer

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We get 60 a day but , we also get catered breakfast and lunch . Oh and hotels , extended stays and transportation is paid for too ..
 
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evantwheeler

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No microwave in my damned room, no other room for 40 miles.
It’s 48 miles to the mine site. Not a damned thing in between.
I have to at least get lunch supplies in Vegas next trip, there is the Denny’s in searchlight, but 18 miles of dirt road one way for lunch isn’t going to happen.
Just buy a cheap microwave and throw it in the car when you head out of town? I bring an electric kettle with me on the road. Can make instant coffee or top-ramen/cup o noodles for a quick easy void filler. Oatmeal in the morning. Usually i just grab a coffee and bagel at a local deli for $7 as I don't like doing dishes in shitty hotel bathrooms.
 

Waffles

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You would think, but I paid almost $8 just for an egg McMuffin this morning. (No meal, just the sandwich!)
If possible I buy groceries on the road if my room has a fridge and microwave.
Lean cuisine and tortilla and lunch meat roll ups for lunch.
Don’t forget coffee.
That $40 disappears real quick on the road, and eating sucks as compared to home.
That shit is highway robbery. I paid $12 at Carl’s yesterday morning for a breakfast burger but that was for the combo which included the hash browns, OJ, and a side of med coffee.
 

DWC

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Officially ours is $30 a day and $120 a night for hotels. I have guys that come close. They don’t eat breakfast, lunch on the run and smaller dinners. Most don’t..
Hotels are all over the board. Prices were cheap during the pandemic. Brutal in most areas
 

bowtiejunkie

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Allowed $75/day. I expense actual, but not over. Been 18 months since I traveled, so maybe the company has bumped it since Feb 2020.
 
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Tank

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Most city counties in ca 13 breakfast, 14 lunch 23 dinner = 50 certain higher taxed
More expensive counties it’s 17 breakfast, 18 lunch 34 dinner. Those are pretty standard govt rates.
 

Bowtiepower00

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I usually ate the continental breakfast at wherever I was staying. Had a cheap lunch, and splurged on dinner. Or had one big lunch and saved the leftovers for dinner.

Or if I was in an extended stay, went to the grocery store on the first day and cooked a meal at night with any of my coworkers I could stand to be around after work, lol. Usually steaks, etc.
 

elco

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I try to keep most meals reasonable but was once told keep it under $80 per meal. Have had as high as a $300 dinner covered but went into that one fully expecting to pay for it myself and asked before it went on the expense report.
 

Icky

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$60 per day, we cover flights, hotels, rental and gas out of town even though we're not required to.
 

ChumpChange

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You would think, but I paid almost $8 just for an egg McMuffin this morning. (No meal, just the sandwich!)
If possible I buy groceries on the road if my room has a fridge and microwave.
Lean cuisine and tortilla and lunch meat roll ups for lunch.
Don’t forget coffee.
That $40 disappears real quick on the road, and eating sucks as compared to home.
Should’ve bought a second one and then it would be two for $4.50.
 
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Bowtiepower00

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When I was younger and not making much, I’d usually come home with 100 in my pocket, enough to fill my truck with fuel and have some spending money once I got home. In Texas, I was making $125/hr, so I was eating at fogo de chao and didn’t give a fuck. Lol.
 

Melloyellovector

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You would think, but I paid almost $8 just for an egg McMuffin this morning. (No meal, just the sandwich!)
If possible I buy groceries on the road if my room has a fridge and microwave.
Lean cuisine and tortilla and lunch meat roll ups for lunch.
Don’t forget coffee.
That $40 disappears real quick on the road, and eating sucks as compared to home.
Did you order McMuffin with 3 sausage patty’s And 3 cheese on it? Lmao
As a daily eat out guy, I can tell you with out question an egg McMuffin is not 8 bucks.
under 3 bucks, better yet do a sausage McMuffin .99 cents order an “Extra hash brown“ .99 cents otherwise a hash brown is 2.70 ish
lg drink .99 cents

7 bucks n change will feed you a meal at damn near any fast food place for breakfast
 

steamin rice

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My company doesn't have a per diem, but the rule of thumb is to keep meals under $100 per day, unless there is justification to go higher. I was traveling last month and ate dinner in the Newark Airport and it was $75 for a double cocktail and a burger including tax and tip. Crazy
 

was thatguy

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Did you order McMuffin with 3 sausage patty’s And 3 cheese on it? Lmao
As a daily eat out guy, I can tell you with out question an egg McMuffin is not 8 bucks.
under 3 bucks, better yet do a sausage McMuffin .99 cents order an “Extra hash brown“ .99 cents otherwise a hash brown is 2.70 ish
lg drink .99 cents

7 bucks n change will feed you a meal at damn near any fast food place for breakfast
Lol right back at ya!
“Under $3” ?? Yore kidding right?
Dude there is no 99 cent menu here.
Been to Primm Nevada lately?
I can assure you it is over $7.
Searchlight is almost $6 sandwich only.
I know this because it’s the only option within 45 miles at 5 AM and I’ve spent weeks here.
Not sure where you’re eating out?
But there is a reason per diem changes with zip codes.
$3.00 wont get you a cookie and milk at these McDonald’s.
There is a Starbucks in the Terrible’s Chevron here.
A grande mocha and sausage sandwich was $13 and change.
(87 octane is $5.00 even)
I’m sitting in Primm resort right now just finishing a house salad and iced tea. It’ll be $10 easy.
 

was thatguy

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I was a dollar off.
It was $11...plain salad and iced tea.
I shit you not.
Club sandwich and iced tea will run you $20 with tax and tip.
25860BBD-101E-4F91-8A31-5EAD64E5825F.jpeg
 

C_J_J_C

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I like the per diem better. When I was travelling it was itemized and submit receipts. I never got a single question about good meals with crab, steaks, ect. but the one time I forgot to separate my Jack & Coke they found it and I was almost fired as the company policy was they would not pay for alcohol unless entertaining.
 

Boozer

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My last employer gave $18, $24, $36 if you’re doing the day alone or eating with colleagues. If you hosted an event you were expected to keep it to $75 per person and the limit was 2 drinks per person.

My current employer gives $100 a day. No required spread, just $100 a day straight up. Sadly, we’re not traveling right now and it doesn’t look like we will be until sometime next year.

I miss traveling for work.
 

Done-it-again

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Thanks guys.

So I pay my field install guys $35day (45 for ca/ny/ Canada) and $20 a week for laundry. All my guys have there own room and I try to keep it no more than $150 night (that’s getting harder to do now). They all have amex cards and I do cover group dinners if they all go out together. Jobs can go for many many weeks.

I was interviewing a young guy that works in our industry and told me he’s paid $60 and to be honest I think my floor hit the table. But started to think about it and made the post.

Looks like I’m going to be increasing their per diem.
 
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