Under the Joint Travel Regulations, local meals and proportional meals are two different tiers of daily meal reimbursement, and which one you receive depends on whether any meals are provided at government expense that day. You get the full local Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) rate for your destination when no meals are furnished. You get the proportional meal rate, which averages the local rate with the much lower Government Meal Rate, when one or two meals are provided. For FY 2026, the standard CONUS M&IE rate is $68 per day, non-standard locality rates run up to $92, and the full Government Meal Rate totals just $18.1U.S. General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2026 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers2Defense Travel Management Office. Meal Rates
The Local Meal Rate
The local rate is the full daily M&IE allowance for your work location. GSA sets these figures for the continental United States, and they’re meant to reflect what meals actually cost in that area.3GSA. Per Diem Rates Most locations fall under the standard CONUS rate; roughly 300 cities and counties qualify as non-standard areas with higher individual rates.4U.S. General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2025 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers
For FY 2026, GSA held rates at FY 2025 levels. The standard M&IE rate is $68 per day, and non-standard tiers run from $68 up to $92.1U.S. General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2026 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers Each daily figure breaks into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a small incidental expenses portion. You receive the full local rate on any travel day when no meals are provided or available at government expense.
The rate is tied to the location of your work, not where you sleep. If lodging isn’t available at the work site, your agency may authorize the rate for the place you actually find a room.4U.S. General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2025 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers
The Proportional Meal Rate
The proportional meal rate (PMR) is the middle-tier reimbursement you receive when one or two meals are provided or available at government expense on a given day. This comes up most often on TDY at an installation with a dining facility, or at a conference where registration includes a meal.2Defense Travel Management Office. Meal Rates
The Defense Travel Management Office defines the PMR as the average of the Government Meal Rate (GMR) and the locality meal rate for your destination. The GMR is a fixed, much lower figure pegged to what government dining facilities charge. For 2026, the full GMR is $18.00 per day: $4.50 breakfast, $7.25 lunch, and $6.25 dinner.2Defense Travel Management Office. Meal Rates Averaging that $18 with a locality rate in the $68 to $92 range produces a daily amount clearly below the full local rate but well above the government-only figure.
The trigger is the number of meals, not which specific meals. Breakfast at the installation, a banquet dinner at a conference, or lunch included with training all count the same way. One or two provided meals put the whole day on the proportional rate.5Defense Travel Management Office. PDTATAC Computation Example-CF-01
When All Three Meals Are Provided
If all three meals are provided or available at government expense, neither the local nor the proportional rate applies. You receive only the incidental expenses portion of the M&IE for that day.5Defense Travel Management Office. PDTATAC Computation Example-CF-01 That’s the smallest possible daily payout and covers minor gratuities and service fees only.
What the Gap Is Worth
The dollars add up quickly. At a destination with a $92 local M&IE rate, averaging $92 and $18 lands the PMR around $55, a $37 daily reduction from the full local rate. Over a two-week TDY, that’s roughly $518 less than staying on the full local rate the whole trip.
At the standard $68 tier, the math is tighter but still real. Averaging $68 and $18 puts the PMR around $43, a $25 daily drop. A ten-day trip on the proportional rate rather than the full local rate costs about $250 in reimbursement.
These adjustments happen automatically based on what’s coded on your voucher. If you’re headed to a conference that provides lunch every day, don’t budget as though you’ll draw the full local rate, because you won’t.
Which Rate Applies to Each Day of Your Trip
The determination runs day by day. You might be on the full local rate Monday, on the proportional rate Tuesday through Thursday because training provides lunch, and back on the full local rate Friday. Each calendar day stands on its own.
- Full local rate: no meals available or provided at government expense. The default for travelers in commercial hotels with no access to government dining.5Defense Travel Management Office. PDTATAC Computation Example-CF-01
- Proportional rate: one or two meals available or provided at no cost. Common at conferences, training events, or TDY at an installation with a dining facility.2Defense Travel Management Office. Meal Rates
- Incidentals only: all three meals available or provided at government expense.5Defense Travel Management Office. PDTATAC Computation Example-CF-01
Accurate reporting matters. Failing to disclose provided meals can lead to a debt collection action to recover the overpayment. If a provided meal genuinely conflicts with a documented medical or religious dietary restriction, exceptions may be available, but you’ll need documentation to support the claim.
Travel Days Follow a Different Rule
Departure and return days don’t work like other travel days. You receive 75 percent of the applicable M&IE rate, not the full amount.6U.S. General Services Administration. Frequently Asked Questions, Per Diem At the standard $68 rate, that’s $51 for the day.
There’s a favorable wrinkle: meals provided by the government or available in a government dining facility have no effect on M&IE for the first and last travel days.5Defense Travel Management Office. PDTATAC Computation Example-CF-01 Even if the installation mess hall is open when you arrive, you still get the 75 percent local rate. The proportional rate doesn’t apply to travel days. Coding travel days as proportional is a frequent audit trigger and a common cause of rejected vouchers.
Getting the Codes Right on Your Voucher
Federal and military travelers file on DD Form 1351-2, the standard travel voucher.7Department of Defense. DD Form 1351-2 – Travel Voucher or Subvoucher The form requires travel dates, locations, and meal availability codes for each calendar day. Wrong codes are one of the most common reasons claims get kicked back.
Document which meals were provided on which days as you go. Conference agendas, training schedules, and invitation letters that show included meals are the backup a finance officer will look for if your codes are questioned. Keep digital copies during the trip rather than reconstructing them after the fact.
DoD policy requires submitting the voucher within five working days of returning from TDY. Completed vouchers are typically uploaded through the Defense Travel System, though some organizations still accept physical packages at the local finance office. A certifying officer reviews the claim before payment goes out by electronic funds transfer. If your claim is rejected for a mismatch between reported meal codes and supporting documentation, you’ll need to submit a corrected voucher with the right rate code for each day.