Per diem · AL · GSA FY2027 from October 1, 2026
Per diem rates in Alabama, FY2027
Alabama has 4 GSA areas in FY2027, and only the Baldwin County coast changes its lodging cap with the calendar.
GSA FY2027 ZIP file published · rates checked · Published by Radif Partners · Rules and data
- GSA areas above the standard rate
- 4
- Highest lodging maximum
- $221
- Where
- Gulf Shores
- Everywhere else
- $113 + $68
Federal per diem for the trip
$691
Gulf Shores, AL · Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28
| Lodging, 3 nights at the GSA maximum | $432 |
| M&IE before meal deductions | $259 |
| M&IE paid | $259 |
| Total | $691 |
Rates of fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027). How this is calculated.
Day by day
| Day | Lodging | M&IE rate | Share | Meals off | M&IE paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 FY2027 | $144 | $74 | 75% | – | $55.50 |
| Mon, Oct 26 FY2027 | $144 | $74 | 100% | – | $74 |
| Tue, Oct 27 FY2027 | $144 | $74 | 100% | – | $74 |
| Wed, Oct 28 FY2027 | – | $74 | 75% | – | $55.50 |
Federal per diem in Alabama tops out at $221 of lodging a night in Gulf Shores (Baldwin County) in June and July, with $74 of M&IE, and falls to the standard $113 plus $68 in every county GSA does not name. The FY2027 table, valid from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, lists 4 Alabama areas: Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile. Gulf Shores is the only one with seasons; the other three keep one cap all year. A three-night stay in Gulf Shores from June 14, 2027 comes to $922 at the federal maximum, against $691 for the same three nights in November 2026, because the room cap drops to $144 outside the peak. Birmingham is the one Alabama area on the $80 meals tier. Search a city or ZIP code in the calculator to switch areas.
Baldwin County runs on three price steps
Gulf Shores does not simply have a summer and a winter. Its FY2027 cap sits at $144 in October, November, December, January, February, August and September, climbs to $177 in March, April and May, then reaches $221 in June and July alone. So a crew booked for the last week of May and the first week of June gets two different maxima in the same trip, $44 apart per night. Last year the coastal range was $134 to $216; the floor moved up $10 and the summer ceiling $5.
Gulf Shores, AL: per diem for a stay
Lodging + M&IE at the federal maximum
$691
| Lodging: 3 × $144 | $432 |
| M&IE: 2 travel days at $55.50 | $111 |
| M&IE: 2 full days at $74 | $148 |
Lodging taxes on top; provided meals are deducted in the full calculator.
Birmingham: cheaper rooms, bigger meal allowance
Huntsville (Madison County) has the higher flat room cap, $146 against $135 in Birmingham (Jefferson County). Meals reverse the order: Birmingham is on the $80 M&IE tier, Huntsville and Mobile on $74. Over three nights in November 2026 the gap nearly cancels out: $697 in Huntsville, $685 in Birmingham. Huntsville also lost its small seasonal swing; in FY2026 it ranged from $134 to $141, now one figure covers every month. Mobile gained the most of the flat areas, from $114 to $126.
Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Dothan stay on the floor
Census counts put Montgomery (Montgomery County), Tuscaloosa, Auburn (Lee County) and Dothan (Houston County) among the larger Alabama cities, and none of their counties has a GSA area, so a meeting there is paid at $113 and $68. Hoover follows Birmingham because it sits in Jefferson County; Madison follows Huntsville through Madison County. When a suburb straddles a county line, the ZIP code search settles it.
Fuel on Alabama roads
EIA does not publish an Alabama series; the state falls in its Gulf Coast region, where regular gasoline averaged $3.911 a gallon in the week of October 5, 2026, $0.443 under the national $4.354. The IRS business rate of 76 cents a mile is the same everywhere, so a Birmingham to Gulf Shores drive leaves more of each reimbursed mile for wear and insurance than the same distance in a pricier fuel region. The gas cost calculator reads the Gulf Coast price.
Fuel for a drive at Gulf Coast (Alabama) prices
Fuel cost
$41.90
| 10.7 gal × $3.911 | $41.90 |
| Per mile | $0.14 |
| Same miles at the IRS rate ($0.76) | $228 |
On the first and last day the M&IE is cut to 75%: $55.50 in Gulf Shores, $60.00 in Birmingham.
Every GSA area in Alabama: FY2027 against FY2026
| GSA area | Counties or limits | Lodging FY2027 | M&IE | Lodging FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores | Baldwin | $144 to $221 | $74 | $134 to $216 |
| Huntsville | Madison | $146 | $74 | $134 to $141 |
| Birmingham | Jefferson | $135 | $80 | $126 |
| Mobile | Mobile | $126 | $74 | $114 |
| Rest of the state | All other counties | $113 | $68 | $110 |