Per diem · AR · GSA FY2027 from October 1, 2026
Per diem rates in Arkansas, FY2027
Arkansas has a single GSA area in FY2027, Hot Springs, and it sits $2 a night above the rate paid everywhere else in the state.
GSA FY2027 ZIP file published · rates checked · Published by Radif Partners · Rules and data
Federal per diem for the trip
$583
Hot Springs, AR · Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28
| Lodging, 3 nights at the GSA maximum | $345 |
| M&IE before meal deductions | $238 |
| M&IE paid | $238 |
| Total | $583 |
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 | $115 | $68 | 75% | – | $51 |
| Mon, Oct 26 FY2027 | $115 | $68 | 100% | – | $68 |
| Tue, Oct 27 FY2027 | $115 | $68 | 100% | – | $68 |
| Wed, Oct 28 FY2027 | – | $68 | 75% | – | $51 |
- GSA areas above the standard rate
- 1
- Highest lodging maximum
- $115
- Where
- Hot Springs
- Everywhere else
- $113 + $68
Per diem in Arkansas for FY2027 is the standard CONUS rate almost everywhere: $113 a night for lodging and $68 a day for M&IE, from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. The one exception is Garland County, listed by GSA as Hot Springs, with $115 of lodging in every month and the same $68 of M&IE. Little Rock, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Bentonville and Conway all take the standard figures. Three nights in Little Rock from November 16, 2026 come to $577 at the federal maximum; the same stay in Hot Springs comes to $583, only $6 more. The premium shrank this year because the national standard went up $3 while Hot Springs moved $1. The calculator above opens on Hot Springs; enter any other Arkansas city to see the standard rate applied.
One listed county, $2 of difference
In FY2026 Garland County paid $114 against a standard $110, a premium of $4 a night. For FY2027 the figures are $115 and $113, so the premium is now $2. Meals never differed: Hot Springs is on the lowest M&IE tier, $68, which is the standard amount. On a week-long assignment the whole advantage of the listed county comes to $14 of lodging, and only if the room actually costs that much.
For a traveler that means the rate question in Arkansas is mostly settled before the trip starts. No month changes the cap, since Hot Springs is flat at $115 all year, and no Arkansas county sits on a higher meals tier. The only date that changes anything is October 1: a Hot Springs stay from September 29 to October 2, 2026 was paid $114 for the September nights and $115 from October 1, and in Little Rock the step was from $110 to $113.
Hot Springs, AR: per diem for a stay
Lodging + M&IE at the federal maximum
$583
| Lodging: 3 × $115 | $345 |
| M&IE: 2 travel days at $51 | $102 |
| M&IE: 2 full days at $68 | $136 |
Lodging taxes on top; provided meals are deducted in the full calculator.
Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock on the standard rate
Census place counts show the biggest Arkansas cities in Pulaski County (Little Rock, North Little Rock), Washington County (Fayetteville, Springdale), Benton County (Rogers, Bentonville), Sebastian County (Fort Smith), Craighead County (Jonesboro) and Faulkner County (Conway). None of those counties has a line in the FY2027 GSA file. A per diem policy that reimburses actual hotel cost up to the GSA cap therefore pays at most $113 in Bentonville or Little Rock, and anything above that stays with the traveler unless the policy says otherwise. The first and last day rule trims the M&IE to $51.00 on the travel days.
Cheap kilowatt-hours change the driving math
Arkansas homes paid 13.61 cents per kWh on average over January to July 2026, according to EIA, against 18.19 cents for the United States. An electric car using 28 kWh per 100 miles therefore spends about $0.038 a mile charged at home, while the IRS business rate pays 76 cents. Gasoline is not expensive either: EIA puts Arkansas in its Gulf Coast series at $3.911 a gallon in the week of October 5, 2026. The EV charging cost calculator uses the Arkansas electricity price.
Charging at Arkansas residential prices
Electricity cost
$38.11
| Energy from the outlet | 280 kWh |
| Price: 13.61¢ per kWh | $38.11 |
| Per mile | $0.038 |
Every GSA area in Arkansas: FY2027 against FY2026
| GSA area | Counties or limits | Lodging FY2027 | M&IE | Lodging FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | Garland | $115 | $68 | $114 |
| Rest of the state | All other counties | $113 | $68 | $110 |