Per diem · CO · GSA FY2027 from October 1, 2026
Per diem rates in Colorado, FY2027
Colorado lists 15 GSA areas for FY2027, and 6 of them reach their highest lodging cap in the ski months.
GSA FY2027 ZIP file published · rates checked · Published by Radif Partners · Rules and data
Federal per diem for the trip
$841
Aspen, CO · Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28
| Lodging, 3 nights at the GSA maximum | $519 |
| M&IE before meal deductions | $322 |
| M&IE paid | $322 |
| Total | $841 |
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 | $173 | $92 | 75% | – | $69 |
| Mon, Oct 26 FY2027 | $173 | $92 | 100% | – | $92 |
| Tue, Oct 27 FY2027 | $173 | $92 | 100% | – | $92 |
| Wed, Oct 28 FY2027 | – | $92 | 75% | – | $69 |
- GSA areas above the standard rate
- 15
- Highest lodging maximum
- $419
- Where
- Aspen
- Everywhere else
- $113 + $68
Colorado per diem for FY2027 is ruled by snow: in December, January, February and March the lodging cap reaches $419 a night in Aspen (Pitkin County) and stays at $182 or more in 5 other resort areas, all with $92 of M&IE except Grand Lake. Denver works the other way, at $170 in winter and $227 the rest of the year. In all, 15 areas carry their own rate from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, and the remaining counties pay the standard $113 and $68. A three-night Aspen stay from January 18, 2027 comes to $1,579 at the federal maximum; the same nights from October 19, 2026 come to $841. In Denver, three nights in early November 2026 total $832 and three in early May 2027 total $1,003. The calculator starts on Aspen; search any Colorado town or ZIP code.
6 resort calendars on one winter clock
Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Steamboat Springs, Silverthorne / Breckenridge and Grand Lake all hit their peak in December, January, February and March. The trough is where they part ways. Aspen drops to $173 only in October and November, then holds $217 from April through September, which makes its winter cap 2.4 times its autumn one, the widest ratio in the state. Vail, Telluride and Breckenridge fall straight back to their low figure in April. Steamboat Springs adds a summer step of $188 from June. A contractor sent to a resort county across late March and early April meets two caps in one trip, and the calculator splits the nights accordingly.
Aspen also shows the oddest change since FY2026: its top figure rose from $407 to $419, but its floor fell from $207 to $173.
Aspen, CO: per diem for a stay
Lodging + M&IE at the federal maximum
$841
| Lodging: 3 × $173 | $519 |
| M&IE: 2 travel days at $69 | $138 |
| M&IE: 2 full days at $92 | $184 |
Lodging taxes on top; provided meals are deducted in the full calculator.
Denver's cheap months are the snowy ones
The Denver / Aurora area (Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson counties) is capped at $170 in November, December, January, February and March and at $227 in October, April, May, June, July, August and September, on the $92 M&IE tier. Boulder / Broomfield follows a similar pattern and did not move at all between the two fiscal years: $125 to $173 in both. Douglas County is the one Colorado area whose top cap went down, from $142 to $139. Colorado Springs peaks in June, July and August at $176.
Crested Butte now has seasons
Gunnison County paid one flat $154 in FY2026. For FY2027 GSA split it into a calendar: $179 in October, June, July, August and September, $140 in April and May, $150 in the winter months. Summer travel there costs more than last year, spring travel less.
Pueblo, Greeley and Grand Junction are not listed
Three of the larger Colorado cities in the Census file sit in counties without a GSA area: Pueblo (Pueblo County), Greeley (Weld County) and Grand Junction (Mesa County). They take $113 and $68. Driving there, Colorado is one of the few states with its own EIA gasoline series: $4.020 a gallon for regular in the week of October 5, 2026, against $4.354 nationally. The gas cost calculator reads it directly, and the travel-day rule gives $69.00 of M&IE on arrival in a resort county.
Every GSA area in Colorado: FY2027 against FY2026
| GSA area | Counties or limits | Lodging FY2027 | M&IE | Lodging FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen | Pitkin | $173 to $419 | $92 | $207 to $407 |
| Vail | Eagle | $205 to $417 | $92 | $201 to $397 |
| Telluride | San Miguel | $186 to $367 | $92 | $184 to $350 |
| Steamboat Springs | Routt | $126 to $299 | $92 | $123 to $288 |
| Silverthorne / Breckenridge | Summit | $164 to $296 | $92 | $162 to $282 |
| Denver / Aurora | Denver / Adams / Arapahoe / Jefferson | $170 to $227 | $92 | $165 to $215 |
| Montrose | Montrose | $143 to $194 | $74 | $136 to $185 |
| Durango | La Plata | $122 to $190 | $80 | $121 to $184 |
| Grand Lake | Grand | $128 to $182 | $86 | $122 to $173 |
| Crested Butte / Gunnison | Gunnison | $140 to $179 | $86 | $154 |
| Colorado Springs | El Paso | $128 to $176 | $86 | $123 to $168 |
| Boulder / Broomfield | Boulder / Broomfield | $125 to $173 | $80 | $125 to $173 |
| Fort Collins / Loveland | Larimer | $120 to $157 | $80 | $110 to $140 |
| Cortez | Montezuma | $113 to $140 | $74 | $110 to $133 |
| Douglas | Douglas | $113 to $139 | $80 | $111 to $142 |
| Rest of the state | All other counties | $113 | $68 | $110 |