Per diem · VA · GSA FY2027 from October 1, 2026
Per diem rates in Virginia, FY2027
Virginia's 10 GSA areas for FY2027 are drawn as much by independent city as by county, which leaves Norfolk and Chesapeake on the standard rate next to Virginia Beach.
GSA FY2027 ZIP file published · rates checked · Published by Radif Partners · Rules and data
- GSA areas above the standard rate
- 10
- Highest lodging maximum
- $295
- Where
- District of Columbia
- Everywhere else
- $113 + $68
Federal per diem for the trip
$646
Virginia Beach, VA · Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28
| Lodging, 3 nights at the GSA maximum | $387 |
| M&IE before meal deductions | $259 |
| M&IE paid | $259 |
| Total | $646 |
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 | $129 | $74 | 75% | – | $55.50 |
| Mon, Oct 26 FY2027 | $129 | $74 | 100% | – | $74 |
| Tue, Oct 27 FY2027 | $129 | $74 | 100% | – | $74 |
| Wed, Oct 28 FY2027 | – | $74 | 75% | – | $55.50 |
In Virginia the per diem depends on which side of a city line the hotel stands: 6 of the 10 FY2027 GSA areas are written around an independent city, and the dearest part of the state belongs to the Washington, DC area, where Arlington, Fairfax and Alexandria pay up to $295 a night in March, April, May and June with $92 of M&IE. Virginia Beach is its own area, at $212 in June, July and August, but Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Newport News have no listing and take the standard $113 and $68. Computed on the FY2027 table, three nights in Virginia Beach from July 12 to July 15, 2027 total $895 at the federal maximum, while the same nights in Norfolk total $577, a gap of $318. Both totals pay the travel days at 75% of the meals rate and leave lodging taxes out.
Independent cities draw the lines
Virginia's cities stand outside its counties, and GSA's definitions follow that map. The Virginia Beach area is "City of Virginia Beach" and nothing else. Richmond is "City of Richmond", Roanoke "City limits of Roanoke". Lynchburg pairs the city with Campbell County, Charlottesville joins its city to Albemarle, and the Williamsburg area combines the city with James City and York counties. The practical consequence: a neighboring city can be on the standard rate. Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton and Newport News appear in the Census city file as county-level cities without a GSA line, so a contractor sleeping in Norfolk claims $113 in July, $99 less than in Virginia Beach. Harrisonburg and Manassas are in the same position.
Virginia Beach, VA: per diem for a stay
Lodging + M&IE at the federal maximum
$646
| Lodging: 3 × $129 | $387 |
| 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.
Northern Virginia sits in the Washington area, except Loudoun
GSA files Arlington County, Fairfax County and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax under the District of Columbia area, with the same $92 M&IE and the same monthly caps as the District, from $192 in July and August to $295. Loudoun County is listed apart at $121 all year with $80 of M&IE, so the county of the hotel decides between two very different rates. The full Washington calendar is on the District of Columbia page.
Wallops Island: summer cap at the bottom meals tier
Accomack County carries $262 in July and August and $132 in the other ten months, a jump of $130 a night, the widest seasonal swing in the state. Its M&IE, though, is $68, the same as the standard rate. Three nights there from August 2 to August 5, 2027 total $1,024. Williamsburg rearranged its calendar: its higher cap covered April, May, June, July and August in FY2026 and now covers March, April, May, June, July and August, at $135, so moved to the low figure of $113.
Virginia gasoline is priced in EIA's Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) series, $3.959 a gallon in the week of October 5, 2026. The mileage calculator measures a drive between two Virginia cities and prices it at the IRS rate.
Every GSA area in Virginia: FY2027 against FY2026
| GSA area | Counties or limits | Lodging FY2027 | M&IE | Lodging FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Washington DC (also the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax, in Virginia; and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland) | $192 to $295 | $92 | $183 to $276 |
| Wallops Island | Accomack | $132 to $262 | $68 | $131 to $248 |
| Virginia Beach | City of Virginia Beach | $129 to $212 | $74 | $124 to $210 |
| Richmond | City of Richmond | $161 | $80 | $157 |
| Charlottesville | City of Charlottesville / Albemarle | $142 | $80 | $136 |
| Williamsburg / York | James City / York Counties / City of Williamsburg | $113 to $135 | $80 | $110 to $134 |
| Blacksburg | Montgomery | $126 | $68 | $122 |
| Roanoke | City limits of Roanoke | $125 | $74 | $119 |
| Lynchburg | Campbell / Lynchburg City | $124 | $68 | $110 to $115 |
| Loudoun | Loudoun | $121 | $80 | $115 |
| Rest of the state | All other counties | $113 | $68 | $110 |