---
title: Per Diem
keywords: per diem, daily allowance, travel expenses, reimbursement, business travel, destination, rate, billable, project, payer, subsistence allowance, meal allowance, daily subsistence, travel allowance, subsistence
summary: Explains per diem entries for tracking daily living allowances during business travel. Covers how to create per diem records, set destinations and rates, and associate them with projects for billing.
---

# Per Diem

## What are Per Diem Entries?

Per diem entries track daily living allowances for travel-related expenses like meals and lodging. They provide a standard way to reimburse employees for daily costs during business travel, separate from actual receipts.

## Why Per Diem Matters

Tracking per diem helps you:

- **Reimburse fairly** - Provide standard daily allowances
- **Simplify expense tracking** - Don't need individual meal receipts
- **Track travel costs** - Include daily allowances in project expenses
- **Comply with policies** - Follow company travel reimbursement rules
- **Bill accurately** - Charge travel allowances to appropriate projects

## Creating a Per Diem Entry

To create a new per diem entry:

1. Navigate to the project for this travel.

2. Click the **+ Per diems** button in the per diem section.

3. Fill in per diem details:

   **Required Fields:**
   - **Project**: The project this per diem applies to
   - **Activity**: Which activity this relates to (auto-selected from your current project)
   - **Description**: Purpose of the travel (e.g., "Conference in New York")
   - **Destination**: Where the travel occurred (e.g., "Lake Adrain")
   - **Rate**: Daily allowance amount - select from pre-defined rates like "Standard Per Diem Rate"
   - **Date**: When the per diem applies

   **Optional Fields:**
   - **Internal Note**: Additional context
   - **Payer**: Who pays for the per diem (defaults to "Same as client")

4. Click **Save per diem**.

![Per diem creation form with all fields visible](../screenshots/per-diems-create-form.png)

## What You Can Do with Per Diem

**Track Daily Allowances**

Record standard per-day amounts for meals and lodging.

**Bill Travel Costs**

Charge per diem amounts to appropriate clients.

**Apply Different Rates**

Use customized rates based on destination.

## Important Per Diem Fields

**Project**
The project this per diem is associated with. Required field.

**Activity**
Which activity within the project this per diem relates to. Helps with detailed cost tracking.

**Description**
Purpose or context for the travel (e.g., "Conference in New York"). Required field.

**Destination**
Where the travel occurred (e.g., "Lake Adrain"). Different locations may have different rates. Required field.

**Rate**
Daily allowance amount. Select from pre-defined rates like "Standard Per Diem Rate" or other configured rates. Required field.

**Date**
When the per diem applies. Each day of travel needs its own entry. Uses quick-select options for convenient date entry.

**Payer**
Who covers the per diem cost. Defaults to "Same as client" but can be changed to other payers.

## Finding and Managing Per Diem

**Viewing Per Diem Entries**

Find entries on the project page under the **Per Diems** section. All per diem entries for the project are listed with their destination, date, and amount.

**Editing Entries**

1. Click **Edit** on the per diem entry
2. Update details as needed
3. Click **Save per diem**

**Deleting Entries**

1. Click **Edit** on the per diem entry
2. Click the **Delete** button
3. Confirm the deletion

> **Important**: All per diem deletions are audited for security and compliance purposes.

## Using Per Diem Data

**Track Travel Costs**

Per diem entries appear in the project's **Unbilled** section, allowing you to see total travel costs alongside other billables like time and expenses.

**Include in Client Invoicing**

Per diem amounts can be included on invoices to charge clients for travel allowances. They appear as a separate line item showing the daily rates and number of days.

**Monitor Budget Impact**

Review per diem costs as part of project profitability analysis to ensure travel is cost-effective for the engagement.

## Best Practices

**Enter for Each Travel Day**
Create separate entries for each day of multi-day travel. This provides detailed tracking and makes it easy to adjust specific days if needed.

**Use Appropriate Rates**
Apply rates that match company policy and destination. Pre-defined rates like "Standard Per Diem Rate" ensure consistency across projects.

**Mark Destination Accurately**
Use clear destination names so you can easily review where travel occurred and apply the correct rates for different locations.

**Link to Activities**
Associate per diems with specific activities when possible to track costs by work type and activity.