US Updates Foreign Per Diem Rates, Effective May 1, 2026

Foreign per diem rates for more than 60 locations, including Auckland, Cairo, and Johannesburg, were updated by the US State Department and take effect May 1.

Updates apply to cities and other locations in China, Cook Islands, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eswatini, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Lithuania, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela, according to the department’s updated list.

While the rates are the maximum tax-free reimbursement rates issued to US government employees traveling on official business in foreign areas, the Internal Revenue Service also allows employers ...