Columbus, Ohio Per Diem Calculator and Rates

Calculate Columbus, Ohio's per diem rate based on GSA guidelines to simplify your business travels.

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As the capital of Ohio and a major center for government, education, and business, Columbus is a key travel destination in the Midwest. Whether you're visiting for a conference, a government meeting, or corporate business, understanding how to manage travel expenses is crucial. 

Per diem, the fixed daily allowance for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses, provides a clear and efficient framework for reimbursement. This guide will detail the specific per diem rates for Columbus, Ohio, explain relevant state laws, and show you how to automate the entire process for maximum efficiency.

Columbus Per Diem Rates

For federal travel purposes, Columbus is designated as a Non-Standard Area (NSA) by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), meaning it has specific per diem rates that are higher than the standard U.S. rate. These federal rates are the required standard for government employees and a widely used benchmark for private businesses.

For Fiscal Year 2025 (October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025), the per diem rates for Columbus (Franklin County) are:

  • Lodging: $131 per night
  • Meals & Incidental Expenses (M&IE): $80 per day

Key details about these rates include:

  • No Seasonal Variation: Unlike many other major cities, the lodging rate for Columbus is a flat $131 throughout the entire fiscal year.
  • Geographic Area: These rates apply to all locations within Franklin County.
  • Standard Rate for Other Ohio Locations: For any county in Ohio not specifically listed by the GSA, the standard CONUS rate applies. For FY 2025, this is $178 ($110 for lodging and $68 for M&IE).

Columbus Per Diem Rate Calculator

To easily calculate the correct allowance for your trip to Columbus, our per diem calculator provides instant and accurate results based on the official GSA schedule.

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Your per diem allowance

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Lodging (L)
Meals & Incidentals (M&IE)
Total (L + M&IE)
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Lodging (L)
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Meals & Incidentals (M&IE)
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Total (L + M&IE)
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*For the first and last day of travel, M&lE spend is limited to 75% of its normal, daily allowance.

Columbus GSA Lodging Rates

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Columbus Meals and Incidental Rates

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Some Important Columbus Per Diem Laws

While GSA rates are the standard for federal travel, private employers in Columbus must operate within the framework of Ohio's state labor laws.

  • No State Mandate for Expense Reimbursement: Ohio state law does not have a specific statute that requires private employers to reimburse all business-related expenses. The decision to use a per diem system or another reimbursement method is up to the individual employer.
  • Reimbursement as "Wages" (Ohio Revised Code § 4113.15): This is a critical distinction in Ohio law. The state's wage payment statute includes "reimbursement for expenses" in its definition of "wages." This means that once an employer agrees to reimburse an expense through a company policy, for example, that reimbursement is treated as wages owed to the employee and must be paid on a regular payday. This makes the company's internal policy a legally enforceable promise.
  • Federal FLSA Protections: The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides a baseline of protection. An employer cannot require an employee to cover business expenses if doing so would reduce their effective earnings below the applicable minimum wage.
  • Regulated Wage Deductions: Ohio law strictly controls what an employer can deduct from a worker's pay. An employer cannot simply deduct the cost of a business expense from a paycheck without a valid, prior written agreement from the employee for a lawful purpose.

Columbus Per Diem Laws vs Federal Law

The per diem landscape for a federal employee traveling to Columbus is very different from that of a private sector employee. Here are the key distinctions:

Primary Applicability

  • Federal Law (GSA): Mandatory for all U.S. federal government employees on official business in Columbus.
  • Ohio Law: Applies to private-sector employees. It doesn't set per diem rates but ensures that any promised reimbursements are paid as wages.

Rate Setting and Flexibility

  • Federal Law (GSA): The GSA sets specific, non-negotiable per diem rates for Columbus ($131 lodging, $80 M&IE for FY2025) that federal agencies must use.
  • Ohio Law: The state does not set any rates. Private companies have the flexibility to create their own reimbursement policies. Using GSA rates is a best practice, not a legal requirement.

Legal Foundation

  • Federal Law (GSA): A comprehensive regulatory system designed to standardize and control government travel costs.
  • Ohio Law: Relies on wage and hour laws. The core principle is that if a company policy creates an expectation of reimbursement, it becomes an enforceable wage obligation.

How Fyle Can Automate Per Diem and Expense Tracking

For companies with employees traveling to Columbus and across Ohio, maintaining a clear and enforceable travel policy is crucial. Fyle’s expense management platform is designed to turn your policy into a seamless, automated workflow.

Fyle helps you master per diem and expense management in several key ways:

  • Enforce Your Company Policy: Whether you use GSA rates or custom allowances, you can build your exact travel rules into Fyle's policy engine. This ensures that every submitted expense is compliant with the policies that are so important under Ohio law.
  • Automated Per Diem Calculations: Fyle eliminates errors by automatically calculating the correct per diem for Columbus or any other location in Ohio. It handles the 75% M&IE rate for travel days and applies the right rates based on the trip's location and dates.
  • Real-Time Expense Reporting: Your employees can report expenses instantly. A photo of a receipt from the Fyle mobile app or a forwarded email is all it takes to create an expense report, making the process effortless for your traveling team.
  • Proactive Compliance Checks: Fyle’s intelligent platform checks expenses against your policies before submission. This prevents out-of-policy spending and frees your finance team from tedious manual reviews.
  • Accurate Mileage Tracking: For travel across Ohio, Fyle’s Google Maps-powered mileage tracker offers an easy and precise way to log business miles, ensuring accurate and IRS-compliant records.
  • Direct Accounting Integration: Fyle connects with leading accounting systems like NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero, and Sage Intacct, ensuring all approved per diem and travel data syncs automatically and accurately to your general ledger.

With Fyle, you can ensure your company’s travel expense process for Columbus is not only efficient but also fully compliant with your internal policies and Ohio's wage payment laws.

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The content on this page is for informational use. As legal standards and per diem rates are subject to change, users should verify current details with official GSA or government resources. This information does not serve as financial or legal counsel.