# GSA Per Diem Rates MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > GSA Per Diem Rates MCP lets you pull official U.S. government travel reimbursement data directly into your AI agent. Get lodging and meal rates by city, state, or ZIP code without digging through government PDFs or outdated spreadsheets. It's the fastest way to check federal travel standards for budgeting and compliance. ## Overview - **Category:** government-public-data - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_l44Ey1GkRUlqRqPJa3pdRKuPXPM4SFq6nXVDH7a7/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** per-diem, gsa-rates, travel-expenses, federal-travel, lodging-rates ## Description The GSA Per Diem Rates MCP connects your AI agent to the official U.S. General Services Administration database for federal travel reimbursement data. Instead of hunting through government websites to find out how much a traveler can spend on a hotel in Virginia or a meal in California, you can just ask your agent. It handles the heavy lifting of identifying the correct rates based on specific locations and fiscal years. If you're managing a fleet of employees or auditing expense reports, this takes the guesswork out of federal compliance. You'll get breakdowns for meals and incidental expenses, along with standard continental United States lodging rates. It's a time-saver for anyone who needs to stay within federal travel guidelines. This tool is part of the Vinkius catalog, which hosts over 4,000 Connectors to help you build a more capable AI environment. You can use it to check if a contractor's bid is realistic or to double-check that an employee's hotel stay falls within the allowed amount for that specific month. By pulling these numbers automatically, you remove the risk of using old data or making manual calculation errors that lead to audit issues. It's about getting the right numbers, in the right place, the first time. ## Tools ### get_mie_breakdown Get the breakdown for meals and incidental expenses for a specific year. Use this to see daily food and incidentals costs. ### get_rates_by_city Get per diem rates for a specific city and state. This is the fastest way to find rates for a known destination. ### get_rates_by_state Get per diem rates for all counties and cities in a state. This is useful for seeing regional variations in a single pull. ### get_rates_by_zip Get per diem rates for a specific ZIP code. Use this when you need to be exact about a location's specific travel limits. ### get_zip_mapping Get ZIP code to DID mapping for a specific year. This helps handle high-volume requests more efficiently. ### get_conus_lodging Get standard continental United States lodging rates for a specific year. This helps with general budgeting for domestic travel. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` What are the per diem rates for Fairfax, VA in 2025? ``` **Response:** ``` For Fairfax, Virginia in fiscal year 2025, the lodging rate is **$193/night** (Oct-Sep). The M&IE rate is **$76 per day**. Would you like the breakdown for the first and last day of travel? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Show me the meal and incidental expense breakdown for fiscal year 2025. ``` **Response:** ``` I've retrieved the M&IE breakdown for 2025. For a **$76 total**: * **Breakfast**: $18 * **Lunch**: $19 * **Dinner**: $34 * **Incidentals**: $5 The first/last day of travel rate is **$57.00**. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get the lodging rates for ZIP code 90210 for 2025. ``` **Response:** ``` Searching for ZIP 90210 (Beverly Hills, CA)... For fiscal year 2025, the lodging rates range from **$200 to $280** depending on the month. The M&IE rate is **$76**. Would you like the monthly lodging schedule? ``` ## Capabilities ### Fetch lodging rates by city or state Your agent pulls the specific nightly hotel limits for any US destination. ### Retrieve M&IE meal breakdowns Get the exact daily allowance for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidentals. ### Look up per diem rates using ZIP codes Find the correct travel rates for specific 5-digit codes when city names are unclear. ### Get statewide data for all counties Pull a full list of rates for every county and city within a single state. ### Access standard CONUS lodging rates Get the baseline lodging figures for the continental United States. ### Map ZIP codes to DID Map ZIP codes to DID for high-volume requests to speed up large data pulls. ## Use Cases ### Auditing an expense report A finance clerk asks for the 2025 rates for Fairfax, VA to see if a hotel stay was over budget. The agent pulls the rate and flags the overage. ### Bidding on a federal contract A contractor uses the tool to find average lodging costs across a state to build a realistic project budget that meets federal rules. ### Planning a corporate retreat A travel coordinator pulls M&IE breakdowns to see exactly how much to allocate for daily meals for a group of 50 people. ### Verifying ZIP code accuracy A user asks for rates in a specific ZIP code to confirm the exact amount for a remote job site where the city limits are confusing. ## Benefits - Stop manual searching by using get_rates_by_city to get exact figures for any US destination. - Ensure compliance by pulling the latest M&IE data with get_mie_breakdown for every fiscal year. - Speed up budgeting with get_conus_lodging to see standard rates for the continental US. - Handle precise location lookups using get_rates_by_zip when city names are too vague. - Audit reports faster by pulling all state data with get_rates_by_state to see county-level details. - Manage bulk requests efficiently using get_zip_mapping to map locations quickly. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get official federal travel data instantly without manual searching. 1. Subscribe to the GSA Per Diem Rates MCP 2. Provide your GSA API Key in the configuration 3. Ask your agent for rates in any U.S. location ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I use the GSA Per Diem Rates MCP for federal travel budgets?** Yes. This Connector pulls official government rates for lodging and meals, making it perfect for building accurate travel budgets that follow federal rules. **Does the GSA Per Diem Rates MCP include meal breakdowns?** Yes. It provides a specific breakdown for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidental expenses for any given fiscal year. **How do I get lodging rates for a specific ZIP code with GSA Per Diem Rates MCP?** Just ask your agent for the rate of a specific 5-digit ZIP code. The Connector will pull the correct lodging and meal data for that exact location. **Can I use GSA Per Diem Rates MCP to check state-wide travel data?** Yes. You can pull a complete list of rates for every county and city within a specific state to see regional differences. **Does GSA Per Diem Rates MCP provide continental US lodging rates?** Yes. It includes standard lodging rates for the continental United States, which is helpful for general budgeting. **How does GSA Per Diem Rates MCP help with government contract bidding?** It helps you ensure your bids are compliant by providing the exact lodging and meal caps allowed by the government for different regions. **How can I find the per diem rates for a specific city like Los Angeles?** You can use the `get_rates_by_city` tool. Just provide the city name (Los Angeles), the state abbreviation (CA), and the fiscal year you are interested in. **Is it possible to get a breakdown of meal costs for the day?** Yes! Use the `get_mie_breakdown` tool for a specific fiscal year. It returns the breakdown for Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE), showing allocations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidentals. **Can I look up rates using just a ZIP code?** Absolutely. The `get_rates_by_zip` tool allows you to input a 5-digit ZIP code and a fiscal year to retrieve the applicable per diem rates for that specific location.