# GSA Per Diem Rates MCP > GSA Per Diem Rates gives you immediate access to official U.S. government rates for travel expenses, including lodging and meals. By querying specific locations using zip codes, cities, or entire states, your AI agent retrieves accurate federal reimbursement data instantly. This prevents manual calculation errors when planning corporate travel budgets. ## Overview - **Category:** government-public-data - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** per-diem, gsa-rates, travel-expenses, federal-travel, lodging-rates ## Description Need to calculate travel costs based on federal standards? This MCP pulls live rates straight from the U.S. General Services Administration database. You can ask for lodging and meal expenses by a specific city, zip code, or even an entire state's county rates. It breaks down Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) into detailed parts like breakfast, lunch, and dinner allocations. If you’re building out your catalog of connected services on Vinkius, this MCP is essential for any system handling government-compliant travel finance. Your agent uses the data to check budgets against federal rules, whether you're planning a trip or auditing past expenses. ## Tools ### get_conus_lodging Retrieves standard lodging rates for the continental US based on a specific year. ### get_mie_breakdown Gets the detailed breakdown of meal and incidental expenses for a given fiscal year. ### get_rates_by_city Provides per diem rates when you specify both the city name and the state. ### get_rates_by_state Gathers all county and city-level rates within a designated state for wide planning views. ### get_rates_by_zip Gets per diem rate data using only a five-digit ZIP code, which is useful when location detail is limited. ### get_zip_mapping Maps ZIP codes to designated areas for use in high volume requests against specific years. ## 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 is $18, Lunch is $19, Dinner is $34, and Incidentals are $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 ### Check rates by ZIP code You can get precise per diem rates just for a specific 5-digit zip code. ### Calculate state-wide budgets Retrieve the standard rate data across every county and city within an entire state. ### Get specific city rates Fetch accurate per diem rates for a defined city and state combination. ### Determine lodging costs Retrieve standard continental United States lodging rates for general budgeting purposes. ### Break down meal expenses Get the detailed Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) allocation, separating breakfast, lunch, and dinner costs. ## Use Cases ### Auditing an old expense report A finance analyst needs to check if a trip billed three years ago was compliant. They use `get_rates_by_city` for the destination and `get_mie_breakdown` to confirm meal rates, instantly validating the entire report against historical federal standards. ### Planning a multi-state sales tour A travel coordinator needs to estimate costs for 10 cities across three states. Instead of running ten separate searches, they use `get_rates_by_state` first, then drill down with targeted calls to `get_rates_by_zip` when specific office locations are known. ### Estimating lodging for a new corporate site The facilities manager needs general budget numbers for housing across the entire Midwest. They use `get_conus_lodging` to get standard continental rates and then verify local variations using `get_rates_by_state`. ### Dealing with vague billing addresses An accounting intern only has a 5-digit zip code from an old invoice. Instead of guessing the city, they use `get_rates_by_zip`. This guarantees they get the correct per diem rates for that exact area. ## Benefits - Checks compliance immediately. Instead of manually cross-referencing a trip against the GSA website, you ask your agent to verify expense reports using `get_rates_by_city` or `get_rates_by_zip`, ensuring every dollar aligns with federal standards. - Handles large areas easily. If you’re planning multi-state travel, running `get_rates_by_state` gives you a baseline of all county and city rates within that state in one go. - Pinpoints exact locations. When accuracy matters, use `get_rates_by_zip`. This tool lets you bypass broader area estimates and get rates tied to the precise five-digit zip code. - Details meal costs precisely. The `get_mie_breakdown` tool separates your total daily allowance into individual components—breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidentals—for granular budgeting. - Covers general needs. Need a rough budget for US travel without specifying a location? Use `get_conus_lodging` to grab standard lodging rates across the continental US. ## How It Works The bottom line is that you don't need to look up rate tables; you just ask for what you need, and it gets returned. 1. First, you subscribe to this MCP and plug in your GSA API Key. 2. Next, you prompt your agent with the specific location (e.g., 'Fairfax, VA') or zip code needed for the trip date. 3. Your agent calls the appropriate tool and returns the official lodging, meal, and incidental expense rates directly to your workflow. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I check rates for a specific ZIP code using get_rates_by_zip?** You simply ask your agent to retrieve per diem data using the five-digit zip code. This is ideal because it gives you localized rates that are more accurate than relying on state or city averages. **Do I need get_zip_mapping before calling get_rates_by_zip?** While `get_zip_mapping` helps with high volume, the tool is primarily useful for getting the ZIP code to designated area mapping. For single queries, just using `get_rates_by_zip` works fine. **How do I get the meal breakdown rates? (get_mie_breakdown)** You call `get_mie_breakdown` and specify the fiscal year. This breaks down the total daily rate into specific amounts for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and incidentals. **What if I need rates for an entire region? (get_rates_by_state)** Use `get_rates_by_state`. This tool pulls rate data for every county and city within the state, giving you a massive overview for regional planning. **Is get_conus_lodging better than getting rates by city?** `get_conus_lodging` gives you general continental US lodging data. Use `get_rates_by_city` when you need a rate for a specific, known destination to ensure accuracy. **What do I need to handle high volume requests when checking rates with get_rates_by_zip?** You should use get_zip_mapping first. This tool is designed for bulk lookups; it pre-processes the ZIP code data you need, which helps prevent hitting rate limits and speeds up subsequent calls using any of the rate retrieval tools. **Does get_rates_by_city require me to know the state? (get_rates_by_city)** Yes, accurate results from get_rates_by_city require both the city and the state. If you only have a county name or general region information, use get_rates_by_state instead; it pulls all available rates for that entire area. **How do I ensure my agent has access to run any of these rate tools?** You must provide your GSA API Key during setup. This key authorizes every operation, whether you're running get_conus_lodging or getting the M&IE breakdown. The MCP uses this key for all data requests. **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.