Am I elgible to claim Per Diem now?
Answer Aqeel, I’m not sure what you mean when you ask if you are eligible for per diem. Here is the way a per diem is used. If you are on a temporary assignment (away from home) for your job, your employer could (but, not required) give you a per diem. The per diem is used to cover your travel and meal expenses. Under this arrangement, you would not be required to submit an expense report to your employer. If you spend less than the per diem, you have non taxable compensation. If you spend more than your per diem, you are out of luck. The General Services Administration publishes a guide that provides per diem rates for many U.S. cities. Sometimes independent contractors or self employed individuals use these rates for deducting business related travel. They do this to ease the recordkeeping burden of documenting out of pocket expenses. Perhaps you could negotiate a per diem clause in your next contract. I hope this answers your question. If not, please feel free to e-mail me directly.
