Per Diem Tracking

What is Per Diem?

Per diem is a daily allowance for meals, lodging, and incidental expenses during travel or events. The term means "per day" in Latin.

Why Use Per Diem?

Business Travel - Many companies provide daily allowances for meals and expenses
Government Work - Federal and state employees often receive per diem rates
Event Planning - Budget a fixed amount per day for conferences or trips
Personal Budgeting - Set daily spending limits for yourself

💡 Example: If your company provides $75/day for meals during a 3-day conference, your total per diem would be $225.

Adding Per Diem to an Event

Step 1: Create or Open an Event

Open the event you want to add per diem to
Or create a new event

Step 2: Add Per Diem

Scroll to the Per Diem section
Tap "Add Per Diem"
Choose your per diem type (see below)
Enter the amount
Tap Save

Per Diem Types

Purr Diem supports two types of per diem calculations:

1. Flat Rate Per Diem

A one-time, fixed amount that doesn't change based on event duration.

Use for:

One-time allowances
Fixed stipends
Registration fee reimbursements

Example: $500 total allowance for a conference, regardless of length.

2. Per-Day Per Diem

A daily rate that multiplies by the number of days in your event.

Use for:

Daily meal allowances
Daily lodging budgets
Standard government/company per diem rates

Example: $75/day for meals × 3 days = $225 total per diem.

💡 Tip: You can add multiple per diems to one event! For example, one for meals and another for lodging.

How Days are Calculated

For per-day per diems, Purr Diem counts the number of days between your event's start and end dates.

Calculation Examples

Same day event (June 1 - June 1) = 1 day
Weekend trip (Friday - Sunday) = 3 days
Week-long conference (Monday - Friday) = 5 days

⚠️ Note: If you change your event's start or end date, per-day per diems will automatically recalculate!

Partial Days

Purr Diem counts partial days as full days. If your event runs from 2 PM Monday to 10 AM Wednesday, that's 3 days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).

Viewing Per Diem Information

In Event Detail View

When viewing an event, you'll see:

Per Diem Name - What this per diem is for
Rate - The daily or flat rate
Type - Flat or Per-Day
Total Amount - Calculated total (for per-day types)

Budget Impact

Per diems are shown separately from your expenses. They represent money available to you, not money you've spent.

💡 Common Setup: Set your event budget to your total per diem allowance. Then track your actual spending against it!

Editing Per Diems

Edit a Per Diem

Open the event with the per diem
Tap the per diem you want to edit
Make your changes:
- Change the name
- Change the amount
- Switch between Flat and Per-Day
Tap Save

What Updates Automatically

When you edit a per-day per diem or change event dates:

Total amount recalculates
Event budget comparisons update
Analytics reflect new totals (Premium)

Deleting Per Diems

Remove a Per Diem

Open the event
Swipe left on the per diem
Tap Delete
Confirm deletion

Or:

Tap the per diem to open details
Tap Edit
Scroll to bottom
Tap Delete Per Diem

⚠️ Note: Deleting a per diem only removes the allowance tracking. It doesn't delete your expenses.

Common Use Cases

Business Travel with Company Per Diem

Scenario: Your company provides $75/day for meals during a 4-day trip.

Create event: "Business Trip to New York"
Set dates: Monday - Thursday (4 days)
Add per-day per diem: "Meal Allowance" at $75/day
Total per diem: $300
Set event budget to $300
Track your actual meal expenses
See if you stayed under budget!

Conference with Multiple Per Diems

Scenario: 3-day conference with separate allowances for meals and lodging.

Create event: "Tech Conference 2026"
Set dates: 3 days
Add per-day per diem: "Meals" at $60/day = $180
Add per-day per diem: "Hotel" at $150/day = $450
Total per diem: $630
Set budget to $630 (or higher if you have other expenses)

Personal Budget Challenge

Scenario: You want to limit spending to $50/day on a vacation.

Create event: "Italy Vacation"
Set dates: 7 days
Add per-day per diem: "Daily Budget" at $50/day = $350
Set budget to $350
Track every expense
Stay accountable to your budget!

Government GSA Rates

Scenario: Federal employee using GSA per diem rates.

Look up GSA rate for your destination
Create event with travel dates
Add per-day per diem with GSA rate
Track expenses to ensure compliance
Export PDF for expense report (Premium)

💡 GSA Rates: Find current government per diem rates at gsa.gov/perdiem

Per Diem in Premium Features

Per Diem Tracker Dashboard (Premium)

Premium subscribers have access to a dedicated Per Diem Tracker Dashboard:

View all per diem allowances in one place
Compare per diem vs actual spending across all events
Track utilization rates (how much you spent vs allowance)
See which events stayed under/over per diem
Identify per diem trends over time
Plan better budgets for future trips

Access: Premium tab → Per Diem Tracker

Export Reports (Premium)

Per diem information is included in PDF and CSV exports:

PDF: Per diem section shows allowances and totals
CSV: Per diem column shows if allowance exists

Perfect for submitting expense reports to employers or for tax documentation!

Learn About Premium Features

Per Diem Best Practices

1. Set Per Diem Before the Event

Add your per diem allowance when creating the event so you know your spending limit from day one.

2. Match Budget to Per Diem

If your per diem is your only funding source, set your event budget equal to your total per diem allowance.

3. Use Descriptive Names

Instead of just "Per Diem", use names like:

"Meal Allowance"
"Hotel Budget"
"Daily Spending Limit"
"Company Per Diem"

4. Track Everything

Even small expenses count! Track all spending to see how you're doing against your per diem.

5. Review Daily

Check your spending each evening to ensure you're on track.

💡 Pro Tip: If you're consistently under budget, you can pocket the difference with most per diem arrangements (but check your company policy!).

Common Issues

"My per diem total changed"

For per-day per diems, the total recalculates when you change event dates. Check that your start and end dates are correct.

"I can't add per diem"

Per diem tracking is available on both Free and Premium tiers. Make sure you've saved your event first, then look for the Per Diem section.

"My budget doesn't match my per diem"

Budget and per diem are separate fields. If you want them to match:

Add up all your per diem totals
Edit the event
Set Budget to match your total per diem

"Do I need Premium for per diem?"

No! Per diem tracking is available on the Free tier. Premium adds analytics and export features.