I often get asked by taxpayers – “Is it better to use Per Diem rates for business travel deductions?” and with all things business and taxes, my answer is, “it depends”.
Per diem refers to a fixed daily allowance the IRS allows to a taxpayer for business travel. The words “Per diem” are derived from Latin and translates to “by the day.”
As a taxpayer, you have a choice to either use the Per Diem rates as designated by the IRS or your actual travel expenses, for which you must have receipts. If you are a notoriously bad recordkeeper and struggle to keep your receipts then yes, I recommend you use Per Diem Rates instead.
The 2021/2022 US based travel rates are $59 for meals and incidentals and $96 for lodging. Given the current expenses I see, the lodging rate seems extremely low. The IRS updates these rates every October 1st. Lodging rates did not increase since 2020! The IRS does recognize that traveling to San Francisco is significantly more expensive than traveling to Omaha so every year, the IRS also publishes a state by state guide with Per Diem rates by county. Go to http://www.ga.gov/perdiem for the detailed list of counties and rates.
For example, New York City is listed at $76 for Meals and Incidentals and Las Vegas is $61.
I highly recommend you look at this chart of counties and rates before you travel. You may decide to make an extra effort to keep receipts if you anticipate that your actual expenses will far exceed the IRS prescrived per diem rates.
I also recommend you join us THIS THURSDAY, May 26th at noon EST. I am teaching a one hour workshop on how to find tax deductions in your vacation travel. Don’t miss this workshop which will be full of practical tips for every business owner. Sign up at 
http://wendybarlin.com/travel