Product Update: Introducing Certify for GSA Per Diems

Certify is all about making travel and expense management easy, and we’re never one to shy away from an opportunity to put our approach to the test. So, when it came time to tackle the complicated world of GSA per diems, we knew we had to deliver a simple and elegant solution that would allow our customers to cage this unwieldy and seemingly unpredictable T&E beast. Today, we’re pleased to introduce Certify for GSA per diems, a truly simple service to help manage the complex reimbursement policies, regulations, and other travel- and expense- related guidelines set each year by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

What are GSA per diem rates and why should I care? Established by the U.S. General Services Administration, GSA per diem rates set the maximum or standard allowances that federal employees can be reimbursed while on official travel within the 48 continental U.S. states (CONUS).

GSA per diem rates also extend to companies and contractors that conduct work for the federal government but are not employed directly by government agencies. Still, there are some companies that don’t do any work for the government that use GSA per diem rates to shape their own policy standards. It makes sense, not only because many hard-earned tax dollars are spent by the GSA to research and define per diem rates. But, absent a well-funded and well-researched policy of their own, companies can have a degree of confidence they’re paying fair reimbursement rates when adopting GSA per diems. For these companies, the GSA has already done all the heavy lifting.

How does it work? The Certify GSA service allows administrators to easily configure travel and expense reporting requirements using the federal standard allowances established each year by the U.S. GSA. Once configured within a system, Certify automatically calculates allowable GSA reimbursable amounts based primarily on the date of expense and destination. Additional variables that affect reimbursable rates, such as meal combinations, incidental expenses, GSA reimbursable type, and travel days, are also included in the calculations. And all calculation values are compared to the most current GSA-supplied data to ensure accuracy and expedite approvals.

Our new GSA service works as part of the integrated Certify system to streamline processes, automate policy control and provide greater visibility into organization-wide T&E spend. And getting started is easy, too; GSA is included as part of the Certify Enterprise Plan.

Whether you work for a government agency or contractor, or you’re part of a company that follows the federal standard, navigating all the ins and outs of GSA per diem policies and reimbursement is anything but simple. Our hope is that with available GSA functionality, Certify can help make travel and expense management easy for even the most complicated transactions and policies.