Per diem tracking softwarePer diem worked out from the trip itself.
Record where the trip went and when it left and came back. FocalHQ counts the days, applies the destination's daily rate and keeps the result with the trip's other costs.
Expenses
August · €4,930 · 2 reimbursements pending
- Equipment€1,240
eMAG Business
Two laptops
- TravelRON 640
OMV Petrom
Fuel, Cluj trip
- Office€880
Regus Bucharest
Desk rental
- UtilitiesRON 410
Vodafone RO
Team mobile
Top categories
From a trip to its travel allowance in three steps.
- 1
Record the trip
Name the trip, pick the destination and enter the departure and return times. That's all the calculation needs.
- 2
FocalHQ counts the days
Time away is split into 12-hour blocks and turned into days using the rules for that kind of trip, then multiplied by the destination's daily rate.
- 3
It lands with the trip's costs
Add the per diem to the trip as an expense, next to flights, hotels and taxis, so the whole trip has one total.
How the calculation works
Rules you can read, not a black box.
Per diem — a daily travel allowance for an employee on a business trip — is usually set as a rate per day per destination, with a ceiling on how much of it is tax-free. FocalHQ keeps that rate table per company and applies it the same way every time.
Trips abroad
Every started 12-hour block counts as half a day. A trip of 30 hours is 1.5 days; one of 72 hours and one minute is 3.5.
Domestic trips
Only complete 12-hour blocks count, rounded to whole days.
Daily allowance by country
Each destination has a daily allowance in the currency the table uses — EUR for most of Europe, USD or RON elsewhere.
Ceiling multiplier
The base rate is multiplied to give the ceiling. The default is 2.5, the usual tax-free ceiling in the reference table FocalHQ starts from, and each company can change it.
Business trip expenses
Every trip, with everything it cost.
A three-day trip to Munich is a flight, two hotel nights, a few taxis and three days of allowance. In FocalHQ those are all linked to the trip, so you can answer “what did that trip cost?” without opening five receipts.
The per diem is created as an ordinary expense on the trip, which means it appears in the same expense list, categories and reports as everything else the company spends.
Trips, expenses and per diem are part of the Business plan, alongside supplier bills and cash flow. The pricing page has the details.
- One trip, one viewAllowance, travel and accommodation together
- Any currencyCosts kept in the currency they were paid in
- Receipts attachedSnapped on iPhone, stored on the expense
Your command center
Jump into daily tasks, operations, and insights.
Receivables
34 open
Payables
€41,900
Expenses
€4,930
Vacations
2 off today
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Rates and your country
Start from a reference table, then make it yours.
FocalHQ starts every company with the Romanian government's reference table for business trips abroad: a daily allowance for each destination country. It is a complete, published table, which makes it a practical starting point.
Rules differ between countries, and many companies set their own internal rates. Each company in FocalHQ has its own copy of the rate table, and you can edit the rates per country, and the multiplier, to match your policy or your country's rules. Check the amounts with your accountant before you rely on them.
Need a quick number without an account? The free per diem calculator runs the same calculation in your browser. For the people side of travel — who is away and when — see time off.
Questions
Per diem in FocalHQ, answered plainly.
What is per diem?
A daily allowance paid to an employee on a business trip, meant to cover meals and incidental costs. It is set per day and usually depends on the destination.
How does FocalHQ count the days of a trip?
From the departure and return times. For trips abroad, every started 12-hour block counts as half a day. For domestic trips, only complete 12-hour blocks count, rounded to whole days.
Which per diem rates does FocalHQ use?
By default, the Romanian government's reference table for trips abroad, with a 2.5 multiplier. Each company can edit its rates per country and the multiplier to follow its own policy or local rules.
Is the per diem added to the trip's expenses?
Yes. It is added as an expense on the trip, so it shows up with the trip's other costs and in your expense totals.
Can I try the calculation without signing up?
Yes. The free per diem calculator works in your browser and doesn't need an account.
See it with your own numbers.
Sign up with your Google account and try every module free for three months. No card required.