Per Diem Rates in Singapore: A Guide for Business Travel (2024)

“Per diem” means “per day,” so per diem rates are a daily allowance for employees who are traveling for business purposes. This can include travel to meet clients, attend trainings or conferences, or perform business duties. Per diem rates are fixed allowances. Unlike a travel reimbursement, employees do not need to track or provide documentation for exact expenses. However, per diem rates don’t cover every

business travel expense

. They are only meant to cover basic living expenses when traveling for work, such as meals, transportation costs, and incidental expenses. 

Per diem rates in Singapore are set by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) based on the destination of the travel country. These rates are reviewed annually by the IRAS based on current information on standard of living costs, with updated rates for each year published in December.

Per diem rates in Singapore are meant to cover daily expenses while traveling for business, such as: 

Not every kind of business expense is covered by per diem rates. For example, the following types of expenses are not intended to be covered by the per diem allowance: These expenses should be reimbursed using a travel reimbursement. 

In Singapore,  the per diem rates are very simple. There aren’t different per diem rates based on cities in Singapore or how far from home you’re traveling. If you’re an employee in Singapore traveling for business within Singapore, the per diem rate is S$150. 

For international travel, the per diem rate from Singapore varies based on the country of travel. Here are some of the most commonly visited countries and their per diem rates.

Per diem reimbursements are the easiest way to reimburse employees for basic travel expenses like food and incidentals. For larger travel expenses, like accommodation or airfare, you need a straightforward way to manage bookings and travel for your team. This is where a corporate travel management tool becomes essential. With a travel management software like TravelPerk, you can book employee travel, manage travel expenses, keep track of itineraries, submit reimbursements via our third-party integrations with your expense management software, and more. Finally, you can keep everything organized and tax-compliant.