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Per Diem Rates in Singapore: A Guide for Business Travel (updated for 2026)

10 Sept 2024 · 5
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Per Diem Rates in Singapore: A Guide for Business Travel (updated for 2026)
Written by
Nick Roberts
Nick RobertsGrowth Marketing Director
Updated: February 2026
There are many ways to compensate employees for business travel. For employees in Singapore, per diem rates are one of the most straightforward solutions. 
Understanding how they work can make business travel easier for your company and employees, and make sure you stay tax-compliant. 
Here’s what to know about per diem rates for Singapore employees. 

What are per diem rates?

“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. 

How are per diem rates calculated in Singapore?

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.

What’s covered by per diem rates in Singapore

Per diem rates in Singapore are meant to cover daily expenses while traveling for business, such as: 
  • meals and food 
  • local transportation, such as taxi rides or train fares 
  • other incidental items (i.e. laundry services, tips, and fees) 

What’s not covered by per diem rates in Singapore

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: 
  • Accommodation for international trips
  • Overseas airport transfers (i.e. travel to and from international airports) 
  • Traveling expenses to and from the destination (i.e. flights or train rides to the destination) 
  • Entertainment expenses (i.e. client dinners, team-building activities, or other costs related to entertainment as part of the business trip) 
These expenses should be reimbursed using a travel reimbursement. 

Examples of per diem rates in Singapore

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$175. 

Per diem rates for international business travel

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.
Country
Per diem rate (in S$)
Argentina
150
Australia
120
Austria
120
Belgium
200
Belize
110
Brazil
60
Canada
155
Chile
155
Cook Islands
122
Denmark
145
Fiji
150
France
150
Germany
175
Ghana
180
Grenada
120
Guinea
140
Hong Kong
110
India
115
Japan
155
South Korea
180
Madagascar
125
Malawi
95
Malaysia
85
Maldives
165
Mauritania
95
Mexico
170
Micronesia
90
Nepal
100
New Zealand
115
Pakistan
110
Palau
130
Papua New Guinea
115
Philippines
120
Poland
95
Qatar
145
South Africa
65
Sri Lanka
65
Switzerland
175
Spain
165
Taiwan
85
Thailand
130
Tonga
100
United Kingdom
195
United States
165
Source: Official website of the IRAS
Now that you know how per diem rates work, and what the base rates are in Singapore, find out how to write a per diem policy for employees that works for your company

FAQs on Singapore Per Diem Rates

Do you need to keep receipts for per diem rates in Singapore?

Are per diem payments taxed in Singapore?

How are per diem rates paid in Singapore?

What if I have US employees traveling to Singapore?

Making travel reimbursements easier with Perk

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 Perk, 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.
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Written by
Nick Roberts
Nick RobertsGrowth Marketing Director
Nick Roberts is Growth Marketing Director at Perk, where he brings deep experience from high-growth tech to the world of business travel. With a sharp commercial lens, he’s focused on helping modern companies travel better.
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