Per Diem Wars: How to Make Sure You Get What You're Owed

The per diem fight is as old as the trade. Contractors will low-ball it, delay it, and sometimes just quietly not pay it and see if you notice. Most guys don't say anything because they don't want to rock the boat in the first week. That's exactly what the contractor is counting on. The first rule of per diem is simple: confirm the rate in writing before you accept the dispatch. Call the BA, get the letter, keep the email. Get the rate, the payment schedule, and what receipts they require. Do not rely on what the foreman told the guy who told you. That information has been wrong more times than it has been right. Keep your hotel receipts from day one. Keep your gas receipts if mileage is included. Log your daily allowance in a spreadsheet every single day — date, amount received, amount owed, any discrepancy. Contractors who know you are organized and documenting are significantly less likely to play games with your money. The ones who see a guy who isn't tracking are the ones who end up with a week's per diem "accidentally" missing. When it goes wrong — and it will go wrong at least once in a career — the chain is: your steward first, then the BA, then the international grievance process if needed. Don't skip steps, but don't wait either. File fast and document the timeline from the first day the discrepancy appeared. A grievance filed two months after the fact is a harder fight than one filed the week it happened. The members who get paid are the ones who make noise early and keep records.