Do states have reimbursement rates for travel?

Hello,
Do states have legal reimbursement rates for employee travel? Can an employer set their own rates?

You question is circular. While the state does have a stated statutory level of compensation for travel for its OWN employees, the state has no right to tell a private business at what rate they must compensate their own employees.

The GSA has guidelines.

Employer can set their own rates. But when dealing with government contracts they must follow the guidelines.

Yes and Yes. When you file taxes you can claim your work expenses up to so many dollars a day for room, board and such. If you receive per diem from your employer you can either claim it as income and claim your deductions still or void the deductions and not claim the expense money. Most companies dont pay travel expenses and those that do either have reimbursement or a set rate of pay they choose. For instance my husbands old company paid $85 a work day and $150 per day off for per diem. In some states the standard deduction is $150 a day so they keep receipts and claim expenses to get a higher return since they were not paid the standard per diem for that state. Talk to a tax account and find out the laws for your state.