Incentive and Special Pay

HARDSHIP DUTY PAY

Hardship duty pay is additional compensation paid to servicemembers assigned to locations where living conditions are substantially below those conditions in the continental United States.

There are three types of HDP:

• Hardship Duty Pay - Location
• Hardship Duty Pay - Mission
• Hardship Duty Pay - Tempo

The combined maximum HDP-L and HDP-M payable is $300.00 per month. The individual maximum for HDP-M is payable at the flat rate of $150.00 per month and HDP-L is payable on a scale not to exceed $150.00 per month.

Location HDP

HDP-L is compensation paid to members assigned outside the continental where quality of life conditions are substantially below the standard most members in America would generally experience. HDP-L is intended to recognize the extraordinary arduous living conditions, excessive physical hardship, and/or unhealthful conditions that exist in a location or assignment. Rates are payable in increments of $50, $100, or $150 a month based on the level of QoL hardship in a given area.

Mission HDP

HDP-M is payable to officers and enlisted personnel for performing designated hardship missions. HDP-M is payable at the full monthly rate during any part of which, the member performs a specified mission. A member assigned to, on temporary duty with or otherwise under the operational control of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA), or the Central Identification Lab-Hawaii (CIL-HI) may qualify for HDP-M based on performance of a hardship mission members so assigned are entitled for each month in which they perform investigative or remains recovery in a remote, isolated area (including, but not limited to, areas in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and North Korea) for recovery of U.S. service member remains.

Tempo HDP

The Secretaries of the Military Departments may establish HDP-T programs under the authority of 37 USC 305. A mobilization or deployment tempo that requires the member to perform duties in an operational environment for periods that exceed rotation norms may be designated as hardship duty for the purposes of paying HDP-T. The Military Departments have not yet implemented HDP-T programs.