Incentive and Special Pay
HOSTILE FIRE / IMMINENT DANGER PAY
Types of Incentive and Special Pay:
Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger Pays are monthly special pays that compensate service members for physical danger. Hostile Fire Pay is determined by an event while Imminent Danger Pay is determined by a threat.
Hostile Fire Pay is paid to a member who meets one or more of these criteria: (1) takes hostile fire or is exposed to an explosion of a hostile mine; (2) is in a unit engaged in hostile action; (3) is killed, injured, or wounded by hostile fire or explosion of a hostile mine. Imminent Danger Pay is paid to a member who is on duty in foreign areas where they are subject to the threat of physical harm or imminent danger because of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism, or wartime conditions.
Although DOD regulations distinguish between Hostile Fire Pay and Imminent Danger Pay, they are derived from the same statute. An individual can collect one or the other, but not both simultaneously.
Special Situations
Three special situations affect HFP/IDP. These apply to members who are:
- Captured or missing
- Hospitalized as a result of hostile action
- Otherwise entitled to HFP/IDP but are missing from the area for an entire calendar month
Rates Payable
HFP/IDP is payable at the monthly rate of $225.00 regardless of the duration that establishes the entitlement. Active and reserve component members receive the full monthly benefit regardless of the number of days they are on active duty or the number of days for which basic pay is paid. Members of the Uniformed Services in the Pentagon or the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 were subject to hostile fire, and were entitled to hostile fire pay.
