Hardship Duty Pay

Hardship Duty Pay-Location
HDP-L became effective 1 Jan, 2001 and is compensation paid to members assigned outside the continental United States in Quality of Life (QoL) Hardship locations -- Locations where QoL living conditions are substantially below the standard most members in the continental United States 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.

Specifics:

• All members serving on PCS in a designated area, or serving in a temporary duty or deployed status for over 30 consecutive days in the area will receive HDP-L

• Members on permanent reassignment to the area will be eligible from the day of arrival

• Members TDY to the area are not eligible during the first 30 days of consecutive service at the designated location. On the 31 st day, HDP-L will be payable retroactive to the date of reporting.

• Entitlement to HDP-L terminates the day before a member departs PCS

Hardship Duty Pay-Mission
HDP-M is payable to members both officer and enlisted, 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.

The maximum total of HDP-L and HDP-M that may be paid to an individual member in any one month is $750.