Hostile Fire Pay Now Prorated

Week of February 06, 2012

Starting this month, the Defense Department will calculate imminent-danger pay by the day rather than the month, a cost-cutting move the department estimated last year could save $30 million annually. Up to now, servicemembers received a full month's imminent-danger pay -- $225 -- for spending even a single day in designated hazardous areas, which range from war zones such as Afghanistan to out-of-the-way spots like Montenegro. But beginning Feb. 1, troops will get the extra pay only for days they're actually present in the danger zones. The prorated daily amount works out to $7.50. Pentagon officials said affected servicemembers should begin seeing the difference in their paychecks on Feb. 15.

Read the full Stars and Stripes article on Military.com.