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• Special and Incentive Pay

Written by: Maureen Milliken

Home » Military Pay » Special and Incentive Pay

Everyone in the military gets basic pay that is determined by their rank and length of service. But there are plenty of opportunities to make extra money.

Military members of all ranks and positions can be eligible for special and incentive pay (S&I). There are more than 60 authorized Special and Incentive Pay codes.

S&I covers everything from hazardous duty pay, dangerous jobs, those with more responsibility, tours in combat zones, working with hazardous materials and more. But it also offers incentives to acquire training or learn a new job, or, if you’re in a profession that’s lucrative in the civilian world, to stay in the military for a few years or for a career.

Specific skills – like fluency in a foreign language – can open up special military pay opportunities.

Congress sets maximum amounts for S&I. In 2008, it established broader categories, which allow the military flexibility to adjust payment levels and eligibility criteria.

Who Is Eligible for Special and Incentive Pay?

Special and Incentive Pay opportunities are open to active-duty enlisted military members, even those who have just joined, as well as officers. Some S&I codes are exclusive to certain branches of the military or have varying requirements, depending on the branch.

There is pay specific to medical professions, being on a combat tour, being assigned to a less-than-desirable area and more. Dangerous jobs, like parachuting, diving or working on a submarine also get special pay.

All of the specific codes under the law that allows Special Pay and Incentives have their own eligibility requirements.

What Types of Special and Incentive Pay Are Available?

Special and Incentive Pay is monthly, and ranges from skilled jobs – such as Medical Special Pay – to assignments that increase skill or proficiency, to special pay for hazardous or arduous work. There is also pay for jobs that are difficult to fill – nurses, dentists, optometrists, veterinarians – as well as pay designed to retain personnel.

Hazardous duty pay helps ensure the U.S. interests abroad and at home are protected, by giving special incentives to those who must serve in combat zones or do jobs that could be dangerous.

Some pay is for long-term duties, some is temporary. Some is offered only by certain branches of the service. Each type has its own pay grades and requirements, which are all listed in the U.S. Department of Defense Special Pays and Incentives Index .

The general categories are:

• Hazardous Incentive Pay

Medical Special Pay

Retention incentive pay, career incentive pay.

• Assignment Pay

Accession Pay

Responsibility pay.

• Skill Conversion and Transfer Pay

Arduous Duty Pay

• Proficiency Incentive

Rehabilitation Pay

Let’s take a closer look.

Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (HDIP)

There are many voluntary HDIP assignments. Some have a pay cap, some a flat amount and some have a range based on grade, assignment and more.

Top HDIP pay:

• Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger: $225
• Flying, Crew: $110-$250 (grade-based)
• Parachute: $150, high-altitude $250

$150 flat pay duties:

• Flying, Non-Crew
• Pressure Chamber; Acceleration, Deceleration; Thermal Stress
• Flight Deck
• Toxic Pesticides/Dangerous Organisms Personal Exposure
• Toxic Fuel/Propellants, Chemical Munitions Exposure
• Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) – Maritime Interdiction Operations (Navy only)

Medical special pay helps retain medical personnel who could easily make more money as civilians – it covers regular special pay, special pay for becoming certified, retention bonuses and more:

• Multi-year Medical Officer Retention Bonus: Up to $75,000 yearly, four-year agreement
• Multi-year Dental Officer Retention Bonus: Up to $50,000, four-year agreement
• Medical Officer Variable: $1,200-$12,000 yearly
• Medical Officer Additional: $15,000
• Medical Officers Board Certification: $2,500-$6,000 yearly
• Medical Officer Incentive: $75,000, 12-month agreement
• Optometrists Regular: $100 a month
• Optometrists Retention: Up to $!5,000, 12-month agreement
• Dental Officer Variable: $3,000-$12,000 yearly
• Dental Officer Additional: $10,000-$15,000 yearly
• Dental Officer Board Certification: $2,500-$6,000 yearly
• Dental Officer Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Incentive: up to $75,000, 12-month agreement
• Nonphysician Health Care Providers Board Certification: $2,000-$5,000 yearly
• Registered Nurse Accession Bonus: Up to $30,000, minimum three-year agreement
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Incentive: Up to $50,000, 12-month agreement
• Dental Officer Accession Bonus: Up to $200,000, minimum four-year agreement
• Pharmacy Officer Retention: Up to $15,000 for 12 months
• Pharmacy Officer Accession Bonus: Up to $30,000, four-year minimum agreement
• Accession Bonus for Medical/Dental Officers in Critically Short Wartime Specialties: Up to $400,000
• Veterinary Corps Officer: $100 monthly
• Veterinary Corps Officer Board Certified: $2,000-$5,000 yearly

Retention Incentive Pay aims to keep service members with in-demand skills in the military. Figures listed here are a maximum, and amount depends on many factors:

• Aviation Continuation: $25,000 yearly
• Selective Reenlistment Bonus: $40,000
• Nuclear Officers Extending Period of Active Duty: $30,000 yearly, minimum 3-year agreement
• Nuclear Career Annual Incentive Bonus: $22,000 (commissioned officers), $14,000 (limited duty officers)
• Special Warfare Officer Continuation: $15,000 yearly
• Surface Warfare Officer Continuation: $50,000 yearly
• Judge Advocate Continuation: $60,000 paid over career
• Critical Skills Retention (Assignment to High Priority Unit) Bonus: $60,000

Career Incentive Pay seeks to keep skilled personnel in crucial jobs in the service for their entire career. There’s a wide range in the monthly pay for each, depending on years of service, grade and more.

Pay codes are:

• Aviation: $125-$850
• Submarine Duty: $75-$835
• Diving Duty: $340 (max. enlisted); $240 (max. officers)
• Career Sea: $50-$150
• Career Enlisted Flyer Incentive: $150-$400

Assignment Incentive Pay

Assignment Incentive Pay encourages those in less desirable locations or in combat zones to extend their tour.

Involuntary extensions in combat zones pay up to $800 monthly. Voluntary extensions range from $300-$900 a month. Those with critical intelligence skills get up to $1,000 a month. The maximum allowed by law is $3,000 a month.

Accession bonuses and incentives are designed to encourage military personnel, or those enlisting, to become officers.

• Enlistment Bonus – $40,00 maximum
• Nuclear Officer Accession Bonus – $30,000 maximum
• Accession Bonus for New Officers in Critical Skills – $60,000 maximum
• Accession Bonus for Members Appointed as a Commissioned Officer after Completing Officer Candidate School – $20,000 maximum
• Officers Holding Positions of Unusual Responsibility – The Navy rewards sea service at $50-$750 a month. Other military branches may set rates as well.
• Special Duty Assignment Pay for Enlisted Members – Assignments with responsibility above pay grade, including special operations forces, production recruiter, White House Communications Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and more, get $75-$450 monthly.

Skills Conversion and Transfer Pay

• Incentive Bonus for Conversion to Military Occupational Specialty to Ease Personnel Shortage – For members who convert to an occupational specialty that has a shortage of qualified personnel, with minimum 3-year commitment. Rate is discretionary.
• Incentive Bonus for Transfer Between Armed Forces – Up to $10,000 to transfer between military branches, with minimum 3-year commitment.

Hardship Pay -Quality of Life and Hardship Pay-Location is for those whose assignment is where living conditions are substantially below the standard most members would generally experience in the U.S. Pay is $50-$150 monthly.

Hardship Pay-Mission is for those who recover the remains of service members lost in past wars, and is $150.

• Overseas Tour Extension Incentive Program (OTEIP)

The Overseas Tour Extension Incentive Program (OTEIP) rewards personnel for extending an overseas assignment. If your duty station or job field qualifies you for OTEIP, you can receive additional pay or benefits for agreeing to extend an overseas assignment by at least 12 months.

Proficiency Incentive Pay

Being fluent in a foreign language – or doing the work to be – pays off big time for members of the military through the Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus. Those who become proficient, or work to increase proficiency, can get up to $12,000 for a 12-month certification period.

Members of the armed forces injured in the line of duty in a combat zone who have to be evacuated for medical treatment get $430 a month. It terminates when they start getting benefits from other military disability programs, or if they are no longer being treated for the injury.

Can Special and Incentive Pay Change?

Special and Incentive Pay amounts, as well as categories, change frequently. Congress used to be in charge of changing the requirements, eligibility, pay grades and more, but that got unwieldy. Now, the basic framework is there, and Congress votes on it every two years year as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which funds the military. It is up to the secretary of each branch of the military to set specifics and decide if the special pay will be offered.

Some special pay and incentives have ceilings way above what is currently being paid, so there’s room to increase it. For instance, Special Duty Assignment Pay can be as high as $600 a month under the law, but currently pays between $75 and $450. Navy submarine pay can go as high as $1,000 a month, but is capped at $950 (and that’s only for two pay grades with at least 18 years’ experience).

Changes in the location of combat can mean changes to Assignment Pay Incentive and Hardship Pay Incentive. That goes for Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger Pay as well – the U.S. Department of Defense keeps an up-to-date list of where this pay applies.

Some categories – for instance regular pay incentive for optometrists, at $100 a month – haven’t changed since they were instituted.

Changes generally kick in on Jan. 1.

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Maureen Milliken

Maureen Milliken has been writing about finance, banking, investment, entrepreneurship, real estate and other related topics for more than 30 years. She started as the “Business Beat” columnist for the now-defunct Haverhill (Mass.) Gazette and currently is one of the hosts of the Mainebiz business-focused podcast, “The Day that Changed Everything” in addition to her daily writing. She also is is the author of three mystery novels and two nonfiction books.

• Absher, J. (2022, July 12) Special Duty Assignment Pay. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/special-pay/special-duty-assignment-pay.html
• N.A. (ND) Special and Incentive Pay. Retrieved from https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Special-and-Incentive-Pays/
• N.A. (ND) Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay. Retrieved from https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Special-and-Incentive-Pays/HDIP/
• N.A. (ND) Title 37, Chapter 5, Subchapter 1 – S&I Pays Currently for Active-Duty Members. Retrieved from https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Special-and-Incentive-Pays/Index/
• N.A. (ND) Bonuses: Earning Extra Money. Retrieved from https://www.goarmy.com/benefits/money/bonuses-earning-extra-money.html
• N.A. (ND) Assignment Incentive Pay. Retrieved from https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Special-and-Incentive-Pays/AIP/
• N.A. (ND) 358. Combat-related injury rehabilitation pay. Retrieved from https://corpuslegalis.com/us/code/title37/combat-related-injury-rehabilitation-pay

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Assignment Incentive Pay (AIP)

Assignment Incentive Military Pay is the military's preferred way to compensate troops from all services. Assignment Incentive Military Pay is often paid to service members for unusual assignment circumstances.

Those service members who have involuntarily extended their tours in Iraq and Kuwait combat zones receive an additional $200 in hardship duty pay and another $800 in assignment incentive pay for a total of an extra $1000 a month. Those service members in certain skills who have served 12 months Iraq and Afghanistan and volunteer to agree to extend their tours receive this assignment incentive military pay.

They receive additional pay for extensions including $900 per month for a 12 month extension, $600 a month for a 6 month extension and $300 a month for a three month extension. Service members with critical intelligence skills will receive up to $1000 a month for each month's extension. Service members in other areas such as South Korea may also receive Assignment Incentive Military Pay for extensions of their tours.

The Assignment Incentive Military Pay Program has become extremely popular and is the military's preferred way to compensate troops from all of the services for certain unusual and extended assignments. The pay cap was increased to $3000 a month Assignment Incentive Military Pay is taxable unless in a combat zone.

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New Cold-Assignment Incentive Pay Coming for Airmen and Guardians at 7 Bases

In a move aimed at incentivizing airmen and Guardians stationed in the remotest and coldest parts of the country, the Department of the Air Force has finally approved cold weather pay for troops at seven bases.

As of April 1, airmen and Guardians stationed at U.S. bases where temperatures sometimes drop 20 degrees below zero will earn the new lump-sum payment if they agree to serve at least a yearlong tour.

Locations that qualify for the incentive include North Dakota's Cavalier Space Force Station and Minot and Grand Forks Air Force Bases ; Alaska's Clear Space Force Station, Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ; and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Read Next : Army Eyes Dramatic Cuts to Key Education Benefits for Soldiers

The announcement comes more than a year after passage of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision for the services to provide an Arctic incentive pay.

A defense official told Military.com in January that the military's existing programs already compensate service members serving in those areas well enough, but the Department of the Air Force went ahead with its own program.

"Airmen and Guardians living in extremely cold conditions faced unique out-of-pocket costs," Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said in a statement to Military.com. "In addition to the assignment and retention benefits of the pay, it also comes down to making sure we do our best to take care of our service members and their families stationed at these critical installations."

Similar to the Army 's existing Remote and Austere Conditions Assignment Incentive Pay, the Air Force's new Cold Weather Incentive pay program "intends to ease the financial burden of purchasing certain cold weather essentials" like jackets and other Arctic-protective clothes, season-appropriate tires, engine block heaters and emergency roadside kits, the service told Military.com.

The pay ranges from $500 to $5,000 depending on location and how many dependents an airman or Guardian has. Though the program is effective as of April 1, the first pay date is July 1. If a service member moves to one of the seven locations between April 1 and June 30, they will receive the benefit retroactively, the Air Force said.

"We want to ensure airmen, Guardians and their families have the resources needed to safely live and work in an extreme cold-weather environment," Wagner said in the statement.

Notably, two of the nation's nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile bases are on the list: Malmstrom in Montana and Minot in North Dakota.

The announcement of the payment comes as the service's Cold War-era facilities at ICBM bases are being sanitized and investigated for toxins that could lead to cancer. Military.com has reported that both of those bases found levels of polychlorinated biphenyls -- a known carcinogen -- above the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold of 10 micrograms per 100 square centimeters.

Editor's note: This story was corrected to say Cavalier Space Force Station, Minot Air Force Base and Grand Forks Air Force Base are located in North Dakota.

Related : New Arctic Pay for Troops Was Passed by Congress a Year Ago. But the Pentagon Waved It Off.

Thomas Novelly

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