applied rules flying around.
Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (HDIP)
HDIP covers a range of duty types: parachute duty, flight deck duty, demolitions, experimental stress duty, and others. Parachute duty pays $150-$225/month depending on the frequency of jumps required, flight deck duty pays $150/month, demolitions duty pays $150/month.
These pays are not automatic — your unit has to initiate the certification for each type. Service members who qualify but whose units haven’t submitted the paperwork don’t get paid. That’s what makes this category endearing to anyone who has finally gotten the paperwork processed and seen the retroactive pay appear on their LES — the money was always owed. If you’re performing hazardous duty and not receiving HDIP, ask your S1 about the certification process.
Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP)
ACIP is the monthly incentive pay for rated aviators and career enlisted fliers. Rates are tiered by years of aviation service: relatively modest in the early career years, peak between roughly 14-22 years, then decrease. For pilots at the highest tiers, ACIP runs $840/month. The pay is designed to incentivize retention through the career window where commercial aviation becomes an increasingly competitive alternative.
Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP)
SDAP is paid to enlisted service members performing specific high-demand assignments: drill instructors, recruiters, combat training positions, and special operations support roles. The amount varies by position, ranging from $75 to $600/month. SDAP is assigned to the billet, not the individual — you receive it because you’re in a designated SDAP position, and it stops when you leave that position.
Hostile Fire / Imminent Danger Pay
HFP/IDP pays $225/month to service members serving in designated combat areas or areas of imminent danger. One important rule: you receive the full monthly amount regardless of how many days in the month you were in the designated area. One day in an IDP zone in a given month earns the full $225 for that month. I’m apparently someone who didn’t know this until it showed up on an LES and I had to look up why the amount was the same for a 29-day deployment month as it was for a full month.
Combat Zone Tax Exclusion
For enlisted members, the full exclusion applies. For officers, the cap is the monthly pay of the highest-ranking enlisted member. Verify that your LES reflects the correct tax status during and after deployments — the exclusion doesn’t always apply automatically without correct coding.
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