If a member takes leave outside the foreign duty area for more than 30 days, when will hardship duty pay automatically stop?

Hardship Duty Pay is designed to compensate service members for the challenges associated with certain duty locations when they are on assignment in locations deemed to be hardship areas. When a member takes leave outside the foreign duty area, the guidelines specify that their entitlement to this additional pay is contingent upon their duration of leave.

In this case, if a member takes leave for more than 30 days, the entitlement to hardship duty pay automatically ceases on the 31st day of leave. This framework is set to ensure that the pay is aligned with the continuous hardship of duty locations. By the 31st day, the conditions that warrant the hardship pay are no longer applicable because the service member is no longer serving at their designated duty station but is instead away from that particular environment. Therefore, the cutoff for the hardship duty pay is clearly defined to maintain the integrity of the compensation practice within the military structure.

Understanding this mechanism is crucial for service members to manage their expectations regarding pay when planning extended leave outside the hardship areas.