Airmen and Guardians may be entitled to Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) when serving on official duty in an area designated by the Department of Defense as eligible for Imminent Danger Pay. The same entitlement amount is also received by meeting different eligibility requirements that qualify a service member for Hostile Fire Pay (HFP). This entitlement is usually listed together as Hostile Fire Pay/Imminent Danger Pay. A service member can receive Imminent Danger Pay or Hostile Fire Pay but not both. 

An Airman or Guardian is eligible for Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) for any month when the service member was entitled to basic pay for active duty or compensation for inactive duty and the service member is on official duty in a designated Imminent Danger Pay area as listed in Department of Defense (DoD) Financial Management Regulation (FMR) Volume 7A, Chapter 10, Figure 10-1.

Service members may receive either Imminent Danger Pay or Hostile Fire Pay (HFP), but not both. If not on official duty in a designated Imminent Danger Pay area, the appropriate commander must certify the service member's eligibility for Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) under the following conditions:

• Subjected to hostile fire or explosion of a hostile mine, or 

• On duty in an area in close proximity to a hostile fire incident and the member is in danger of being exposed to the same dangers actually experienced by other service members subjected to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines, or

• Killed, injured, or wounded by hostile fire, explosion of a hostile mine, or any other hostile action.

Prior to December 31, 2011, members eligible for Imminent Danger Pay were paid the full monthly rate of $225 for any complete or partial month they served in a qualifying area. The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act modified Imminent Danger Pay payments, limiting eligibility to only the actual days served in a qualifying area. Now service members will receive $7.50 for each day they are on official duty in an Imminent Danger Pay area up to the maximum monthly rate of $225. The monthly rate is paid to members who serve an entire calendar month in an Imminent Danger Pay area regardless of the number of individual days in that month. 

Members who are exposed to a hostile fire or hostile mine explosion event are eligible to receive non-prorated Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) in the full monthly amount of $225. Members cannot receive both Imminent Danger Pay and Hostile Fire Pay in the same month.

Reading your Leave & Earnings Statement (LES)

If you serve an entire calendar month in a designated Imminent Danger Pay area, your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) will reflect the maximum monthly amount of $225. If you are in the area less than a month, your LES will reflect payment for only the period you were eligible for Imminent Danger Pay. It is important that you review your LES to make sure you have received the correct entitlement.

Instances where a service member is not considered to be on official duty in a designated Imminent Danger Pay area and would not be eligible to receive Imminent Danger Pay include the following:

• In the Imminent Danger Pay area while on leave from a duty station outside the Imminent Danger Pay area; or

• Traveling through the Imminent Danger Pay area (by any means of transportation) in order to travel between two points that are both outside the Imminent Danger Pay; or

• In the Imminent Danger Pay area for personal convenience

Special situations may affect a service member's eligibility for HFP/IDP:

• Service member Captured or Missing: When a service member is entitled to HFP/IDP immediately before being designated the status of missing, missing-in-action, interned in a foreign country or captured by a hostile force, the HFP/IDP will continue to be paid for as long as the status applies

• Service member Hospitalized Outside the Theater of Combat Operation or Combat Zone: Service members entitled to HFP/IDP who in the line of duty incurs a wound, injury or illness while serving in a combat operation or a combat zone; while serving in a hostile fire area; or while exposed to a hostile fire event (regardless of location), and who is hospitalized for the treatment of such a wound, injury, or illness, may continue to receive HFP and/or IDP.  Members may be paid HFP and/or IDP for up to 12 months from the date of hospitalization under the Pay and Allowance Continuation (PAC) Program.

  Service member Absent from the Designated Area: A service member assigned to a designated Imminent Danger Pay area, and therefore entitled to HFP/IDP, that is absent from the designated area for an entire calendar month is not eligible for HFP/IDP for that month.

Imminent Danger Pay webpage maintained by the Department of Defense:
https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Special-and-Incentive-Pays/HFP_IDP/

Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay:
https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/specialpay/hfp_idp/

Volume 7A: “Military Policy – Active Duty and Reserve Pay”
https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/Volume_07a.pdf

Wounded Warrior Pay section of the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) website:
https://www.dfas.mil/MilitaryMembers/woundedwarrior/woundedwarriorpay/

DoD Instruction 1340.09: Hazard Pay (HzP) Program:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/134009p.PDF