Hardship Duty Pay - Location, or HDP-L is additional compensation paid to service members during assignment in land areas outside the continental United States where living conditions are substantially below the standard compared to the continental United States. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy designates the locations that qualify for HDP-L using assessment process from the survey submitted by the location commander via their Regional Commander.
Hardship Duty Pay is taxable, unless the member is assigned to a designated tax-exempt combat zone. In addition to Hardship Duty Pay, members permanently assigned (PCS) overseas may be entitled to Overseas COLA. Members on temporary duty overseas, may be entitled to Overseas Per Diem.
The below chart shows the monthly Hardship Duty Pay amount in effect for Iraq for calendar year 2008. In order to be eligible for this pay, the military member must be permanently assigned (PCS) to Iraq, or TDY (temporary duty)/deployed/attached to Iraq for a period of of over 30 days duration.
2008 Hardship Duty Pay for Iraq
| Area | Monthly Amount |
| All Areas | $100 |
