Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed ServicesRelease 119-110
§314 Special Pay or Bonus: Qualified Members Extending Duty at Designated Locations Overseas
Title 37 › CHAPTER 5 — SPECIAL AND INCENTIVE PAYS › SUBCHAPTER I — EXISTING SPECIAL PAY, INCENTIVE PAY, AND BONUS AUTHORITIES › § 314
Summary
Allows certain service members who extend an overseas tour by at least one year to get extra pay. To qualify, a member must be on basic pay, have a specialty the service Secretary has picked, have finished a tour at a Secretary-designated location outside the continental U.S., and sign an agreement to extend the tour for at least one year. When the Secretary accepts the signed extension, the member will get either up to $80 extra per month or up to $2,000 per year as a bonus. The Secretary decides which form and must tell the member when accepting the agreement. The pay rate is fixed for the extended tour. A yearly bonus must be repaid if the member quits the agreed tour during that year. If the member takes certain rest-and-recovery benefits instead, they cannot get the monthly extra pay for that same period.
Full Legal Text
Title 37, §314
Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Covered Members.—
This section applies with respect to a member of an armed force who—
(1)is entitled to basic pay;
(2)has a specialty that is designated by the Secretary concerned for the purposes of this section;
(3)has completed a tour of duty (as defined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned) at a location outside the continental United States that is designated by the Secretary concerned for the purposes of this section; and
(4)at the end of that tour of duty executes an agreement to extend that tour for a period of not less than one year.
(b)Special Pay or Bonus Authorized.—
Upon the acceptance by the Secretary concerned of the agreement providing for an extension of the tour of duty of a member described in subsection (a), the member is entitled, at the election of the Secretary concerned, to either—
(1)special pay in monthly installments in an amount prescribed by the Secretary, but not to exceed $80 per month; or
(2)an annual bonus in an amount prescribed by the Secretary, but not to exceed $2,000 per year.
(c)Selection and Payment of Special Pay or Bonus.—
Not later than the date on which the Secretary concerned accepts an agreement described in subsection (a)(4) providing for the extension of a member’s tour of duty, the Secretary concerned shall notify the member regarding whether the member will receive special pay or a bonus under this section. The payment rate for the special pay or bonus shall be fixed at the time of the agreement and may not be changed during the period of the extended tour of duty. The Secretary concerned may pay a bonus under this section either in a lump sum or installments.
(d)Repayment.—
A member who, having entered into a written agreement to extend a tour of duty for a period under subsection (a), receives a bonus payment under subsection (b)(2) for a 12-month period covered by the agreement and ceases during that 12-month period to perform the agreed tour of duty shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.
(e)Effect of Rest and Recuperative Absence.—
A member who elects to receive one of the benefits specified in section 705(b) of title 10 as part of the extension of a tour of duty is not entitled to the special pay authorized by subsection (b)(1) for the period of the extension of duty for which the benefit under such section is provided.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998, referred to in subsec. (d)(4), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 105–85, which was approved Nov. 18, 1997.
Amendments
2006—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–163 amended heading and text of subsec. (d) generally, substituting provisions referring to repayment provisions of section 303a(e) for specific provisions relating to refunds required when member receives bonus payment but fails to complete agreed upon extended tour of duty. 2003—Pub. L. 108–136, § 621(a)(2)(A), substituted “qualified members” for “qualified enlisted members” in section catchline. Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 108–136, § 621(a)(1), substituted “a member” for “an enlisted member” in introductory provisions. 2002—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 107–314 substituted “the continental United States” for “the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia”. 1997—Pub. L. 105–85 amended section catchline and text generally. Prior to amendment, section consisted of subsecs. (a) and (b) relating to special pay for qualified enlisted members extending duty at designated locations overseas. 1985—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–145 substituted “$80” for “$50” in provision following par. (4).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1997 Amendment Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title VI, § 625(b), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1795, provided that: “Section 314 of title 37, United States Code, as amended by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to an agreement to extend a tour of duty as provided in such section executed on or after October 1, 1997.”
Effective Date
of 1985 Amendment Pub. L. 99–145, title VI, § 641(b), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 652, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on October 1, 1985.”
Effective Date
Pub. L. 96–579, § 5(c)(1), Dec. 23, 1980, 94 Stat. 3367, provided: “Section 314 of title 37, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on the first day of the first month following the month in which this section is enacted [Dec. 1980] and shall apply to periods of extended duty overseas beginning before, on, or after such date, but no payment may be made under such section for any month before the first day of the first month following the month in which this section is enacted.”
Savings Provision
For
Savings Provision
relating to payment or repayment of any bonus, incentive pay, special pay, or similar pay obligated to be paid before Apr. 1, 2006, under a provision of this section amended by section 687(b) of Pub. L. 109–163, see section 687(f) of Pub. L. 109–163, set out as a note under section 510 of Title 10, Armed Forces.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
37 U.S.C. § 314
Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110