Cotonou rate history — Allowance rate (%). Query any past effective date directly via the API.
| Effective date | COLA (post allowance) | Hardship differential | Danger pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2026 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Jun 15, 2025 | 25% | 30% | 0% |
| Jun 1, 2025 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| May 4, 2025 | 25% | 30% | 0% |
| Mar 23, 2025 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Dec 1, 2024 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Jul 28, 2024 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Jul 14, 2024 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| May 19, 2024 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| May 5, 2024 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Dec 3, 2023 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 8, 2023 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Sep 10, 2023 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Aug 13, 2023 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Jul 30, 2023 | 25% | 30% | 0% |
| Jul 16, 2023 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Jun 18, 2023 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Apr 9, 2023 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Feb 26, 2023 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Jan 29, 2023 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Dec 4, 2022 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 23, 2022 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Jul 17, 2022 | 5% | 30% | 0% |
| Apr 24, 2022 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Apr 10, 2022 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Mar 13, 2022 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 10, 2021 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Jun 20, 2021 | 5% | 30% | 0% |
| May 23, 2021 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 11, 2020 | 5% | 30% | 0% |
| Aug 2, 2020 | 20% | 30% | 0% |
| Jun 7, 2020 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Apr 26, 2020 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Mar 15, 2020 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Mar 1, 2020 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 27, 2019 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Oct 13, 2019 | 10% | 30% | 0% |
| Sep 29, 2019 | 15% | 30% | 0% |
| Sep 15, 2019 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Sep 1, 2019 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Nov 11, 2018 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Jul 22, 2018 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Jun 10, 2018 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| May 13, 2018 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Feb 4, 2018 | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 7, 2018 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Dec 24, 2017 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Oct 15, 2017 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Oct 1, 2017 | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Aug 6, 2017 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| May 28, 2017 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 22, 2017 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 8, 2017 | 5% | 25% | 0% |
| Oct 30, 2016 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Apr 3, 2016 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Mar 20, 2016 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Feb 21, 2016 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Nov 15, 2015 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Aug 9, 2015 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Jul 26, 2015 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| May 17, 2015 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Mar 22, 2015 | 10% | 25% | 0% |
| Feb 8, 2015 | 15% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2015 | 20% | 25% | 0% |
| Nov 16, 2014 | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Sep 21, 2014 | 30% | 25% | 0% |
| Jun 1, 2014 | 35% | 25% | 0% |
| Mar 9, 2014 | 42% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 26, 2014 | 35% | 25% | 0% |
| Jan 12, 2014 | 42% | 20% | 0% |
The same location's rates under other U.S. travel-rate systems:
These three DSSR allowances compensate U.S. government civilian employees assigned to Cotonou. The post (cost-of-living) allowance offsets higher overseas costs of goods and services; the hardship differential pays for service where conditions are notably more difficult than in the continental U.S.; and danger pay applies during periods of civil insurrection, terrorism or war. COLA is a percentage of spendable income, while hardship and danger pay are percentages of basic pay -- mobility, HR and payroll teams combine them to compute total overseas compensation.
The exact request that returns this page's data. Change the
date parameter to query any historical effective
date, or pull it straight into your ERP, payroll, or expense system.
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \ "https://api.allowancesapi.com/v1/dssr/allowances/BJ"{
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"results": [
{
"cola": {
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"rate": 20
},
"danger_pay": {
"effective_date": null,
"rate": null
},
"hardship": {
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"rate": 30
},
"iso_code": "BJ",
"location": "Cotonou",
"postcode": "10386"
}
],
"verification_url": "https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184\u0026menu_id=78"
}As of Jul 12, 2026, the DSSR allowances for Cotonou, Benin are: COLA (post allowance) 20%, hardship differential 30%, and danger pay 0%. Each is shown with its full history in the chart and table above.
COLA (the post allowance) offsets higher local costs of goods and services and is a percentage of spendable income. The hardship differential compensates for difficult living conditions, and danger pay for civil unrest, terrorism or war conditions -- both are percentages of basic pay.
The chart and table above show every change in COLA, hardship and danger pay for Cotonou back to Jan 12, 2014, and each is queryable by effective date via the API.
Allowances API is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any U.S. Government agency. All rate data is sourced from official public rate tables and re-published in a normalized format.