DSSR · Overseas Allowances

Pyongyang, Dem. People's Republic of Korea Overseas Allowances (DSSR)

Effective date: July 12, 2026 Last updated: July 12, 2026
COLA (post allowance)
0%
% of spendable income
Hardship differential
0%
% of basic pay
Danger pay
35%
% of basic pay

Historical rate trend

Pyongyang 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 0% 0% 35%
Aug 5, 2018 0% 0% 35%

How this rate is used

These three DSSR allowances compensate U.S. government civilian employees assigned to Pyongyang. 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.

Get this data from the API

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/KP"
Sample response
{
  "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
  "results": [
    {
      "cola": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 0
      },
      "danger_pay": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 35
      },
      "hardship": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 0
      },
      "iso_code": "KP",
      "location": "Pyongyang",
      "postcode": "11730"
    }
  ],
  "verification_url": "https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184\u0026menu_id=78"
}

Pyongyang rate FAQ

What overseas allowances apply to Pyongyang, Dem. People's Republic of Korea?

As of Jul 12, 2026, the DSSR allowances for Pyongyang, Dem. People's Republic of Korea are: COLA (post allowance) 0%, hardship differential 0%, and danger pay 35%. Each is shown with its full history in the chart and table above.

What is the difference between COLA, hardship and danger pay for Pyongyang?

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.

How have the Pyongyang allowances changed over time?

The chart and table above show every change in COLA, hardship and danger pay for Pyongyang back to Aug 5, 2018, and each is queryable by effective date via the API.

Source & methodology

Effective period
Effective Jul 12, 2026
Last updated
July 12, 2026

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.