Seoul 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 | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| May 31, 2026 | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 19, 2026 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 5, 2026 | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 11, 2026 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 28, 2025 | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Oct 19, 2025 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| May 18, 2025 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 15, 2024 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Oct 20, 2024 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Sep 8, 2024 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 21, 2024 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Sep 24, 2023 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Sep 10, 2023 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 27, 2023 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 13, 2023 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 30, 2023 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Jun 4, 2023 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| May 7, 2023 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Feb 26, 2023 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 29, 2023 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 18, 2022 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 20, 2022 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Sep 25, 2022 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 31, 2022 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| May 8, 2022 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 13, 2022 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Feb 27, 2022 | 42% | 0% | 0% |
| Feb 13, 2022 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Oct 10, 2021 | 42% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 29, 2021 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 15, 2021 | 42% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 1, 2021 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 31, 2021 | 42% | 0% | 0% |
| Oct 11, 2020 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Jun 21, 2020 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Jun 7, 2020 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 26, 2020 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 29, 2020 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 21, 2019 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 7, 2019 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| May 12, 2019 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 8, 2018 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Feb 18, 2018 | 35% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 7, 2018 | 30% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 6, 2017 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 23, 2017 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 2, 2017 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 19, 2017 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 5, 2017 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 27, 2016 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 24, 2016 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| May 15, 2016 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| May 1, 2016 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 20, 2016 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 6, 2016 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 29, 2015 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 1, 2015 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Aug 9, 2015 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| May 17, 2015 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 5, 2015 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Mar 22, 2015 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 28, 2014 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 30, 2014 | 15% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 27, 2014 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 13, 2014 | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| Jun 1, 2014 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| May 4, 2014 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Apr 20, 2014 | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 12, 2014 | 15% | 0% | 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 Seoul. 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/KR"{
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"results": [
{
"cola": {
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"rate": 10
},
"danger_pay": {
"effective_date": null,
"rate": null
},
"hardship": {
"effective_date": "2026-07-12",
"rate": 0
},
"iso_code": "KR",
"location": "Seoul",
"postcode": "10283"
}
],
"verification_url": "https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184\u0026menu_id=78"
}As of Jul 12, 2026, the DSSR allowances for Seoul, Korea, South are: COLA (post allowance) 10%, hardship differential 0%, 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 Seoul 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.