DSSR · Overseas Allowances

Kuwait City, Kuwait Overseas Allowances (DSSR)

Effective date: July 12, 2026 Last updated: July 12, 2026
COLA (post allowance)
5%
% of spendable income
Hardship differential
15%
% of basic pay
Danger pay
35%
% of basic pay

Historical rate trend

Kuwait City 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 5% 15% 35%
May 31, 2026 5% 15% 35%
May 17, 2026 10% 15% 35%
Apr 5, 2026 5% 15% 35%
Mar 8, 2026 10% 15% 35%
Feb 8, 2026 10% 15% --
Oct 20, 2024 20% 15% --
Oct 8, 2023 10% 15% --
Dec 4, 2022 15% 15% --
Jul 3, 2022 10% 15% --
Oct 10, 2021 10% 10% --
Jun 21, 2020 15% 10% --
Mar 29, 2020 10% 10% --
Sep 3, 2017 15% 10% --
Aug 6, 2017 20% 10% --
Oct 30, 2016 15% 10% --
Oct 16, 2016 20% 10% --
Oct 2, 2016 15% 10% --
Aug 21, 2016 20% 10% --
Jul 10, 2016 15% 10% --
Jun 26, 2016 20% 10% --
May 29, 2016 15% 10% --
May 1, 2016 20% 10% --
Apr 17, 2016 15% 10% --
Feb 21, 2016 20% 10% --
Sep 20, 2015 15% 10% --
Sep 6, 2015 20% 10% --
Jul 12, 2015 15% 10% --
Jun 28, 2015 20% 10% --
May 31, 2015 15% 10% --
May 17, 2015 20% 10% --
May 3, 2015 15% 10% --
Mar 8, 2015 20% 10% --
Nov 16, 2014 10% 10% --
Jan 12, 2014 15% 10% --
Page of · 35 rows

How this rate is used

These three DSSR allowances compensate U.S. government civilian employees assigned to Kuwait City. 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/KW"
Sample response
{
  "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
  "results": [
    {
      "cola": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 5
      },
      "danger_pay": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 35
      },
      "hardship": {
        "effective_date": "2026-07-12",
        "rate": 15
      },
      "iso_code": "KW",
      "location": "Kuwait City",
      "postcode": "10348"
    }
  ],
  "verification_url": "https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184\u0026menu_id=78"
}

Kuwait City rate FAQ

What overseas allowances apply to Kuwait City, Kuwait?

As of Jul 12, 2026, the DSSR allowances for Kuwait City, Kuwait are: COLA (post allowance) 5%, hardship differential 15%, 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 Kuwait City?

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 Kuwait City allowances changed over time?

The chart and table above show every change in COLA, hardship and danger pay for Kuwait City back to Jan 12, 2014, 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.