DSSR · Overseas Allowances

Bucharest, Romania Overseas Allowances (DSSR)

Effective date: July 12, 2026 Last updated: July 12, 2026
COLA (post allowance)
10%
% of spendable income
Hardship differential
5%
% of basic pay
Danger pay
0%
% of basic pay

Historical rate trend

Bucharest 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% 5% 0%
May 17, 2026 10% 5% 0%
May 3, 2026 15% 5% 0%
Mar 22, 2026 10% 5% 0%
Feb 8, 2026 15% 5% 0%
Jun 1, 2025 10% 5% 0%
May 18, 2025 5% 5% 0%
May 4, 2025 10% 5% 0%
Mar 23, 2025 5% 5% 0%
Dec 29, 2024 0% 5% 0%
Aug 25, 2024 5% 5% 0%
Aug 11, 2024 0% 5% 0%
Jul 28, 2024 5% 5% 0%
Jun 30, 2024 0% 5% 0%
Jun 2, 2024 5% 5% 0%
Apr 7, 2024 0% 5% 0%
Mar 10, 2024 5% 5% 0%
Feb 11, 2024 0% 5% 0%
Dec 31, 2023 5% 5% 0%
Dec 17, 2023 0% 5% 0%
Dec 3, 2023 5% 5% 0%
Jan 29, 2023 0% 5% 0%
May 23, 2021 0% 0% 0%
Oct 14, 2018 0% 5% 0%
Sep 30, 2018 5% 5% 0%
Aug 19, 2018 0% 5% 0%
Jul 22, 2018 5% 5% 0%
Jul 8, 2018 0% 5% 0%
Jun 24, 2018 5% 5% 0%
Jun 10, 2018 0% 5% 0%
Apr 1, 2018 5% 5% 0%
Mar 18, 2018 10% 5% 0%
Aug 6, 2017 5% 5% 0%
Oct 30, 2016 0% 5% 0%
Oct 16, 2016 5% 5% 0%
Oct 2, 2016 0% 5% 0%
Sep 4, 2016 5% 5% 0%
May 29, 2016 0% 5% 0%
Apr 17, 2016 5% 5% 0%
Mar 6, 2016 0% 5% 0%
Feb 21, 2016 5% 5% 0%
Nov 15, 2015 0% 5% 0%
Aug 23, 2015 5% 5% 0%
Jul 12, 2015 0% 5% 0%
May 17, 2015 5% 5% 0%
Mar 22, 2015 0% 5% 0%
Jan 25, 2015 5% 5% 0%
Dec 14, 2014 10% 10% 0%
Sep 21, 2014 15% 10% 0%
Jun 1, 2014 20% 10% 0%
May 18, 2014 25% 10% 0%
Jan 12, 2014 20% 10% 0%
Page of · 52 rows

How this rate is used

These three DSSR allowances compensate U.S. government civilian employees assigned to Bucharest. 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/RO"
Sample response
{
  "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": 5
      },
      "iso_code": "RO",
      "location": "Bucharest",
      "postcode": "10194"
    }
  ],
  "verification_url": "https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184\u0026menu_id=78"
}

Bucharest rate FAQ

What overseas allowances apply to Bucharest, Romania?

As of Jul 12, 2026, the DSSR allowances for Bucharest, Romania are: COLA (post allowance) 10%, hardship differential 5%, and danger pay 0%. Each is shown with its full history in the chart and table above.

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

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 Bucharest allowances changed over time?

The chart and table above show every change in COLA, hardship and danger pay for Bucharest 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.