US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

37 U.S.C. § 307

Special pay: special duty assignment pay for enlisted members

(a)
An enlisted member who is entitled to basic pay and is performing duties which have been designated under subsection (b) as extremely difficult or as involving an unusual degree of responsibility in a military skill may, in addition to other pay or allowances to which he is entitled, be paid special duty assignment pay at a monthly rate not to exceed $600.
(b)
The Secretary concerned shall determine which enlisted members under his jurisdiction are to be paid special duty assignment pay under subsection (a). He shall also designate those skills within each armed force under his jurisdiction for which special duty assignment pay is authorized and shall prescribe the criteria under which members of that armed force are eligible for special duty assignment pay in each skill. He may increase, decrease, or abolish such pay for any skill.
(c)
This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy.
(d)
(1)
section 206 of this title130 Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when an enlisted member of the National Guard or a reserve component of a uniformed service who is entitled to compensation under performs duty for which a member described in subsection (a) is entitled to special pay under such subsection, the member of the National Guard or reserve component is entitled to an increase in compensation equal to ⁄ of the monthly special duty assignment pay prescribed by the Secretary concerned for the performance of that same duty by members described in subsection (a).
(2)
A member of the National Guard or a reserve component entitled to an increase in compensation under paragraph (1) is entitled to the increase—
(A)
for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which the member is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday; or
(B)
section 206(a) of this title for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe under .
(3)
section 204 of this title This subsection does not apply to a member of the National Guard or a reserve component who is entitled to basic pay under .

Pub. L. 87–64976 Stat. 467Pub. L. 90–623, § 3(1)82 Stat. 1314Pub. L. 98–525, title VI, § 623(b)(1)98 Stat. 2541Pub. L. 102–25, title VII, § 702(b)(1)105 Stat. 117Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title VI, § 619(a)110 Stat. 363Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A]114 Stat. 1654Pub. L. 107–296, title XVII, § 1704(c)116 Stat. 2314(, , ; , , ; , , ; , (c), , ; , , ; , title VI, §§ 631, 632(a)], , , 1654A–156; , , .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised section

Source (U.S. Code)

Source (Statutes at Large)

307(a)

307(b)

307(c)

307(d)

37:240(a).

37:240(b).

37:240(c).

37:240(d).

Oct. 12, 1949, ch. 681, § 209; added May 20, 1958, Pub. L. 85–422, § 1(8), 72 Stat. 125.

section 232(a) of this titleIn subsection (a)(1), the words “prescribed in ” and “in accordance with his cumulative years of service for pay purposes” are omitted as surplusage and as covered by sections 201, 202, and 203 of this revised title.

In subsection (a)(2), the words “special or incentive pays” are omitted as surplusage.

In subsections (a)(1) and (b), the word “allowances” is omitted, since, under sections 402 and 403 of this revised title, allowances depend upon pay grade to which assigned, or in which distributed for basic pay purposes.

section 205 of this titleIn subsection (b), the words “computed under ” are substituted for the words “cumulative . . . for pay purposes”.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 107–2962002—Subsec. (c). substituted “of Homeland Security” for “of Transportation”.

Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A]2000—Subsec. (a). , title VI, § 631], substituted “$600” for “$275” and struck out at end “In the case of a member who is serving as a military recruiter and is eligible for special duty assignment pay under this subsection on account of such duty, the Secretary concerned may increase the monthly rate of special duty assignment pay for the member to not more than $375.”

Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A]Subsec. (d). , title VI, § 632(a)], added subsec. (d).

Pub. L. 104–1061996—Subsec. (a). inserted at end “In the case of a member who is serving as a military recruiter and is eligible for special duty assignment pay under this subsection on account of such duty, the Secretary concerned may increase the monthly rate of special duty assignment pay for the member to not more than $375.”

Pub. L. 102–251991—Subsec. (a). struck out “of this section” after “subsection (b)”.

Pub. L. 102–25Subsec. (b). struck out “of this section” after “subsection (a)”.

Pub. L. 98–5251984— substituted “special duty assignment pay for enlisted members” for “proficiency pay for enlisted members” in section catchline.

Pub. L. 98–525Subsec. (a). substituted provisions directing that an enlisted member who is entitled to basic pay and is performing duties which have been designated under subsection (b) of this section as extremely difficult or as involving an unusual degree of responsibility in a military skill may, in addition to other pay or allowances to which he is entitled, be paid special duty assignment pay at a monthly rate not to exceed $275, for provisions which directed that an enlisted member of a uniformed service who was entitled to basic pay and was designated as being specially proficient in a military skill of the uniformed service concerned could (1) be advanced to an enlisted pay grade that was higher than his pay grade at the time of his designation and be entitled to the basic pay and special or incentive pay of that higher grade, or (2) in addition to other pay or allowances to which he was entitled under this title, be paid proficiency pay at a monthly rate that was not more than the rate prescribed in a table for the proficiency rating to which he was assigned, setting maximum monthly rates of $50, $100, or $150.

Pub. L. 98–525section 205 of this titleSubsec. (b). redesignated subsec. (c) as (b), substituted references to special duty assignment pay for former references to proficiency pay, and struck out provisions which had authorized the Secretary to elect one of two methods formerly set out in subsecs. (a)(1) and (a)(2) for paying each uniformed service under his jurisdiction, with a proviso that if he elected to have proficiency pay paid under former subsec. (a)(1) of this section, enlisted members in a military grade or rank assigned to pay grade E–8 or E–9 could be paid proficiency pay at a monthly rate that is not more than the highest rate prescribed by subsection (a)(2) of this section, but if he elected to have proficiency pay paid under subsection (a)(2) of this section, he could prescribe, within the limitations set forth in that subsection, the pay for each proficiency rating prescribed therein. Former subsec. (b), which had provided that an enlisted member who had less than 8 or 10 years, as the case might be, of enlisted service computed under and who had been advanced under subsection (a)(1) of this section to pay grade E–8 or E–9, respectively, was entitled to the minimum amount of basic pay and special or incentive pay prescribed for that pay grade until his years of service computed under that section entitled him to a higher rate of those pays, was struck out.

Pub. L. 98–525Subsecs. (c), (d). redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and substituted “armed forces under his jurisdiction” for “uniformed services under his jurisdiction”. Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b) and amended.

Pub. L. 90–6231968—Subsec. (d). substituted “Secretary of Transportation” for “Secretary of the Treasury”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Pub. L. 107–296section 1704(g) of Pub. L. 107–296section 101 of Title 10Amendment by effective on the date of transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, see , set out as a note under , Armed Forces.

Effective Date of 2000 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A]114 Stat. 1654

“The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect .”
, title VI, § 632(b)], , , 1654A–157, provided that:

Effective Date of 1996 Amendment

Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title VI, § 619(b)110 Stat. 363

“The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on .”
, , , provided that:

Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

Pub. L. 98–525section 623(c) of Pub. L. 98–525section 305a of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1968 Amendment

Pub. L. 90–623section 6 of Pub. L. 90–623section 5334 of Title 5Amendment by intended to restate without substantive change the law in effect on see , set out as a note under , Government Organization and Employees.

Members Entitled to Special Pay as of September 30, 1984

Pub. L. 98–525, title VI, § 623(b)(3)98 Stat. 2542

section 307 of title 37“A member of the uniformed services who, on , was entitled to special pay under , United States Code [this section], as in effect on such date, may continue to be paid the special pay authorized by such section as though the amendments made by this subsection [amending this section] had not been made. However, a member may not be paid the special pay authorized by such section as in effect on , and the special pay authorized by such section as amended by this section.”
, , , provided that: