Post Allowance (PA)
Post Allowance is paid to compensate in part for the
higher price of many goods and services in overseas
areas. It is based on the employee’s salary, work
schedule, number of dependents, and the employee's duty
station location. Changes in exchange rates also raise
or lower the post allowance since exchange rates affect
the cost of goods and services bought on the economy.
Post allowance is not taxable.
The payment of post allowance is governed by the
• Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR)
• Department of Defense Regulation 1400.25-M, Subchapter 1250
To be eligible for post allowance an employee must be
a U.S. Citizen officially assigned at a foreign post and
employed on a full time basis. Part-time, intermittent,
and family member summer hire employees are not eligible.
Eligible employees must submit a Foreign Allowances
Application Grant and Report, SF 1190, to claim Post
Allowance. The amount to be paid will be primarily based
upon the data contained on the SF 1190.
The post allowance rates are set by the Department of
State and are periodically adjusted to reflect changes
in the economic conditions of the foreign post.
Revisions to the rates made by the Department of State
are automatically processed by the DFAS. There are
however, other factors which effect the total amount of
post allowance entitlement and require submission of a
new SF 1190 to report the change. These include:
• Change in number of family members by:
◊ marriage or divorce
◊ birth or death of a family member(s)
◊ arrival or permanent departure of
family member(s) (Note: When the child returns
to post for a period in excess of 14 days the marriage or
divorce birth or death of a family member(s) allowance may
again be restored)
◊ departure of employee and/or family member(s)
on leave orders (i.e. Renewal Travel Orders)
◊ temporary absences of 31 days or
more from post of employee and/or family member(s)
◊ family member(s) other than
spouse reaching age 21 (to include full time students)
◊ family member(s) no longer
residing with the sponsor
• Family member(s) started or stopped receiving
post allowance or cost of living allowance (COLA) in
their own right as a result of employment with the
U.S. Government
• Change in post of assignment
• Receipt of Temporary Quarters Subsistence
Allowance (TQSA) (post allowance requires termination
in this case)
• Change in command sponsor sponsorship
• Change in employment status from part-time or
intermittent to a full time employee
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