Assignment Incentive Pay_Step

Q: What is AIP and why are we implementing AIP in Korea?

A: AIP is an incentive program designed to promote stability, predictability, and improved readiness in Korea while reducing personnel turbulence Army-wide. One third of the Army’s personnel turbulence is due to movements in and out of Korea.

Q: Who is eligible for AIP?

A: All Soldiers (Officers and Enlisted) are eligible for AIP. Soldiers must be in good standing (not flagged for misconduct reasons), regardless of rank. Soldiers without operational deployment to OIF/OEF since 2001 are limited to one (1) 12 month extension.

Q: What is considered an ETP AIP?

A: AIP requests are considered ETP if the soldier is within 120 days of DEROS, the soldier is on assignment instructions (AI), the request puts the soldier over 4 consecutive years in Korea, or the soldier is without an operational deployment to OIF/OEF since September 2001 and is requesting to extend beyond 12 months from their original DEROS.

Q: What is the eligibility window for AIP.

A: You are eligible to request AIP from the date of arrival in Korea through one hundred twenty (120) days prior to your DEROS or until you receive Assignment Instructions for your next assignment.

Q: When does my AIP tour start and end?

A: AIP changes the length of your tour. An AIP tour starts upon your signature with the ending date determined by the program you selected: 12 month extension. You determine the end date by adding 12 months to your original DEROS.

Q: If I volunteer to participate in AIP, will I be able to remain in my current unit of assignment or will I be subject to relocation based on the needs in the theater?

A: Everyone who volunteers to participate in AIP will be guaranteed the additional 12 months in Korea, but may be reassigned in accordance with the needs in the theater. Relocation of Soldiers with command sponsored or Joint Domicile family members would be extremely limited and dependant upon the ability of the community to support.

Q: Can anyone in my chain of command disapprove my AIP request?

A: Your chain of command will be involved in the approval process and will have the ability to disapprove your request should circumstances warrant. You are required to present the DA Form 4187 contract to your S1 who will interface with your chain of command.

Q: If I elect to participate in AIP, exactly how do I request to participate in the program?

A: Request for AIP starts by logging on to the Soldier Management System (SMS) website at https://sms.korea.army.mil/ with your AKO login User ID and password. Click on the AIP link, view the pre-populated DA Form 4187 and accept or decline the terms and agreements by clicking on either the accept or decline button. You then print the DA Form 4187, sign it, and present it to your battalion S1 for processing. Contact your BN/BTB S1 for further assistance.

Q: What incentives am I entitled to under AIP program?

A: Soldiers arriving in Korea will be offered the opportunity to extend their current tour for an additional 12 months.
* 12 month extension: Soldiers extending their original tour by 12 months will receive $300.00 a month from the date of signature of their contract to completion of the extended tour.

Q: Is AIP tax-free?

A: No. However, Soldiers may elect to put it directly into the Thrift Savings Program(TSP), which is tax-deferred. In order to deposit any pay to TSP, you must first elect to contribute a portion of your basic pay and you may also contribute incentive pay, special pay, or Save pay(Korea). All of these elections may be made only during open season - on line or through your local finance office.

Q: I have previously approved 24-month AIP, but will not begin the AIP tour until June; how does this new AIP program affect me?

A: A previously existing approved 24-month AIP will automatically be recharacterized under the new program and payment will begin upon implementation of the program (February).

Q: If I participate in AIP am I also eligible to obtain OTEIP or IPCOT benefits in conjunction with this extension?

A: No, you may not receive AIP at the same time you receive other tour entitlements. There are no exceptions.

Q: If I am currently serving on a Korea TSRB, OTEIP, or IPCOT tour, can I request AIP?

A: Yes. However, AIP payments will not begin until completion of the Korea TSRB, OTEIP, or IPCOT tour. Soldiers cannot receive benefits simultaneously for the same tour of service in Korea (no double-dipping).

Q: If I accept AIP, what will happen to my Homebased/Advanced Assignment Program (HAAP)?

A: You will need to re-negotiate your HAAP through your branch at HRC. Soldiers should keep their assignment preferences updated on the Army’s Assignment Satisfaction Key (ASK) web site at the following URL: https://isdrad06.hoffman.army.mil/ask/.

Q: My military spouse and I are not both located here in Korea, but we were promised a Joint Domicile assignment next. How will the Army handle our situation? What should we do?

A: If you elect to participate in AIP, your Joint Domicile request as well as your next assignment location will have to be re-negotiated through your branch at HRC. The Army is committed to preserving JD assignments, and you can seek assistance from the Eighth US Army G1 Theater Army Personnel Services Directorate (724-7916/7914) for help in completing the proper paperwork so that you can work out your follow on assignment with HRC.

Q: If I elect to participate in AIP, what happens to the CONUS or overseas assignment I was guaranteed when I reenlisted?

A: Soldiers must waive their reenlistment commitment prior to participating in the AIP. Contact your unit career counselor.

Q. Can I get Command Sponsorship or Joint Domicile if I sign up for AIP?

A. Yes, however the soldier must process this as a separate action, gain approval for the action from the chain of command and serve a total of 36 months on station for a 12 month AIP just as someone who arrives on station with an approved Command Sponsored or Joint Domicile Tour and elected to serve an AIP tour.

Q: I extended under AIP and need to attend a professional development course. Will I be allowed to attend TDY and return?

A: Soldiers participating in AIP will be afforded every opportunity to participate in professional development opportunities in accordance with mission requirements in Korea or upon completion of your tour.

Q: I’m interested in participating in AIP, but have less than 12 months from current DEROS to ETS. Can I still participate?

A: Yes. You will have to extend or reenlist within 30 days of your application date to meet the AIP Service Remaining Requirement.

Q: I am already on assignment instructions elsewhere. Am I eligible to participate in AIP?

A: No. Once you are placed on Assignment Instructions or are 120 days from DEROS you are no longer eligible to apply for AIP. Exceptions must be supported by the First General Officer (GO) in the chain of command and approved by HRC.

Q. If I am assigned to a unit scheduled to deactivate or re-deploy to CONUS what will happen to my AIP Payments?

A. Every effort will be made to retain soldiers in Korea whose units are scheduled to deactivate so they may continue to draw AIP. Soldiers assigned to units scheduled to re-deploy will continue to draw AIP until the date the soldier arrives to the new CONUS based station.

Q: I live off post. What do I have to do about extending my lease? If my landlord refuses to extend my lease, will the Army move me to another apartment?

A: KORO installation support offices, such as Housing, will do their best to minimize any inconvenience to Soldiers resulting from AIP. Visit your local Housing Office as soon as possible to get help in dealing with your realtor and/or landlord. A copy of the new lease must go to the Finance Office to extend the effective dates of your OHA. The Army will relocate Soldiers whose foreign tours are extended voluntarily only if necessary. If the landlord refuses to extend your lease, the Installation Transportation Office (ITO), in conjunction with your local Housing Division, will relocate you to your new apartment

Q: My family is living on post in CONUS, and the installation housing office there has told them that they must vacate quarters within one month of my original DEROS. Now what do I do?

A: KORO installation support offices, such as Housing, will do their best to minimize any inconvenience to Soldiers resulting from AIP. Contact your local Housing Office immediately for assistance. In most cases, they can help you make sure your family is not forced to relocate.

Q: The transportation office said I would get reimbursed for only 12 months of POV storage, based on the original length of my tour, but now I’ve extended under AIP. What do I do? Will the Army reimburse me for the added expense? What about my non-temporary storage of household goods?

A: KORO installation support offices, such as ITO, will do their best to minimize any inconvenience to Soldiers resulting from AIP. The Army will reimburse the added expense and will extend the period of non-temporary storage of household goods.
If the POV is stored under the worldwide POV storage contract, forward a copy of your AIP documentation to the contract administrator/ITO. If the storage is self-procured, it is for the duration of the overseas tour. Therefore, you must continue to pay the storage fees punctually and retain copies of your payment receipts. Your request for reimbursement must be supported by the letter from the ITO authorizing the self-procured storage, your original PCS orders, AIP documentation, and the payment receipts.
To extend non-temporary storage, your local transportation office can initiate the request supported by the AIP documentation, or you may send a letter (supported by AIP documentation) directly to the ITO administering the NTS, to request the extension.

Q: The SOFA stamp(s) for my dependent(s) will expire as result of AIP. Will I have to have the SOFA stamp(s) extended or renewed? What are the procedures?

A: Contact ACS immediately for assistance at 738-7999/7186. They will do their best to minimize any inconvenience to Soldiers resulting from AIP. Additional sessions will be scheduled if necessary to accommodate affected personnel.

Q: My military and POV driver’s licenses will expire as result of AIP. Will I have to get them renewed? What are the procedures?

A: Yes, the Driver’s Education office that issued you your license will annotate the new expiration date. The Yongsan Driver’s Education office can be reached at 738-5568/3001.

Q: When I tried to get on post yesterday, they checked my ID card in the BIDS system. It said I no longer had access to the installation. I voluntarily extended beyond my original DEROS to participate in AIP. How do I fix this?

A: This should not occur since Eighth US Army G1 sends updated DEROS data to the BIDS administrator. But if it does occur, visit your local BIDS station to have it updated.

Q. If I change my mind, can I withdraw my AIP request?

A. Yes, so long as the action is not approved yet. Once AIP is approved, your DEROS is changed and you must process a compassionate or hardship request for curtailment with supporting documents that justify the early departure.

Q: I'm trying to apply for AIP but I don't have an AKO log-in account. What do I do?

A: Log on to www.us.army.mil and click "Register for AKO". After registering, wait for approx 24 hours to receive your log-in information. Then you may log in to SMS and sign in for the AIP.

Q: I want to request an AIP extension but have already begun out-processing. How do I undo all the out-processing tasks that I have already completed?

A: You are not eligible to participate in the AIP program. Soldiers in Korea must have more than 120 days remaining on their current tour and not on assignment instructions to be eligible to participate. Additionally, Soldiers are not authorized to process short period extensions for the sole purpose of gaining eligibility.