Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

The IPAC pay clerk cuts FLPB transactions per MCO 7220.52GMCO 7220.52G and MCTFSPRIUMMCTFSPRIUM. The S-1 chief tracks score expiration and waiver deadlines. The S-1 officer signs by direction where the command grants it. The command records the Page 11 written agreement. The HQMC Foreign Language Program, under the Deputy Commandant for Information and the Marine Corps Senior Language Authority, manages the program and adjudicates waivers and ad hoc requests.

Authority chain. 37 U.S.C. 353 sets the statute. DoDI 1340.27DoDI 1340.27 implements it for DoD. MCO 7220.52G is the Marine Corps order and holds the FLPB Payment Table. Each fiscal year a DC I MARADMIN applies the order. MARADMIN 480/26MARADMIN 480/26 governs certifications on or after 1 October 2026. DoDFMR Vol 7ADODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 19 covers the pay mechanics.

Language does not set the rate. The ILR level per modality sets it, per the pay table below. DoDI 5160.70 governs the LREC program and does not set FLPB rates.

Categories, MARADMIN 480/26 paragraph 4

The Category 1 MOS list, the Category 2 MCC and language list, and the Enduring Strategic Language List sit in the FY27 FLPB CUI addendum on the HQMC Intelligence intelshare site, CAC required. Do not reproduce addendum content outside CUI channels.

Pay table, MCO 7220.52G and MARADMIN 480/26 paragraph 5.b.1

• Each eligible modality pays its own line.
• Annual cap $12,000 per Marine, per 37 U.S.C. 353, all categories combined.
• Monthly cap $1,000 for Categories 1, 2, and 4.
• Categories 1 through 4 prorate to the day on a 30-day month for partial months.
• Category 5 pays one month of FLPB per eligible modality as a strict lump sum. No proration.

Trigger events

• Marine posts a DLPT or OPI score in MCTFS.
• Marine joins or leaves a Category 1 MOS, or a Category 2 Monitored Command Code.
• Ad hoc mission period of performance ends (Category 3).
• Annual Category 5 certification.
• Scores approach expiration, or a waiver deadline approaches.
• Marine recertifies before current scores expire.

Processing workflow

1. Receive the score record. Confirm the DLPT or OPI scores, test dates, and geographic location code show in MCTFS.
2. Identify the category. Match the Marine to Categories 1 through 5 per MARADMIN 480/26 paragraph 4. Check the CUI addendum for Category 1, 2, and 4 lists.
3. Confirm the minimum ILR level and modalities for the category per paragraph 5.a. Category 4 pays speaking only.
4. Apply the FY lock rule. The policy in effect on the certification date governs, per paragraph 6.c. FY25 and FY26 payments continue until those scores expire. A recertification before expiration ends payments under the prior guidance.
5. Execute the Page 11 written agreement per paragraph 6.b and DoDI 1340.27. Record the amount, the payment period, and the certification behind it in the SRB or OQR.
6. Compute the payment. Sum the pay table amount per eligible modality. Apply the $1,000 monthly cap for Categories 1, 2, and 4 and the $12,000 annual cap. Prorate partial months on a 30-day month for Categories 1 through 4.
7. Cut the transaction per MCTFSPRIUM. Monthly start for Categories 1, 2, and 4. Lump sum for Categories 3 and 5.
8. Verify the LES on the next pay cut.
9. Track score expiration and waiver deadlines. Score extension waivers must reach HQMC before the scores expire.
10. Stop the pay on score expiration, loss of category eligibility, or recertification under new rules.

Category 3 ad hoc request, paragraph 6.a.3

1. Confirm the period of performance is complete. Requests before completion are not considered.
2. Pull MCTFS data. Language test dates, scores, and geographic location codes as MCTFS holds them.
3. Identify the supported Marine Corps Task List item from MCO 3500.26BMCO 3500.26B.
4. Route for approval. The first O-5 in the Marine's chain of command, or any personnel with By Direction signature authority.
5. Submit on the HQMC Foreign Language Program intelshare site, CAC required. A User's Guide sits directly below the request widget. The organization holding administrative control of the Marine is authorized to submit on the Marine's behalf.
6. Pay the lump sum after approval.

Activities outside direct MAGTF support or partner-nation mission requirements go to the Foreign Language Program for adjudication and might not qualify.

Waivers, paragraph 6.a

• Early retest waiver. Overrides the 180-day minimum between attempts per modality under DoWI 5160.71. Grounds: completion of a Significant Language Training Event (SLTE), pending deployment, enrollment in a Service-sponsored school, or advancement eligibility. Hard limit of two iterations of the same test in 12 months.
• Score extension waiver. Submit before the scores expire. Retroactive waivers are not considered. Grounds: temporary assignment with no DLPT site within 50 miles, deployment in support of operations, enrollment in a Service-sponsored school, or an SLTE in progress at expiration. The Marine retests within 90 days after the event, deployment, or return to home station.

DoDFMR Vol 7A Chapter 19 paragraph 2.6 provides a 180-day grace period after a contingency operation. MARADMIN 480/26 expects a retest within 90 days. Route a Marine relying on the longer FMR window to the Foreign Language Program before the 90 days run out.

MARSOC dual-modality OPI, paragraph 6.a.4

• Applies to PMOS 0370 and 0372 only.
• The Test Control Officer schedules the OPI in the OPI Authorization Reporting System (OARS), selects SOCOM as the reason code, and verifies the Dual Modality box is checked.
• The OPI then assigns scores in two modalities. OPI eligibility rules in DoDI 1340.27 still apply.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• MCTFS. Holds test dates, ILR scores, geographic location codes, and FLPB pay records.
• OARS. OPI scheduling for Test Control Officers.
• HQMC Foreign Language Program intelshare site. Category 3 requests, waivers, and the FY27 CUI addendum. CAC required.
• LES. Validates the payment.

Forms

• Page 11 written agreement. Required before payment.
• Early retest waiver and score extension waiver requests. Enclosures to MCO 7220.52G.
• Category 3 ad hoc request. Template on the intelshare site.

Common pitfalls

• Paying by language tier. The rate follows ILR level per modality, not the language.
• Treating FLPB as strategic-language only. Category 3 covers any language. Category 5 covers every language except Spanish.
• Paying Category 4 for listening or reading. Category 4 pays speaking at ILR 3 or higher only.
• Paying Category 5 for Spanish.
• Prorating Category 5. It is a strict lump sum.
• Submitting a Category 3 request before the mission ends, or without the MCTL item.
• Missing the Page 11 entry.
• Recertifying a Marine early without warning the Marine. Prior-rule payments stop on recertification.
• Late score extension waiver. Retroactive waivers are not considered.

Decision points

• Category selection. Category 5 covers only modalities not already paid monthly under Categories 1, 2, or 4.
• Multiple languages. All languages and categories combine under the $12,000 annual cap.
• Early recertification. Compare current pay under prior guidance against FY27 eligibility before the Marine retests.
• Category 3 timing. MARADMIN 480/26 paragraph 5.b places lump sums at the beginning of the certification period, while paragraphs 5.c and 6.a.3.a require a completed mission. Pay after the mission and confirm with the Foreign Language Program.

Authority

MCO 7220.52GMCO 7220.52G governs the program. MARADMIN 480/26MARADMIN 480/26 sets FY27 eligibility and supersedes MARADMIN 574/25 paragraph 4.a.1.a. DoDI 1340.27DoDI 1340.27 and 37 U.S.C. 353 set DoD policy and the statute. DoDFMR Vol 7ADODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 19 covers pay mechanics. MCTFSPRIUMMCTFSPRIUM covers MCTFS transactions.

Related references

• MCO 7220.52G. FLPB program and pay table.
• MARADMIN 480/26. FY27 eligibility.
• MARADMIN 574/25. FY26 eligibility, still governing FY26 certifications.
• DoDI 1340.27. DoD FLPB policy.
• 37 U.S.C. 353. Statutory authority.
• DoDFMR Vol 7A Chapter 19. Pay mechanics.
• MCO 3500.26B. Marine Corps Task List.
• MCTFSPRIUM. MCTFS transactions.