MARADMIN 480/26 - FY27 Marine Corps Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) Eligibility Requirements

Scope

MARADMIN 480/26 (R 071446Z OCT 26) sets Marine Corps Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) policy for Fiscal Year 2027, effective 1 October 2026, under DoDI 1340.27 and MCO 7220.52G. It applies to active and reserve component Marines. Release authorized by Lieutenant General Joseph A. Matos III, Deputy Commandant for Information.

Eligibility follows the fiscal year the Marine certifies proficiency. A Marine who tested in FY26 stays on FY26 rules after FY27 begins.

Validating proficiency, paragraph 3

• Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT), Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), or both, scored on the ILR scale 0 to 5 in Listening, Reading, and Speaking.
• 180 calendar days minimum between attempts per modality, per DoWI 5160.71.
• No DLPT for a language or dialect. The OPI yields both a Listening and a Speaking score.

Eligibility categories, paragraph 4

Paragraph 4.a.1.a supersedes and rescinds paragraph 4.a.1.a of MARADMIN 574/25. The minimum qualifying score for PMOS 0370 and 0372 remains ILR 1 per MCO 7220.52G.

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.

Pay table, paragraph 5.b.1

• Cap of $12,000 per year per Marine, per 37 U.S.C. 353. Categories 1, 2, and 4 cap at $1,000 per month.
• Categories 1 through 4 prorate to the day on a 30-day month for partial months. Category 5 is a strict lump sum, not prorated.
• Category 5 pays one month of FLPB per modality at ILR 2 or higher, once per year.

Administration, paragraph 6

• Early retest waiver through the HQMC Foreign Language Program. Grounds: a Significant Language Training Event (SLTE), pending deployment, a Service-sponsored school, or advancement eligibility. No more than two iterations of the same test in 12 months.
• Score extension waiver, requested before scores expire. Grounds: no DLPT site within 50 miles of a temporary assignment, deployment, a Service-sponsored school, or an SLTE in progress. Retest within 90 days of the event's end. No retroactive waivers.
• Category 3 requests carry MCTFS test dates, scores, and geographic location codes, plus the supported MCTL item from MCO 3500.26B. The period of performance is complete at submission. Approval authority is the first O-5 in the chain of command or anyone with By Direction authority. Submit through the intelshare FLP site.
• MARSOC exception to policy. Dual-modality OPI scoring applies to PMOS 0370 and 0372 only. Test Control Officers select SOCOM as the OARS reason code and confirm the Dual Modality box.
• Page 11 written agreement. Amount, payment period, and the certification or recertification behind the payment. The command records it in the SRB or OQR.
• Grandfathering. FY25 and FY26 payments continue until the current scores expire. Recertifying early ends them, and the policy in effect on the recertification date governs from then on.

Internal inconsistencies

• Category 3 timing. Paragraph 5.b says lump sums pay at the beginning of the certification period. Paragraph 5.c says Category 3 pays after the ad hoc mission is complete, and 6.a.3.a requires the period of performance to be complete at request. The portal follows 5.c and 6.a.3.a.
• Category 5 carries two names. Total Force Capabilities in 4.a, Service-wide Capabilities in 4.a.5.

Point of contact

HQMC, DC I, Intelligence Division, Foreign Language Program. FOREIGNLANGUAGEPROGRAM@USMC.MIL.

Status

Active for certifications on or after 1 October 2026.