Legal Definitions - special allowance

A special allowance refers to an additional payment or consideration provided to an individual or entity under specific, often unusual, or extraordinary circumstances, beyond their regular salary, wages, or standard entitlements. It is typically granted to compensate for particular expenses, hardships, or duties that fall outside the scope of ordinary responsibilities.

• Example 1: Hazardous Duty Pay

  A government agency dispatches a team of engineers to a remote, high-altitude research station for several months to conduct critical maintenance. Due to the extreme weather conditions, isolation, and inherent risks of the location, the agency provides each engineer with a "high-altitude special allowance" for the duration of their deployment.

  This illustrates a special allowance because it is an extra payment given specifically to compensate for the extraordinary and challenging circumstances of working in a hazardous, remote environment, which goes beyond their regular salary for engineering work.

• Example 2: Employee Relocation Support

  A technology company requires a key software developer to move from their current city to a new state to lead a critical project at a different office. To ease the transition, the company offers a "relocation special allowance" to help cover initial costs such as temporary accommodation, utility setup fees, and the expense of finding a new permanent residence, in addition to their standard moving package.

  This demonstrates a special allowance as it's an additional sum provided to address the specific, non-recurring costs and disruption associated with an extraordinary work-related relocation, beyond the developer's regular compensation and standard moving benefits.

• Example 3: Extraordinary Legal Expenses

  A court-appointed executor is managing the estate of a deceased person. During the process, unexpected and complex litigation arises involving a disputed property claim, requiring the executor to hire specialized legal counsel and incur significant, unforeseen court costs. The executor petitions the court for a "special allowance" from the estate to cover these extraordinary legal fees, which were not anticipated in the initial estate administration budget.

  This is a special allowance because it represents an additional sum granted by the court to compensate the executor for specific, unusual, and significant expenses directly related to an unforeseen legal challenge, going beyond the typical administrative costs of managing an estate.