Did You Know?


We recognize the laws and regulations governing military annuity pay are complex and can be difficult to understand. In each issue of the DFAS Survivor SBP Newsletter, we will share a few helpful tips and tidbits for survivors.

  • Did You Know: When you fill out an IRS Form W-4P and submit it via myPay, mail, or fax it to DFAS Military Annuitant Pay, we will withhold federal income taxes from your annuity payment. Every January, we will issue a 1099-R statement that you will need to complete your tax return.

  • Did You Know: Surviving spouses maintain their eligibility for SBP until death, as long as they do not remarry before the age of 55. If the annuitant remarries before age 55, annuity payments will stop. However, if the marriage of an annuitant (who remarried before age 55) later ends for any reason, their eligibility for the annuity is reinstated, effective on the first day of the month the marriage ends. The annuity payments will be restarted, once DFAS has received and processed the notification and documents. 

  • Did You Know: DFAS recognizes various types of third party representation for those annuitants needing help in managing their account. However, one type of representation DFAS does not recognize for annuitants is a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA). Currently DFAS is authorized by law to accept a DPOA only for retiree accounts. We will keep you up to date if this situation changes. A detailed explanation of third party representation can be found at: https://www.dfas.mil/annthirdparty

  • Did You Know: SBP child annuitants between 18 and 22 years old must regularly certify their status as an unmarried, full-time student to continue to receive annuity payments. For both high school and college student turning 18 and over 18, we will now also use the annual DD 2788 School Certification Form as the annual COE/SBP-MSU instead of sending a separate verification to submit each year.  

  • Did You Know: There are several ways to change your address? The easiest and most convenient way to update your address is by logging into myPay and updating it there. If you don’t have a myPay account, you can also call our customer care center at 800-321-1080, or you can send us a letter by mail, by fax or by uploading it using our askDFAS online upload tool. Be sure to include your full name, your Social Security Number and the member’s Social Security Number, and sign and date any written correspondence.  

  • Did You Know: In addition to keeping your mailing address updated with DFAS, it’s important to keep your information current with your loved one’s Branch of Service if you are a surviving spouse or child of a member who died on active duty or inactive duty, in the line of duty. Please see our Active Duty/Line of Duty Survivors Spotlight in this issue for more information.

Did You Know? DFAS Webpages for Survivors

 


 

Page Updated Oct 30 2023