Life Changing Event? Keep DFAS Informed
Ensuring your retired pay comes to you accurately and on time is our primary goal at DFAS. To do this, we need your help to keep your account up to date.
As a retiree, the sooner you alert us to any change that might affect your pay, the more timely and accurate your pay will be. Keeping your account up to date includes making sure your mailing address, banking information, allotments, tax withholding status, and your beneficiary choices are current.
Be sure to report any change of life events as soon as they happen. These life-changing events include:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Death of a spouse or child
- Birth or adoption of a child
Some changes, especially those regarding SBP, have a one-year time limit, so it is very important that DFAS is notified of life-changing events when they happen. When you notify us, be sure to include supporting documents, such as birth or marriage certificates.
Keeping your contact information updated is also key to staying informed. We occasionally send out correspondence regarding changes in the law that affect your pay, and a new Retired Account Statement (RAS) is sent when your net pay changes (unless you are on myPay where the new RAS is available online). If your mailing address is not correct and you are not on myPay, we have no way of notifying you about changes.
The easiest way to stay up to date is to use myPay. You can use myPay to change your mailing address, your direct deposit information, certain allotments and your tax withholding status. You can also use myPay to verify payment information, including allotment amounts, or tax withholding, or check your Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) coverage on your RAS.
Also, please see the article in this edition: “When Can a Retiree Change Participation in the Survivor Benefit Plan?”