Prepare Your Loved Ones: How to Report the Death of a Retiree or SBP Annuitant

We are communicating this information so you can share with your loved ones. We realize this can be a difficult time both emotionally and financially and want to provide information to ease any undue burdens placed on your loved ones. Therefore, it is important that, upon death, DFAS is promptly notified so that a retiree or SBP annuitant’s monthly payment can be suspended to prevent any overpayments. When DFAS is notified of the death of a retiree or an SBP annuitant, we make every effort to ensure any disbursements that follow include only funds the member or SBP annuitant was entitled to at the time of his/her death. 
 

Reporting the Death of a Retiree 

A military retiree’s entitlement to retired pay ends on the date of death of the member. DFAS will stop monthly payments upon notification of death to prevent overpayment. However, there are instances when a retiree dies near the end of the month (and it is too late to stop the payment) or DFAS is not notified of the death in a timely manner. This results in a deposit into a retiree’s bank account made after the retiree’s death. We are required to notify the bank to reclaim in full all payments made after the retiree’s death. If the retiree had a joint bank account, it is especially important to be aware that the entire payment will be reclaimed. 
 
The retiree's final pro-rated payment will be issued as Arrears of Pay (AOP) to the entitled beneficiary upon receipt of a valid claim. Please note that all payments issued after the member's death must be returned to DFAS before AOP can be paid. In addition, financial institutions are obligated to return any federal benefit payments made after they are notified of the death of an account holder. In some cases, a member’s bank may return the retired pay payment made after the date of the retiree’s death before DFAS reclaims the payment. 

To report a retiree’s death, use one of the following methods:  

1. Fill out the online askDFAS Notification of Death form (available online 24/7) 

Before using the tool, you will need to have the following information available for the retiree:  

• Full Name  

• Social Security Number  

• Date of Death  

• Cause of Death (Natural, Homicide, Pending, or Other)  

• Marital Status  

Additionally, the retiree’s spouse will also need to provide their date of marriage.  

Anyone using the tool must also complete all additional fields with a name, relationship to retiree, and contact information for the notification of death to be processed. 
 
OR  

2. Call our Customer Care Center at 1-800-321-1080  

When you call, please be prepared to provide:  

• Retiree’s Full Name  

• Retiree’s Social Security Number  

• Date of Death  

OR   

3. Fax or Mail information to DFAS  

Mail to:  
Defense Finance and Accounting Service  
U.S. Military Retired Pay  
8899 E 56th Street  
Indianapolis IN 46249-1200  
 
Fax to: 1-800-469-6559  
 
DFAS strongly encourages you to use Option 1 or Option 2 above to notify us promptly of a retiree’s death. If you have any difficulty using the askDFAS online form, please call our Customer Care Center. 

DFAS is required to have a copy of the retiree’s death certificate that states the cause or manner of death prior to making any AOP payments, please include a copy with your documents. 

Reporting a SBP Annuitant’s Death 

A SBP annuitant’s pay stops on the last day of the month prior to the annuitant’s death. DFAS will stop monthly payments upon notification of death to prevent overpayment. If a payment was made after the date of the SBP annuitant’s death, we are required to notify the bank to reclaim the entire payment. 

The SBP annuitant's final payment will be issued as Arrears of Annuity (AOA). Keep in mind that AOA payments are uncommon. Generally, the only situations where AOA payments are due are: (1) the SBP annuitant’s account was not established prior to the date of death, or (2) the SBP annuitant’s account was suspended at the time of death.  

DFAS will mail the required paperwork to claim AOA. AOA will be distributed in accordance with federally-mandated Order of Precedence following our receipt of the proper SF1174 claim form for any eligible beneficiary/beneficiaries.  

To report a SBP Annuitant’s death, use one of the following methods:  

1. Fill out the online askDFAS Notification of Death form (available online 24/7) 

We are happy to share this new tool created after receiving feedback from our customers. You can now use askDFAS to report the death of an SBP Annuitant. This is also very beneficial to our customers that live overseas.

Before using the tool, you will need to have the following information available for the SBP Annuitant:  

• Full Name  

• Social Security Number  

• Deceased Retiree’s Full Name 

• Deceased Retiree’s Social Security Number 

• Date of Death  

• Cause of Death (Natural, Homicide, Pending, or Other)  

Anyone using the tool must also complete all additional fields with a name, relationship to SBP annuitant, and contact information for the notification of death to be processed. 
 
OR 

2. Call our Customer Care Center at 1-800-321-1080   

When you call, please be prepared to provide:  

• SBP Annuitant’s Full Name  

• SBP Annuitant’s Social Security Number  

• Deceased Retiree’s Full Name 

• Deceased Retiree’s Social Security Number 

• Date of Death  

OR   

3. Fax or Mail information to DFAS  

Mail to:  
Defense Finance and Accounting Service  
U.S. Military Annuitant Pay  
8899 E 56th Street  
Indianapolis IN 46249-1300  
 
Fax to: 1-800-982-8459 
 
DFAS strongly encourages you to use Option 1 or Option 2 above to notify us promptly of a SBP Annuitant’s death. If you have any difficulty using the askDFAS online form, please call our Customer Care Center. 

DFAS is required to have a copy of the SBP annuitant’s death certificate that states the cause or manner of death, please include a copy with your documents. Please ensure both the SBP annuitant’s and the deceased member’s names and Social Security Numbers are also written at the top of the death certificate to ensure proper routing. Following a complete audit of the SBP annuitant’s account, DFAS will determine if any funds are owed.

Note: The information on this website is provided to explain typical situations regarding retiree and annuitant benefits. For details and exceptions, please see applicable laws, financial management regulations, and instructions.
 

Page Updated Sep 25 2024