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Frequently Asked Questions

 

Returning to Retirement after Recall to Active Duty

By following some simple steps, you will be able to transition back to retirement with little or no impact to your financial situation.
 

Restart Your Retired Pay

In order to restart your retired pay, you must send us the following documents from your Branch of Service:

Army -- Recall orders, separation orders from active duty, and Report of Separation (DD Form 214).

Marine Corps (Retired/Retained) -- Retirement orders, modification orders indicating retention on active duty

Marine Corps (Recall/Reversion) -- Retired/Retained Orders and Statement of Service

Navy (Retired/Retained) -- Retired/Retained Orders and Statement of Service

Navy (Recall/Reversion) -- Retirement Orders, Recall orders, and Statement of Service

Air Force/Space Force -- AF form 938 or recall orders, separation orders from active duty, and Report of Separation (DD Form 214)
 

Your Pay After Returning to Retirement

You will be paid within 30 days of the date you returned to the retired rolls. Your pay will be calculated according to how long you served.

  • If you served less than two years on active duty:

Using the additional earned service, your retired pay is recomputed under the rate of basic pay in effect upon release from active duty, plus applicable cost-of-living increases.

  • If you served two years or more on active duty:

Using the additional earned service, retired pay is recomputed under the rate of basic pay in effect upon release from active duty, plus applicable cost-of-living increases. Retired pay may also be recomputed under the basic pay rates in effect before the current active duty pay table in effect at time of return to retired rolls. You will automatically receive whichever computation is greater.

If your retired pay was computed on the high-three average, the months served on active duty during the recall will be added to compute a new high-three average.
 

How Pay Tables Are Used if You Are Recalled for More Than Two Years

You may wonder why your retired pay is computed using the basic pay rates in effect before the current pay table, and not using the current pay table. Retired pay is recomputed under the basic pay rates in effect before the current basic pay rate, unless the current basic pay rate has been in effect for two or more years. Therefore, if you were recalled for a total of three years, but two of those years were under the previous basic pay rate, your retired pay will not be computed using the current pay table. This is in accordance with Title 10 U.S. Code, Section 1402(a).
 

Promotions and Your Pay After Recall

You must meet the requirement for time-in-grade for the higher rank on active duty before your retired pay can be recomputed at the higher rank.
 

How Allotments Are Affected

No allotments are carried forward automatically from active duty when you return to retirement. Therefore, if you want any allotments to be established in your retired pay, you must request that they be restarted.

You can start Electronic Funds Transfer allotments to financial institutions in myPay.

Most other discretionary allotments can be started, stopped or changed by completing an Authorization to Start, Stop or Change an Allotment (found on our Forms webpage). Please mail or fax completed forms to:

DFAS - U.S. Military Retired Pay
8899 E 56th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200

Fax:  800-469-6559.

If you have questions or troubles managing your allotment, call 800-321-1080.
 

Update Your Account Information

Please notify DFAS if you changed your correspondence address or changed your direct deposit information.

If your retired pay account is already established, you can change your correspondence address and direct deposit information using myPay.

If your retired pay account is not yet established or you do not have access to myPay, please see our Account Maintenance page for instructions on changing mailing address and direct deposit information.
 

Related Links:

Recall to Active Duty
DFAS R&A Pay Contact Information
Allotments
Direct Deposit
Account Maintenance

Page updated April 26, 2017