Annuities are paid to eligible survivors of deceased retired or active duty military members. Survivors are typically the spouse or former spouse of the member or the children of the military member. The survivors that receive annuity payments are called annuitants.
Annuitants can acquire debts due to overpayment of an annuity. Also, annuitants can be required to re-pay any debts the service member acquired during their lifetime. Sometimes an annuitant can receive payments when a service member is not deceased. Any payments made in error will require repayment.
Causes of Overpayments
Generally, annuity overpayments are caused by:
- Failure to reduce annuity by the amount of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
- Payment of annuity when annuitant is no longer eligible
- Erroneous computation
- Insufficient or untimely information
- Confusion over the death of a military member
If you believe that debt is in error, you may contact us in writing at:
DFAS-IN/Debt and Claims
Dept. 3300 ATTN: Customer Care Center
8899 East 56th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46249-3300
If email is more convenient, you may use our
AskDFAS. You may also fax your inquiry and supporting documentation to 317-275-0281. Please ensure your account number is on all documentation submitted.
Retired Pay
The following are some reasons people acquire debts with their retired pay:
- Overpayment of retired pay
- Overpayment of active-duty pay and allowances or other debts arising from service on active duty
- An overpayment from another Federal agency
- Unpaid government hospital bills
- Unpaid rent due military installations
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax levies
- Court judgments
- Bad checks tendered to appropriated or nonappropriated fund activities
Also, a failure to deduct or an under-deduction from retired pay from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) compensation, federal civil employment, Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan (RSFPP) or Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) costs, or allotments constitute an overpayment of retired pay.
If you believe that debt is in error, you may contact us in writing at:
DFAS-IN/Debt and Claims
Dept. 3300
ATTN: Customer Care Center
8899 East 56th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46249-3300
If e-mail is more convenient, you may use our AskDFAS. You may also fax your inquiry and supporting documentation to 317-275-0281. Please ensure your account number is on all documentation submitted.
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Page updated July 12, 2019.