Current or Former Military Members – Waivers

On this page:

Do I Qualify for a Waiver?
What Do I Need for My Waiver to be Considered?
How Do I Apply for a Waiver?

Do I Qualify for a Waiver?

Military claimants must submit a waiver application within five years of the date the debt was discovered by a pay official.

We cannot process your waiver request if you dispute your debt. You can ask your Servicing Finance or Payroll Office to conduct an audit before you proceed with the waiver application process. Former members must contact the Out of Service Debts Department at 866-912-6488 to request an audit. Once your audit is complete, you can pursue a waiver. If your account was audited, ensure that you attach the results of your audit, and a statement acknowledging the validity of the debt, with the waiver application.
A remission is for military members who have a debt that was incurred on active duty after October 7, 2001. DFAS does NOT have authority to process remissions for any military services. Inquiries should be directed to your service for application information and required documentation.

What Do I Need for My Waiver to be Considered?

To apply for a waiver you must:

✓ Have a debt established on your pay account.
✓ Submit a waiver request within five years of the date the debt was discovered by a pay official.
✓ Agree to the validity of the debt.

✓ Provide documentation to support your waiver request. Required documentation may vary based on the type of debt you have incurred and your circumstances. Documents include the forms you submitted which authorized payments that caused the debts, Leave and Earning Statements (LESs) for the entire debt period, etc. Additional supporting documentation MAY include the following:

Bonus Addendum	Health Program Contract	Reenlistment Contract
Dependency Information (Page 2's)	Housing Contracts	Rent/Lease Agreements
Detailed Timelines	Lodging Receipts	ROTC Scholarship
Divorce Decree	Marriage License	Travel Documents
Email Traffic	Pay Audits	Travel Orders
Enlistment Contract	Proof of Child Support Payments	Written Statements

How Do I Apply for a Waiver?

To submit your request for a debt waiver follow the steps below:

Note: Failure to provide supporting documents may delay or prevent consideration of your waiver request.

1. Contact Your Local Finance Office, Unit Administrator, or Issuing Agency

Contact one of the following:

Your local finance office
Unit administrator
Issuing agency (former member only).

That office should be able to explain the debt, and ensure you understand the amount of the debt and why it was established. Once they have explained the debt, you may proceed with preparing your request for a waiver.

2. Prepare

Complete boxes 1-19 on the DD Form 2789 – Waiver/Remission of Indebtedness Application, gather supporting documents, and obtain your Commander’s signature (required for Space Force, Air Force and Navy active duty and reserves. Optional for all others.). *Please note: You may need to right click to download or the save the documents to your computer before you are able to fill them out.*

SmartForm: For step-by-step guidance to help complete your DD Form 2789, click here.

PDF: Download and complete your DD Form 2789 in PDF format, click here.

To access DD Form 2789 instructions, click here.

3. Apply

Ensure all proper signatures and dates are listed on the DD Form 2789. Failure to do so may result in delayed processing. Submit the completed form and other required documentation to the appropriate office based on your service status.

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Active Duty and Reserve Members (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force

Submit your completed DD Form 2789, including all supporting documentation to your finance or disbursing office. Finance or disbursing will complete the remaining sections of the DD Form 2789 and submit the application to DFAS for consideration. Your Commander (required for Space Force, Air Force and Navy active duty and reserves). Optional for all others. as well as Finance or Disbursing Officer’s endorsement is required.

Separated Members (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force)

Submit your completed DD Form 2789, including all supporting documentation via AskDFAS.

How to Submit your Packet to Request a waiver via AskDFAS:

After submitting via AskDFAS, a ticket number will be emailed to you for reference and updates. Please keep this ticket number for your reference.

Marine Corps (Active or Separated Members)

Active USMC Members

Submit your completed DD Form 2789, including all supporting documentation to your finance or disbursing office. Finance or disbursing will complete the remaining sections of the DD Form 2789 and submit the application to DFAS for consideration. Finance or Disbursing officer’s endorsement is required.

Separated USMC Members

Submit your completed DD Form 2789, including all supporting documentation to you’re your last local disbursing office prior to separation – per Marine Corps Automated Pay Systems Manual (APSM) guidance. Finance or disbursing will complete the remaining sections of the DD Form 2789 and submit the application to DFAS for consideration. Finance or Disbursing officer’s endorsement is required.

In accordance with the Marine Corps Automated Pay Systems Manual (APSM) (Chapter 10), a former member or a member not on active duty may apply to HQMC/RF, Washington D.C., 20380-1775 through the member’s Commanding Officer at the time of their separation. Subsequently, the Commanding Officer/Unit will review and forward the application to the Disbursing Officer/Payroll Office, who will then validate the indebtedness and provide an explanation of the indebtedness. The Disbursing Officer/Payroll Office will also ensure that the amount requested for remission/waiver matches the amount of the indebtedness posted to the member’s pay account. Upon completion of their review, this application will be uploaded to Marine Online, via the Document Tracking Management System (DTMS). Once the application has been submitted via DTMS, remission applications will remain with HQMC/RF, and waiver applications will be forwarded, via DTMS, to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to process.

Return to the Debt and Claims DFAS Homepage

Page updated March 8, 2023