ABOUT POWERS OF ATTORNEY

 
A Power of Attorney is a written authorization to act on another’s behalf regarding private affairs, business matters and other matters as specified in the language of the POA. The person authorizing the other to act is the principal or grantor. For a POA to be valid, the principal must sign the POA and their signature must be notarized. The person authorized to act on the principal’s behalf is the agent or attorney-in-fact and must submit a valid government issued ID with the POA.

DFAS accepts POAs for use with the following areas:

  • Travel Pay Customer Care Center
  • Retired and Annuity Pay Customer Care Center
For Military Pay::Service members and their families seeking to obtain a power of attorney should consult the staff of the nearest installation Legal Assistance Office.
 
Powers of Attorney can be submitted via askDFAS and questions regarding please call numbers below:
 
For Travel Pay related matters:
  • Submit via askDFAS
  • 1-888-332-7411 – option 4 then 1
For Retiree related matters: 
  • Submit via askDFAS
  • 1-888-332-7411 for Retirees – options 4, 2, then 3
For Annuitant related matters: 
  • Submit via askDFAS
  • 1-888-332-7411 for Annuitants – options 4, 2 then 4
When using AskDFAS to submit your POAs, include the following items:
  • POA with notarized signature
  • Photocopy of a valid driver’s license or State ID  for agent/attorney-in-fact 
  • Principal (service member) status (active, reserve, National Guard or retired)
  • Principal (service member) and agents/attorney-in-fact contact information (include email address and phone number in case there are issues with the documentation)\
Powers of Attorney can be used to conduct the following actions:
  • Correspondence address changes
  • Issuing account statements
  • Issuing W2 or 1099-R forms
  • Completing reports of existence
  • Completing and signing annuity applications
  • Obtain account information protected by the Privacy Act of 1974
  • Copy of Leave and Earning Statement
POAs cannot make any pay-related changes which includes updating banking information or stopping, starting, and changing allotments. These functions can only be done by the owner of the account or by a guardian, conservator, trustee or representative payee. Also, POAs cannot be used to create new and/or access existing myPay accounts.

When calling as an agent or attorney-in-fact, ensure you have the POA, valid driver’s license or State ID you used when submitting via AskDFAS, and the service member's status and contact information.

Unable to access AskDFAS to submit your POA?
If you are unable to submit using AskDFAS, go to one of the following locations and in the presence of an official party, contact the appropriate customer care center.
  • Red Cross
  • Army Emergency Relief, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society or Air Force Aid Society offices
  • Finance/Pay Office (Army Finance, Navy PSD, Air Force Finance, Reserve Center or National Guard Armory
For information on powers of attorney and other third party representation options for retirees and annuitants, click here. 

Page updated September 11, 2023