Fill Out DD Form 2894 Online
Designation of Beneficiary Information
U.S. Department of Defense
Designates beneficiaries for unpaid retired pay owed at the death of a military retiree.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
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Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
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Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
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DD Form 2894, Designation of Beneficiary Information, tells the Defense Finance and Accounting Service who should receive any retired pay that is owed but unpaid when a military retiree dies. This final payment is known as arrears of pay, and it typically covers the pay earned between the start of the month and the date of death.
You can complete DD Form 2894 in the Universal PDF editor, type each beneficiary's details into the form, and download a clean PDF to print, sign, and send to DFAS. Keeping this designation current is one of the simpler pieces of estate housekeeping a retiree can do.
What is DD Form 2894 used for
Retired pay stops on the date of death, but the final partial month is still owed. DD Form 2894 lets a retiree name one or more beneficiaries for that unpaid amount and assign each a share.
If no valid designation is on file, DFAS pays the arrears according to the order of precedence set by federal law, which generally starts with a surviving spouse and moves through children and other relatives. Filing the form is how a retiree overrides that default order.
Who files DD Form 2894
Military retirees receiving retired pay from DFAS file the form. Most retirees make an initial arrears of pay designation on DD Form 2656 when their retired pay account is set up; DD Form 2894 is the way to change it later, for example after a marriage, divorce, birth, or death in the family.
The designation only covers unpaid retired pay. It does not change Survivor Benefit Plan coverage, life insurance beneficiaries, or anything in a will.
How to fill out DD Form 2894
The form is short, but accuracy matters because DFAS pays exactly what it says:
- Retiree information: name, Social Security number, and contact details
- Beneficiary details: each person's full legal name, Social Security number if requested, relationship, address, and date of birth
- Shares: the percentage of the payment each beneficiary should receive; the shares must total 100 percent
- Signature and date: sign the printed form, since an unsigned designation is not valid
Where to send it
Send the signed form to DFAS Retired and Annuitant Pay by mail or fax using the submission details printed on the current form and listed on dfas.mil. DFAS also offers online account tools through myPay, so check whether your update can be made there before mailing paper.
After DFAS processes the form, verify the change on your account. The most recent valid designation on file at the time of death is the one that controls.
Frequently asked questions
Arrears of pay is the retired pay a retiree earned but had not yet been paid at death, usually the amount for the final partial month plus any other unpaid amounts due to the account.
DFAS pays any unpaid retired pay according to the order of precedence in federal law, which generally begins with a surviving spouse. Filing the form is only necessary if you want a different arrangement or want to name specific shares.
No. The Survivor Benefit Plan is a separate annuity program with its own election forms, such as DD Form 2656-6 for changes. DD Form 2894 covers only the one-time payment of unpaid retired pay.
Yes. You can name multiple beneficiaries and assign each a percentage share. The shares need to add up to 100 percent, and unclear share instructions are a common reason designations get returned.
Yes. Open the form in the Universal PDF editor, type the retiree and beneficiary information into the fields, then download the finished PDF to print, sign, and send to DFAS.
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