Fill Out DD Form 93 Online
Record of Emergency Data
U.S. Department of Defense
Designates emergency contacts and beneficiaries for a service member's pay and death gratuity in official military records.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
- 1
Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
- 2
Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
- 3
Download your PDF. Save the completed form, ready to print or submit.
DD Form 93, the Record of Emergency Data, tells the military who to contact if a service member is injured, becomes seriously ill, goes missing, or dies. It also records who should receive certain pay related benefits, such as the death gratuity and any unpaid pay and allowances, and it can name the person authorized to direct disposition of remains.
Every service member completes a DD 93 when entering the military and is expected to keep it current afterward. You can open the form in the Universal PDF editor, type each entry, and download a clean, legible copy to bring to your personnel office for signature and filing.
What is DD Form 93 used for
The DD 93 is the military's single reference document for emergency notifications and casualty related designations. If something happens to you, casualty assistance officers work from the most recent DD 93 in your record.
The form typically captures:
- The person or persons to notify if you are injured, seriously ill, missing, or deceased
- Beneficiaries for the death gratuity and for unpaid pay and allowances
- The person authorized to direct disposition (PADD) of your remains
- Information about your spouse, children, and parents, including addresses
- Insurance information fields that reference your separate life insurance elections
Who completes DD Form 93
All members of the armed forces complete the form, including active duty, Guard, and Reserve personnel. It is prepared at accession, reviewed before deployments, and updated after life events such as marriage, divorce, a birth, or a death in the family.
The designations on the DD 93 are personal choices, so the member must make them and sign the form. Unit personnel sections and commanders can require periodic reviews, but they cannot choose your beneficiaries for you.
How to fill out DD Form 93
Gather full legal names, current addresses, and phone numbers for everyone you plan to list before you start. Then work through the form field by field:
- Your identification details, including name, Social Security number or DoD ID number, and branch of service
- Primary and secondary next of kin, with their relationship to you
- Beneficiary designations for the death gratuity and unpaid pay and allowances, including percentage shares if you split them
- The PADD designation if your service captures it on this form
- Your signature and date, plus the witnessing official's block completed by your personnel office
Where the form goes
The completed DD 93 is filed in your official military personnel record through your unit personnel section, S-1, or military personnel flight. Many units now process it through their service's electronic personnel system, with the paper or PDF version used as the working draft.
Because casualty offices rely on this document, review it at least annually and any time your family situation changes. Verify that you are using the current edition with your unit or on the official DoD forms site before submitting.
Frequently asked questions
No. The DD 93 covers emergency notification and pay related designations such as the death gratuity. Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance beneficiaries are elected separately, historically on SGLV 8286 and now usually through the online SOES system. Keep both current, because they are read independently.
Update it whenever your family situation changes, for example after a marriage, divorce, birth, or death, and review it before deployments. Many commands also require an annual review during personnel records checks.
You choose your own designees, and they do not have to be family members for every block. Some blocks, such as next of kin information, describe specific relationships. Read the instructions for each item and ask your personnel office if a designation is unclear.
The person authorized to direct disposition of remains is the individual you authorize to make decisions about your remains if you die. This designation matters to casualty affairs offices, so choose someone you trust and keep their contact details current.
Yes. Open the PDF in the Universal PDF editor, type your entries into each field, and download the completed file. You will still sign it with your personnel office so it can be witnessed and filed in your official record.
Related forms
Universal PDF is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Forms are provided from official government sources; always confirm you have the current version before filing.