Retirees - Who Will Receive Your Final Check?

Retired pay earned but not paid in the final month of your life goes to whoever is listed as your Arrears of Pay (AOP) beneficiary. Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will also contact this person for help with closing your account.

You can choose anyone, from family members to friends to associates, to be your AOP beneficiary. But if you don't designate someone, it could cause undue stress and financial hardship for your survivors during an already difficult time. It can take many months to locate your survivors, identify who is legally entitled to your pay, and then make the payment.

Fortunately, this situation is easy to prevent. You can establish or change your beneficiary at any time.

HOW TO DESIGNATE OR CHANGE A BENEFICIARY

To designate or change your Arrears of Pay (AOP) beneficiary, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Complete a Designation of Beneficiary Information form (DD 2894). You can find this form at www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd2894.pdf.

2. Sign and date the form. (Unsigned and undated forms will not be processed.)

3. Mail or fax the form to:

DFAS U.S. Military Retired Pay
P.O. Box 7130
London, KY 40742-7130

Fax: 800-469-6559

It is vital to notify DFAS of any changes in your AOP beneficiary's contact information. Otherwise all correspondence will be sent to the wrong address, further delaying closure of your account. Please use the steps above to notify DFAS if your beneficiaries name or contact information changes.

For more information about AOP, please visit http://www.dfas.mil/dfas/retiredmilitary/provide/aop.html