DD Form 2656

What is DD Form 2656?

DD Form 2656 is titled Data for Payment of Retired Personnel. It is listed on the forms site of Washington Headquarters Services, and its current file calls the department the Department of War. Its Privacy Act statement gives the principal purpose: "To collect information needed to establish a retired/retainer pay account, including designation of beneficiaries for unpaid retired pay, state tax withholding election, information on dependents, and to establish a Survivor Benefit Plan election."

The instructions printed with the form say that the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) - Cleveland Center establishes the retired or retainer pay account based on the data provided on the form and on the retirement or transfer orders, and that the Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center establishes the retired pay account for retiring Coast Guard, USPHS and NOAA members.

The blank on this page is the edition marked "DD FORM 2656, MARCH 2022". The form prints "PREVIOUS EDITION IS OBSOLETE."

Who helps with the form, and where does it go?

The instructions say: "Your personnel office, disbursing/finance office, and SBP Counselor will assist you in the proper completion and submission of this form." They also say to keep the instructions, along with a copy of the form, as a permanent record.

DFAS describes the route on its page about applying for retired pay: "Once you have completed Form DD 2656, your Branch of Service will submit it with all supporting documentation to DFAS Retired and Annuitant (R&A) Pay."

What is on the form?

The form has six pages in five parts and twelve sections, followed by three pages of instructions.

Part I, Retired Pay Information:

• Section I, pay identification;
• Section II, direct deposit or electronic fund transfer information;
• Section III, separation payment information;
• Section IV, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation information;
• Section V, designation of beneficiaries for unpaid retired pay;
• Section VI, federal income tax withholding information; the form says to submit the information in Items 17 to 21 "in lieu of IRS Form W-4 for tax purposes";
• Section VII, voluntary state tax withholding information, which the form says to complete "only if monthly withholding is desired".

Part II, Lump Sum Election: Section VIII, BRS lump sum election. It ends with Item 30, a lump sum acknowledgement that the member signs only if electing a lump sum.

Part III, Survivor Benefit Plan:

• Section IX, dependency information; the form says: "This section must be completed regardless of SBP Election.";
• Section X, Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) election; the form says: "You should consult a Survivor Benefit Plan counselor before making an election." It also prints: "If you make no election, maximum coverage will be established for your spouse and/or eligible dependent children".

Part IV, Certification: Section XI.

Part V, Spouse SBP Concurrence: Section XII.

Who signs, and who witnesses?

In Section XI the member certifies the form under penalties of perjury and signs and dates it in Item 41. The form prints with that item: "DATE SIGNED must be before the date of retirement listed in Part I, Section I, Item 4".

Item 42 is the witness. The form says of the witness: "This cannot be a spouse or dependent child or any other beneficiary listed on this form or anyone under the age of majority". It also prints: "Witness date MUST match the member's date."

When does the spouse sign?

Part V says that the spouse's concurrence is "Required ONLY when the member is married and elects either: (a) child only SBP coverage, (b) does not elect full spouse SBP coverage; or (c) declines SBP coverage." It adds: "This is not required for any former spouse or former spouse and child elections."

The spouse signs and dates Item 43, and Item 44 is for the notary. The form says that the date of the spouse's signature must not be before the date of the member's signature in Item 41, nor on or after the date of retirement listed in Part I, Section I, Item 4. It prints: "The spouse's signature MUST be notarized. Electronic signatures are allowed." The instructions for Item 44 add that the notary "cannot be a named beneficiary in Section V, IX, or X".

What is attached?

For a member who previously received separation or severance pay, the instructions for Item 14 say: "Attach a copy of the orders that authorized the payment and a copy of previous DD Form 214."

DFAS describes the retirement application on its page How to apply for retired pay.

About the blank on this page

The Department of Defense publishes DD Form 2656 as an interactive PDF file. The blank on this page is a print layout of that file prepared for this site: six pages of the form, marked "DD FORM 2656, MARCH 2022", and three pages of instructions. It has no fill-in fields of its own. The buttons of the Department's file, among them Reset, Save, Print, Add Row and Add Attachment, are not part of it.

The following instructions describe behavior specific to the Department's interactive file. They say: "If completed electronically, this form automatically disables certain fields based on information you entered." About the section on SBP spouse concurrence they say: "If you are completing this form electronically and this section does not appear, you do not have to obtain spousal concurrence." In the layout on this page nothing is disabled and no section is hidden: every item is printed.