How to Complete and File AF Form 174: Delivery, Rebuttal, and Removal

DAF Form 174, the Record of Individual Counseling, is the least severe written administrative action available to Air Force and Space Force supervisors, used to document a verbal counseling session — positive or negative — in the member’s personnel record. The current fillable PDF is available from the Department of the Air Force e-Publishing site at static.e-publishing.af.mil.¹ Procedures governing the form live in DAFI 36-2907, updated January 2026.²

One housekeeping note before you start: the form was renamed from “AF Form 174” to “DAF Form 174” as part of the broader Department of the Air Force rebranding. Pull a fresh copy from e-Publishing rather than reusing an old file from a shared drive.

When to Use the Form

The typical trigger is a minor standards violation. Showing up late to a shift, missing a uniform requirement, or falling behind on mandatory training are all common examples. UCMJ articles like Article 86, covering failure to report to an appointed place of duty, and Article 92, covering dereliction of duty, describe the kinds of conduct that often prompt an RIC rather than immediate punishment.³⁴ Citing the specific UCMJ article or AFI provision on the form adds clarity, but DAFI 36-2907 doesn’t require it.²

The form is not limited to negative counseling. Supervisors also use it to record exceptional performance during inspections, deployments, or special missions. A positive RIC gives you concrete material to draw from when writing performance evaluations or supporting award nominations.⁵

The RIC sits at the bottom rung of the written administrative ladder. Above it are the Letter of Counseling, Letter of Admonishment, and Letter of Reprimand, and above those sit punitive actions like nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 and court-martial.⁶ An RIC by itself isn’t career-ending, but the record it creates can support escalation later.

Completing the Form

Identifying Information

Enter the member’s full name, grade, and unit of assignment. The form collects personally identifiable information maintained in a system of records, so the Privacy Act of 1974 applies. The member should be told what’s being collected, why, and how it will be used.⁷

Background

State the reasons for the action, including what the member did or failed to do, with specific incidents and dates. Observable facts beat characterizations. “On 14 March 2026, SSgt Doe failed to report to the 0600 shift at Bldg 440” gives you something to stand on later; “SSgt Doe has a problem with punctuality” does not. Include witnesses and supporting details where relevant. Unlike LOCs and LORs, an RIC does not require the issuer to provide the member with written statements or documentary evidence.²

Counselor’s Comments

DAFI 36-2907 requires two things in this section: the improvements you expect the member to demonstrate, and a warning that further deviation may result in more severe action.² Be concrete about what improvement looks like. A vague instruction to “do better” gives the member nothing to measure against and gives you nothing to cite if escalation becomes necessary. Point the member toward available resources like the Area Defense Counsel or relevant professional development courses.⁸ For positive counseling, this section shifts to acknowledging what the member did well and how the performance supported the mission.

Delivering the Counseling

Deliver the completed form face-to-face. Walk the member through the background narrative and your expectations, then give them time to read the document themselves. The member signs to acknowledge receipt, not to agree with the contents. Say that out loud during the session so the airman doesn’t feel pressured into silence.

Rebuttal Timeline

Active-duty members, Space Force, AGR, ARC statutory tour members, and ANG members in Title 10 status get three duty days (the date of receipt plus three duty days) to acknowledge the action and provide any information they want considered before the issuing authority makes a final decision. Reserve component members who are not in a military duty status, or who leave the duty area before the three days expire, get 45 calendar days from the date of receipt instead.²

The member’s written response becomes a permanent part of the record.² If you’re the airman receiving the RIC, use the window. A factual, professional rebuttal that provides context or corrects inaccuracies is one of the few tools available to shape the record. The Area Defense Counsel can help draft a response, though ADC assistance for administrative actions like RICs is provided on a time-and-resource-permitting basis, with no guaranteed right to an attorney at this level.⁹ Contact the ADC quickly if you plan to ask for help; three duty days goes fast.

Filing and Retention

After the rebuttal period closes, the completed package (the DAF Form 174 plus any written response) is filed in the member’s records. For officers, RICs not placed in the Unfavorable Information File go into the Personnel Information File. Enlisted RICs follow a similar path into the PIF.² DAFI 36-2907 does not specify a mandatory retention period or automatic expiration date for RICs in the PIF. An RIC can remain in the file indefinitely unless someone takes affirmative steps to remove it.

How an RIC Can Be Removed

Rescission is possible but limited to three circumstances under DAFI 36-2907:

New evidence shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the member did not commit the act described in the counseling.
The issuing authority administered the action in a way that violated the member’s rights, for example by failing to provide the three-day acknowledgment window.
The appropriate authority determines the situation warranted either a more or less severe action than an RIC.

The person rescinding the RIC must be equal to or senior in grade to whoever issued it and must be in the member’s current chain of command. Rescission removes the document from the PIF or UIF. If the record has migrated into other Air Force records systems outside the unit PIF or UIF, a commander cannot rescind it, and the member would need to apply to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR) for removal.²

Career and Promotion Impact

A single RIC does not directly subtract points from a Weighted Airman Promotion System score. DAFI 36-2502 contains no mechanism tying an RIC to a specific point reduction.¹⁰ The indirect effects are where the impact shows up. An RIC in the PIF can color a supervisor’s performance evaluation narrative, weaken a promotion recommendation, or undercut an award package. Multiple RICs signal a pattern that makes escalation to an LOC or LOA more likely, and those higher-level actions carry heavier consequences for retention and career progression.

1
Department of the Air Force E-Publishing. Department of the Air Force E-Publishing
2
Department of the Air Force. DAFI 36-2907 Personnel Adverse Administrative Actions
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 886 – Art. 86. Absence Without Leave
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 892 – Art. 92. Failure to Obey Order or Regulation
5
Arizona State University. AFROTC Detachment 025 Annex O – Cadet Counseling
6
Hill Air Force Base. Letters of Counseling, Admonishment, and Reprimands
7
Air Force Privacy Act. Air Force Privacy Act
8
United States Air Force Academy. Helping Agencies – Area Defense Counsel
9
Scott Air Force Base. Office of the Area Defense Counsel Fact Sheet
10
Department of the Air Force. Enlisted Airman Promotion and Demotion Programs