How to Fill Out and Submit DD Form 1561 for Family Separation Allowance

DD Form 1561 is the Statement to Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance. You complete Part I, your commanding officer completes and signs Part II, and the form goes to your unit personnel office to start the $300 monthly allowance paid to service members who are involuntarily separated from their dependents for more than 30 continuous days.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 37 USC 427 – Family Separation Allowance Download the current December 2017 edition from the Department of Defense Forms Management Program portal before you start; older versions get rejected.2Department of Defense Forms Management Program. DD 1561 – Statement of Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

Which Type of FSA You’re Claiming

Before you touch the form, know which category fits your orders. You’ll enter the answer in Block 5, and each type has its own rules.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Family Separation Allowance

  • FSA-R (Restricted): a permanent change of station to a location where government-funded travel for dependents is not authorized, and your dependents do not live at or near that station. Choosing an unaccompanied tour voluntarily, where dependent travel was authorized, does not qualify.
  • FSA-S (Ship): duty aboard a ship away from homeport, or under orders to remain aboard while at homeport, for more than 30 continuous days.
  • FSA-T (Temporary Duty): TDY or temporary additional duty away from your permanent duty station for more than 30 continuous days, with dependents not living at or near the TDY location.

You can only receive one type of FSA at a time even if your situation technically fits more than one.4Department of Defense. DoD 7000.14-R Financial Management Regulation Volume 7A – Family Separation Allowance

Completing Part I

Have your orders in hand. You’ll need exact dates and the dependents’ current address.

  • Block 1: Full name, last-first-middle initial.
  • Block 2: Current pay grade.
  • Block 3: DoD ID number. The current edition uses DoD ID, not SSN.
  • Block 4: Branch of service and unit or organization.
  • Block 5: FSA type — R, S, or T.
  • Block 6: Reservists being mobilized only. Active-component members leave this blank.
  • Block 7: Full current address of your dependents. The finance office uses this to verify the separation is real, so a bare P.O. box or a blank field will bounce the form back.5Department of the Air Force. DD Form 1561 – Statement to Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

Block 8: The Certification Checkboxes

Block 8 is where most eligibility questions live. Read each statement and mark only the boxes that actually apply to your situation.5Department of the Air Force. DD Form 1561 – Statement to Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

  • 8a: You are not divorced or legally separated from your spouse. If you are divorced, you cannot claim FSA based on spousal separation, though you may still qualify based on dependent children.
  • 8b: Your dependent children were in your legal custody when you received your orders.
  • 8c: Your dependent, other than a spouse, is not an active-duty service member.
  • 8d: Your sole dependent is not in an institution for a known or expected period of over one year.
  • 8e: For a dependent-parent claim, you maintain a residence for that parent and have approved dependency status.
  • 8f: For dual-military couples, whether your spouse was residing with you immediately before the separation, plus their DoD ID number and branch.
  • 8g: Whether your last TDY or deployment was within the last 30 days. This affects backdating when separations occur close together.

Checking a box that doesn’t apply, or skipping one that does, is one of the fastest ways to get the form returned.

Block 9: Acknowledgment and Signature

Block 9 is your written agreement to notify your commanding officer immediately if anything changes: dependency status, dependents moving to or near your duty station, or dependents visiting for longer than the allowed window. The window is 90 continuous days for FSA-R and 30 continuous days for FSA-T and FSA-S. Sign and date in Blocks 9a and 9b.

Part II: The Certifying Officer

Your commanding officer, or a personnel officer with documented “By Direction” authority, completes Part II.6MyNavyHR. Family Separation Allowance (FSA) For FSA-T, Block 10 requires the TDY location and the inclusive dates. One detail worth flagging: the start date in Block 10b is the day you began travel, not the day you arrived at the TDY location. The signature in Block 16d confirms the separation is genuine and the facts on the form are accurate. Without it, the form cannot be processed.

Mistakes That Send the Form Back

Finance clerks see the same errors again and again.6MyNavyHR. Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

  • Submitting the November 2006 version instead of the December 2017 edition. The old version uses different field numbering and lacks key checkboxes.
  • Entering the arrival date in Block 10b instead of the departure date. That difference can shift your entitlement start.
  • Filling in Block 6 as an active-component member. That block is only for mobilizing reservists.
  • Missing certifying-officer signature, or a signature from someone without “By Direction” authority on file.
  • Vague or incomplete dependents’ address in Block 7.

Submitting the Form and Getting Paid

Once both signatures are on the form, take it to your unit personnel office — the S-1, admin section, or your branch’s equivalent. That office reviews it and forwards it to finance or disbursing, which updates your pay record.7Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Family Separation Allowance The monthly rate is $300, effective January 1, 2026.8MyArmyBenefits. Family Separation Allowance (FSA)

Check your Leave and Earnings Statement after one or two pay cycles. FSA should appear in the entitlements column, prorated from the start date of your qualifying separation. If nothing shows up after two full cycles, follow up with finance rather than assume the form is still in queue. FSA is not subject to federal income tax and won’t appear as taxable wages on your W-2.

Reporting Changes When the Separation Ends

FSA stops the day before you return home, not the day you arrive.6MyNavyHR. Family Separation Allowance (FSA) Tell your commanding officer and finance office as soon as the qualifying separation ends: returning from deployment, completing TDY, or dependents moving to your duty station. You also lose entitlement if your dependents visit you at or near your station for more than 30 continuous days under FSA-T or FSA-S, or more than 90 continuous days under FSA-R.

If you don’t report a change promptly, DFAS will eventually catch the overpayment and collect the debt, typically through automatic deductions from future pay. Reporting the change up front is far easier than dealing with a pay inquiry and a repayment plan later. Your signature in Block 9 is the acknowledgment that you understand this obligation, so there’s no ambiguity about it.