DD Form 2293 is the application a former spouse files with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to receive court-ordered payments directly from a military retiree’s pay. To fill out DD Form 2293, you enter your identifying information in Section 1, the retiree’s information in Section 2, the payment type and amount awarded by your court order in Section 3, check off the documents you’re enclosing in Section 4, then sign and date Section 5. Submit the completed form with a certified copy of your court order to the DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate by online upload, fax, or mail.
The form itself is short. What trips people up is the paperwork around it, so gather everything before you open the form.
What to Have in Hand Before You Start
The centerpiece of your application is a certified copy of the court order. The clerk of court must have certified it within 90 days before DFAS receives your package.1Department of Defense. DD Form 2293 – Application for Former Spouse Payments From Retired Pay This applies to every payment type, not just property division. If the certification is older than 90 days when it arrives, DFAS will return the application and you’ll need a fresh copy from the clerk.
The court order must also meet these substantive requirements:
- The issuing court had jurisdiction over the service member through residence (not just military assignment), domicile, or the member’s consent.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Former Spouses’ Protection Act – Frequently Asked Questions
- It is a final decree of divorce, dissolution, annulment, or legal separation, or a court-approved property settlement tied to one of these.
- For property division, it states the payment as a specific dollar amount or a percentage of disposable retired pay. Language like “an equitable share” will be rejected.
- It contains the service member’s Social Security number. DFAS will not process an order without it.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. How to Apply
- For divorces finalized before the member retired, the order includes the member’s “High-3” average pay and years of creditable service as of the divorce date (or total retirement points for Reserve and Guard members).4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1408 – Payment of Retired or Retainer Pay in Compliance With Court Orders
The court order does not need to name the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act.
Beyond the court order, add these depending on what your order awards:
- Property division: a marriage certificate or a court order showing the marriage date, to verify the 10-year marriage overlapping 10 years of creditable service.1Department of Defense. DD Form 2293 – Application for Former Spouse Payments From Retired Pay
- Child support: the names and dates of birth of all children covered.
- Abuse provision claims under 10 U.S.C. 1408(h): the court-martial order and the member’s statement of service.
Where to Get the Form
DFAS offers an interactive “DD Wizard” version on its website, and the plain PDF is available from the Department of Defense forms library.1Department of Defense. DD Form 2293 – Application for Former Spouse Payments From Retired Pay Either produces the same document. Four numbered sections, then a signature block.
Section 1: Your Information
Field 1a: your name exactly as it appears on the court order. Field 1b: your current legal name, if it has changed since the order (through remarriage, for example). Fields 1c through 1f: your Social Security number, mailing address, phone number, and email. Your SSN is required because DFAS reports former spouse payments to the IRS.
Section 2: The Retiree’s Information
Enter the member’s full name, branch of service (active or reserve), and Social Security number in 2a through 2c. The SSN is the critical field. Without it, DFAS cannot match your application to a retirement account. Fields 2d through 2f (current address, phone, email) are optional; fill them in if you have the information.1Department of Defense. DD Form 2293 – Application for Former Spouse Payments From Retired Pay
Section 3: What Your Court Order Awards
This section has three items. Check and complete every one that matches your court order:
- Item (1) — Division of property: enter a dollar amount or a percentage of disposable retired pay per month.
- Item (2) — Child support: enter the dollar amount per month.
- Item (3) — Alimony, spousal support, or maintenance: enter a dollar amount or percentage of disposable retired pay per month.
The amounts and percentages you write here must match the court order word for word. Any mismatch is grounds for rejection. If you leave this section ambiguous about which award types you’re claiming, DFAS defaults to enforcing only the property division portion.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. How to Apply
Section 4: Documents Enclosed
Check the box for each document you’re sending. At a minimum, check 4a for the certified court order. Check 4b if you’re including a marriage certificate for a property division claim. Check 4c and list the children’s information for child support. Box 4e is open space for additional documents or remarks.
Section 5: Sign and Date
Sign and date the form. An unsigned application will not be processed.
How to Submit
Send the completed form and supporting documents to the DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate. DFAS recommends fax or online submission over mail for faster confirmation.5Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Garnishment
- Online: upload through the askDFAS portal in the Garnishment section of the DFAS website.6Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Garnishment Customer Service
- Fax: 877-622-5930 (toll-free).
- Mail: DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate, P.O. Box 998002, Cleveland, OH 44199-8002.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. How to Apply
If you mail the package, use certified mail with return receipt. The 90-day certification clock on the court order runs to the date DFAS receives it, not the date you drop it in the mailbox.
What Happens After You Submit
Once DFAS has a complete application, it must send written notice to the retired service member within 30 days.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1408 – Payment of Retired or Retainer Pay in Compliance With Court Orders That notice includes a copy of the court order. It is not a contest window; if the retiree disputes the order, that fight goes back to state court.
Federal law requires DFAS to begin payments no later than 90 days after receiving a complete application.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Former Spouses’ Protection Act – Frequently Asked Questions If the member hasn’t retired yet, DFAS holds the approved application and starts payments within 90 days of the retirement date. You’ll get written notice when payments are approved, with the amount.
To check status, call the DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate at 888-332-7411, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, or use the askDFAS portal.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. How to Apply
Common Reasons Applications Get Rejected
DFAS returns incomplete or deficient applications, and each round trip costs weeks. The most frequent problems:
- Court clerk’s certification is older than 90 days when DFAS receives the package.
- Service member’s Social Security number is missing from the court order or the form.
- Payment language in the order is vague (“a fair share”) instead of a specific amount or percentage of disposable retired pay.
- Court order doesn’t show jurisdiction over the member through residence, domicile, or consent.
- For pre-retirement divorces, the order omits the member’s High-3 pay and years of creditable service as of the divorce date.
- Section 5 is unsigned.
- Section 3 doesn’t specify whether the payment is property division, child support, alimony, or a combination.
If DFAS rejects your application, you’ll get a letter identifying the deficiency. You can fix it and resubmit; you don’t have to start over. You will, however, need a fresh certified copy of the court order if the original has passed 90 days.
Eligibility Limits to Know Before You File
Filing DD Form 2293 does not create eligibility that the underlying law doesn’t already give you. Two limits catch applicants off guard.
For property division awards, DFAS will only enforce direct payment if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and those 10 years overlap with 10 years of the member’s creditable military service.7Soldier for Life. Former Spouses Child support and alimony have no length-of-marriage requirement.8Military OneSource. Rights and Benefits of Divorced Spouses in the Military
VA disability compensation is not part of the pool DFAS can divide. When a retiree waives retired pay to receive VA disability, that amount drops out of disposable retired pay and cannot be reached through DD Form 2293.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1408 – Payment of Retired or Retainer Pay in Compliance With Court Orders A former spouse’s payment can shrink if the retiree later starts receiving VA disability.