DFAS-CL Form 1059 is the Direct Deposit Authorization form military retirees and annuitants use to start, change, or cancel direct deposit of retired pay or survivor benefits. You fill in three short sections — your identifying information, your new bank details, and your signature — attach a voided check if the account is a checking account, and send the form to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service by online upload, fax, or mail. Paper submissions take up to 60 days to process, so if you can log in to myPay at mypay.dfas.mil, the same change goes through in three to seven business days.1Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Retired and Annuitant Pay Processing: How Long Does It Take?
What to Gather Before You Start
Have the following on hand before you open the form:
- Your Social Security Number, which DFAS uses to match the form to your pay account.
- Your current mailing address, matching what DFAS has on file or serving as your address update.
- The nine-digit ABA routing transit number for your bank. It sits on the bottom-left of a personal check or on your bank’s website.
- Your full account number.
- The account type: checking or savings.
- A voided personal check or share draft if the account is a checking account. This is a firm requirement, and the form is rejected without it.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Direct Deposit Authorization DFAS-CL Form 1059
For a joint account, note the names exactly as the bank has them recorded. The account title you enter should match, or the deposit can bounce back.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DFAS-CL 1059 Direct Deposit Authorization for Retired and Annuitant Pay
Filling Out the Form
Section I: Recipient Information
Item 1 is your last name, first name, and middle initial, exactly as they appear in your DFAS records. Item 2 is your Social Security Number. Items 3a through 3e are your correspondence address: street, city, state or province, ZIP or postal code, and country. Print clearly. DFAS runs these forms through both automated scanning and manual review, and unreadable entries slow processing or trigger rejection.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DFAS-CL 1059 Direct Deposit Authorization for Retired and Annuitant Pay
Section II: Direct Deposit Account Information
Item 7 asks for the account type. Mark one box, checking or savings, not both. Item 8 is the nine-digit routing transit number; copy it digit by digit from a check or from your bank’s official documentation, because a single transposed number sends your payment to the wrong place. Item 9 is your full account number. Item 10 is the account title, meaning the depositor name or names on the account.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DFAS-CL 1059 Direct Deposit Authorization for Retired and Annuitant Pay
Checking-account filers must attach the voided check before submitting. Savings-account filers don’t attach anything extra, but confirm the routing number with the bank, because some banks use a different routing number for savings than for checking.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Direct Deposit Authorization DFAS-CL Form 1059
Section III: Authorization
Items 12 and 13 are your signature and the date. Both are mandatory. An unsigned or undated form is rejected outright.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DFAS-CL 1059 Direct Deposit Authorization for Retired and Annuitant Pay
If Someone Else Is Signing for You
Military retired pay is governed by federal law, which overrides state rules on powers of attorney. A general power of attorney is not enough for a pay-related change like direct deposit. DFAS accepts one of the following:4Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Powers of Attorney/Third Party Representatives for Retirees
- A Durable Power of Attorney (Immediate). The document must include the word “Durable” in its title, and you must also provide a signed medical statement from an M.D. or psychiatrist confirming the retiree is medically incapable of managing their affairs. The statement must be dated no earlier than four months before DFAS receives it.
- A Durable Power of Attorney (Springing), with the same document requirements. It takes effect only once DFAS has the medical statement.
- A court-appointed guardianship, evidenced by a court order signed by a judge.
- A trustee arrangement, which requires a medical statement. DFAS appoints the trustee, who must post a bond and report annually.
The medical statement itself has four requirements: it must state the retiree is currently incapable of managing their affairs, describe the condition, address the prognosis for improvement, and confirm the determination came from both a physical exam and a mental evaluation. Only an M.D. or a psychiatrist may sign it. Psychologists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners do not qualify.4Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Powers of Attorney/Third Party Representatives for Retirees
Where to Send the Completed Form
There are three ways to submit. The fastest is the askDFAS online upload tool at dfas.mil/askdfas, which lets you scan and send the completed form digitally.3Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DFAS-CL 1059 Direct Deposit Authorization for Retired and Annuitant Pay You can also fax to 800-469-6559 or mail the form. The mailing address depends on your pay type:5Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Pay Deposit Retirees and Annuitants
- Retired pay: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Retired Pay, 8899 E 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200.
- Annuitant, beneficiary, or survivor pay: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Annuitant Pay, 8899 E 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-1300.
If you’re mailing the form with a voided check attached, use a tracked shipping method. The envelope holds your Social Security Number and full bank details, and you want confirmation it arrived.
Processing Time and Verifying the Change
Paper submissions take up to 60 days to process. Keep your old bank account open during that window. DFAS is direct about this point: only close the old account after you’ve received at least one payment in the new one.6Defense Finance and Accounting Service. MyPay Direct Deposit Bank Changes Closing it early sends your next payment back to DFAS, and untangling that can take weeks.
To confirm the change is live, log in to myPay and open your Retiree Account Statement or Annuitant Account Statement. It shows where the most recent payment went and whether the new banking details are active. If something looks off, or if 60 days have passed with no change, call DFAS Retired Pay customer service at 800-321-1080.7Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Retired Military Customer Service
If You Live Overseas
DFAS-CL 1059 is for U.S. bank accounts. Retirees who want payments deposited directly to a foreign bank use a different form, the SF 1199-I, through the International Direct Deposit program, which covers more than 150 countries. Mail the SF 1199-I to the retired pay address in Indianapolis or fax it to 800-469-6559, and allow 45 to 60 days.8Defense Finance and Accounting Service. International Direct Deposit
Paper-Check Waivers Are Narrow
Federal law generally requires government payments to be made electronically.9eCFR. 31 CFR 208.3 – Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer A few exceptions remain: recipients born before May 1, 1921, who were already receiving paper checks on March 1, 2013; a certified mental impairment that prevents managing a bank account; and residence in a remote area without the infrastructure for electronic transactions.10eCFR. 31 CFR 208.4 – Waivers For nearly everyone else, submitting the CL 1059 (or updating through myPay) is the only way to keep payments arriving on time.