How to Fill Out and Submit NAVMC 10274: EPAR and S-1 Routing

The NAVMC 10274 administrative action form is the one-page document Marines use to send official requests up the chain of command, and filling it out correctly means completing its 13 numbered blocks according to MCO 5216.19A, signing in black or blue-black ink, and routing it either electronically through EPAR on Marine Online or as a hard-copy package through your unit’s S-1.1United States Marine Corps. MCO 5216.19A The broader formatting rules come from the Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual (SECNAV M-5216.5).

Where to Get a Current Copy

The current version is NAVMC 10274 (REV. 3-93). Headquarters Marine Corps hosts a downloadable PDF, and the MCO 5216.19A publication page on marines.mil also links to the form.2Headquarters Marine Corps. NAVMC 10274 USMC Administrative Action Form Your S-1 should keep blank copies on hand. It’s a single sheet with numbered blocks on the front and endorsement space on the reverse.

Filling Out the 13 Blocks

MCO 5216.19A gives block-by-block instructions. Getting them right on the first pass prevents the kind of administrative bounce-back that adds weeks to a request.3United States Marine Corps. MCO 5216.19A

  • Block 1, Action Number. Insert a consecutive action number if your office tracks a volume of these, or use a correspondence/activity code identifying the office of origin.
  • Block 2, SSIC. Enter the Standard Subject Identification Code that matches the request, using SECNAVINST M-5210.2 for the correct code.
  • Block 3, Date. The date you prepare the form.
  • Block 4, From. For personnel actions, enter your full name, grade, identifier (see the next section on EDIPI versus SSN), and MOS. For internal office correspondence, enter the originating billet title.
  • Block 5, Address of Origin. For personnel actions, the complete address of your company personnel office. Otherwise, the address or identification of the originating office.
  • Block 6, Via. Abbreviate and number each level of the chain that needs to review and endorse the request. Local procedures determine who belongs here.
  • Block 7, To. The complete address of the person or activity making the final decision, usually your Commanding Officer or higher authority.
  • Block 8, Subject. A concise description a reviewer can identify at a glance.
  • Block 9, Copy To. Offices that need only an information copy, not an endorsement role, go here instead of in Block 6.
  • Block 10, References. Marine Corps Orders, instructions, or directives that authorize or relate to the request. Write “None” or “N/A” if nothing applies.
  • Block 11, Enclosures. Each supporting document you’re attaching. “None” or “N/A” if there are none.
  • Block 12, Remarks/Request. State your request, reasons, and supporting detail. Use short sentences and approved abbreviations. Type your name centered on the page, four lines below the last line of text. If space remains below the signature, forwarding actions can begin here.
  • Block 13, Forwarding/Processing. Endorsements and processing actions continue here or on the reverse. Rubber stamps, electronic media, and embossing are all permitted so the whole action stays on one sheet.

Writing Block 12

This is where most Marines spend their time and where most problems come up. State what you’re requesting in the first sentence, then explain why. You don’t need to summarize the references from Block 10 if they’re readily available to the reviewing chain. Keep the tone professional and direct, and stick to facts. A hardship discharge request, for instance, would cite MCO 1900.16 in Block 10 and use Block 12 to explain the specific family circumstances supporting it.4United States Marine Corps. MCO 1900.16 CH 2 – Separation and Retirement Manual

Signing

Sign in black or blue-black ink. The DON Correspondence Manual specifies those colors because photocopiers pick them up well.5Department of the Navy. SECNAV M-5216.5 Correspondence Manual Your typed name sits centered, four lines below the last line of Block 12, and you sign above it.

Identifying Yourself: EDIPI vs. SSN

Block 4 is a common source of confusion because the MCO 5216.19A instructions still reference the last four digits of the SSN, but that language predates the current DoD-wide SSN reduction policy. The DON Correspondence Manual now directs Marine Corps personnel to identify themselves using their unabbreviated grade, first name, middle initial, last name, 10-digit Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (EDIPI, also called the DoD ID number), and MOS.5Department of the Navy. SECNAV M-5216.5 Correspondence Manual The EDIPI is the primary alternative to the SSN across DoD and should be used as a substitute whenever possible.6Department of Defense. Reduction of Use of Social Security Numbers in the Department of Defense

DoD Instruction 1000.30 requires all DoD personnel to reduce or eliminate SSN use wherever possible, and full SSNs shouldn’t appear on physically mailed documents without special authorization.7Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 1000.30 – Reduction of Social Security Number Use Within DoD Use your EDIPI as the default identifier in Block 4. Include the last four of your SSN only if your command or the specific action requires it.

Because the form collects personally identifiable information, it falls under the Privacy Act of 1974. Once you decide to apply for a benefit or service, disclosure of information on personnel and pay record forms is mandatory, and declining to provide it can result in denial or delay.

Getting References and Enclosures Right

Block 10 gives your request its legal or regulatory backbone. Every request should cite the specific Marine Corps Order, instruction, or directive that authorizes the action. A Marine requesting permissive TAD for a house-hunting trip, for example, would cite the relevant section of the Joint Travel Regulations. If nothing applies, enter “N/A,” but most actionable requests do have a governing order, and citing it saves the reviewer from having to hunt it down.

Block 11 lists the supporting documents you’re attaching or uploading. Number each enclosure sequentially and describe it clearly. Write “Encl: (1) Medical evaluation dated 15 Jan 2026” rather than just “Medical records.” Well-labeled enclosures make a real difference in how a package is handled. When submitting through EPAR, upload each enclosure as a separate file with its own description so reviewers can find what they need.

Submitting Through EPAR on Marine Online

The Electronic Personnel Action Request system on Marine Online is the primary digital method for routing the AA form through your chain of command.8HQMC Marines. How to Submit an EPAR on Marine Online

  • Log in to MOL at https://mol.tfs.usmc.mil/ with your CAC.
  • Open MyEPAR from the menu and click “Create New EPAR Record” on the left side of the screen.
  • Verify the prepopulated information, especially your work email and work phone.
  • Pick a subject category from the dropdown. The system then displays subject instructions and any required forms for that action.
  • Under the Notes tab, describe the action you’re requesting and any relevant source documentation, then click “Add Note.”
  • Under the Files tab, upload your signed NAVMC 10274 and all enclosures. Add a description to each file, especially when you’re attaching more than one.
  • Double-check everything, then click “Submit EPAR.” “Save Changes” lets you come back to it later.

After submission, the EPAR moves to command personnel for review. The History tab shows every action taken and where the request currently sits.9Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler. IPAC Inbound How to Create and Submit EPARs As a rough benchmark, the Regional Personnel Administration Center aims to complete EPARs within five business days after receipt, though complex requests and those needing multiple endorsements take longer.10Marine Corps Installations East. Regional Personnel Administration Center SOP

Submitting a Hard Copy Through S-1

You can also submit a printed package through your unit’s S-1 administration office. Print the completed form, sign it in black or blue-black ink, and attach all enclosures in the order listed in Block 11. S-1 clerks log the submission and route it for endorsement. Hard copy is often preferred for complex legal matters where original signatures carry more weight, or when system access isn’t available.

How the Chain of Command Reviews It

The “Via” entries in Block 6 control how the form moves through leadership. Each person in that chain reviews the request, adds an endorsement recommending approval or disapproval, and forwards it. Those endorsements go in Block 13 or on the reverse. If space remains below your signature in Block 12, they can begin there.3United States Marine Corps. MCO 5216.19A

A supervisor recommending disapproval must explain why in writing. Those notations build a documented trail of leadership input that the final decision-maker weighs. No request reaches the Commanding Officer without having been reviewed by the people closest to your situation.

After the Decision

If the request is approved, the final decision-maker endorses the form and it is routed for processing. Depending on the action, that can mean a diary entry in the Marine Corps Total Force System, updated orders, or other administrative changes.

If the request is denied, MCO 5216.19A requires your immediate endorsing senior to personally return the disapproval. That senior hands back the form with the commander’s disapproval endorsement and verbally counsels you about the reasons. A copy of the request and the disapproval endorsement is then forwarded to the activity that would have taken final action.3United States Marine Corps. MCO 5216.19A A Marine whose request is turned down should hear the reasoning directly from a leader, not from a system status update.