To fill out DA Form 2446, the Army’s Request for Orders, enter the soldier’s identifying information, the requesting unit’s data, the duty type and dates, the duty location, travel and transportation details, the distribution list, and the requester’s signature block, then attach the supporting documents your command requires and route the packet through your S-1. The form is short. The packet around it is where most requests succeed or fail.
DA Form 2446 is governed by AR 600-8-105 and gives units a structured way to submit the data an orders-producing office needs to generate legally sufficient orders for personnel actions like active duty assignments, training periods, and transfers.1U.S. Army Human Resources Command. DA Form 2446 Request for Orders It shows up most often in Reserve Component and National Guard units, though active component units use it as well.
When the Form Is the Right One
Before filling anything in, confirm DA Form 2446 is what you actually need. AR 600-8-105 bars the form from two situations: temporary duty travel, which uses DD Form 1610, and emergency leave, which uses DA Form 31. The one exception is when Format 342 is being used to authorize emergency leave travel for family members traveling without the soldier — DA Form 2446 applies in that narrow case.2AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-105 Military Orders
Units that produce orders through automated systems like TACCS are directed not to use the paper form either. If your unit runs orders through an automated workflow, ask your S-1 which channel to use before you print anything.
What Goes in Each Block
Download the current version from the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil, or pull it through your unit’s publications channels. Then work through the fields in order.
- Soldier identification. Full legal name, grade, and Social Security Number or DoD ID number of the service member being placed on orders. A misspelled name or transposed digit is enough to bounce the packet.
- Requesting unit. The Unit Identification Code and location of the requesting organization.
- Duty type. Enter the specific category — ADT, ADOS, FTNGD, and so on. This block drives funding, retirement credit, and benefits coding downstream, so it must match what the mission actually is.
- Duty location and dates. The specific duty location and the start and end dates. Then calculate the total duty days and check them against the dates. A mismatch between the date range and the day count is one of the most common reasons packets get kicked back.
- Travel and transportation. Indicate whether a government vehicle will be provided or the soldier is authorized private vehicle reimbursement.
- Distribution. AR 600-8-105 requires the distribution list for the resulting order to appear on the form itself, so the orders office knows where to send copies.2AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-105 Military Orders
- Requester’s signature block. The requester’s name, telephone number, signature, and date of request go at the bottom of the form.1U.S. Army Human Resources Command. DA Form 2446 Request for Orders
Fill every field. Blanks and inconsistencies are the single most common reason forms come back, and small discrepancies delay orders by days.
Choosing the Right Duty Type
The duty type you enter determines how the period is funded, how it counts toward retirement, and what benefits the soldier receives. Three categories cover most requests.
Active Duty for Training
ADT covers school attendance, professional development courses, and annual training. Reserve and Guard soldiers use ADT orders for MOS qualification courses and the yearly two-week training requirement. Time served counts toward retirement points but follows training-specific pay and allowance rules.
Active Duty for Operational Support
ADOS fills temporary staffing gaps or supports missions that exceed a unit’s permanent workforce. Assignments are typically non-recurring and can run from a few weeks to a year or more. ADOS is funded differently from training duty, so the classification on the form must be exact or the wrong budget line gets charged.
Full-Time National Guard Duty
FTNGD applies to Guard members serving under Title 32 of the U.S. Code. The federal government funds the duty and sets the rules, but the soldier remains under the command of the state governor rather than the federal chain. Guard soldiers placed on Title 10 orders are in federal active-duty status instead, equivalent to their active component counterparts.3National Guard Bureau. National Guard Duty Statuses The distinction affects deployment authority and veterans’ benefits eligibility, so the duty type block is not just administrative.
Supporting Documents To Attach
The bare form is rarely enough. Most units require a packet, and the contents vary by duty type and command policy. The following attachments are standard at most commands:
- Medical readiness verification. A current MEDPROS readiness status. Units commonly require all individual readiness categories to be current: hearing, vision, dental, immunizations, labs, and periodic health assessment.
- Security clearance verification. Required when the assignment involves access to classified information or restricted areas. Orders offices will not publish orders for a classified billet without confirmation the soldier holds the appropriate clearance level.
- Funding documentation. For ADOS and other funded duty types, proof the funding line has been identified and approved. Without a valid funding citation, the orders office has no authority to publish.
Check with your S-1 or unit administrator before assembling the packet. Some commands maintain checklists that add a memorandum of justification from the requesting commander or a copy of the soldier’s latest fitness assessment.
How Early To Submit
Lead times matter. For ADOS-RC duty, Army Reserve policy requires packets to be submitted no less than 45 days before the duty start date.4United States Army Reserve. Commanding General Policy 22-02 ADOS-RC and OTD Annual training and shorter duty periods typically carry a 30-day lead time, though the exact window depends on component and command. Submitting inside the required window generally triggers a late-submission memorandum signed by an approving authority, which adds friction and can delay processing. Start earlier than you think you need to.
Where the Packet Goes Next
A completed packet enters the command channel through the unit’s S-1 or G-1. S-1 conducts an initial review to confirm every field is filled, the dates do not conflict with other scheduled training, and supporting documents are attached and current. Packets with errors go back to the originator.
Once S-1 clears the packet, it moves to the human resources or orders branch at a higher headquarters. That office verifies funding is available for the duty type and that the soldier meets regulatory qualifications, then publishes the official orders. Approved orders are distributed through digital personnel systems and typically reach the soldier by official military email or through the unit’s administrative chain. Those published orders are the soldier’s legal authority to report for duty and the basis for pay and allowances during the service period.
If Your Unit Uses IPPS-A
The Integrated Personnel and Pay System — Army (IPPS-A) has been absorbing functions that once ran on paper. It centralizes personnel, pay, and talent management into a single platform serving all Army components, and it includes a Personnel Action Request workflow that lets soldiers and administrators initiate, route, and track orders requests electronically.
In units where IPPS-A is fully operational, the digital Personnel Action Request may replace the paper DA Form 2446 entirely, much as TACCS did for the units that had access to it.2AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-105 Military Orders Not every unit or process has migrated at the same pace. If you are unsure which method applies to you, ask your S-1 before you submit; the wrong channel delays orders as reliably as an incomplete form.
Why the Dates and Duty Type Affect Pay
What you write on the form flows straight into the soldier’s pay. Base pay follows the standard military pay table for grade and years of service, but allowances hinge on the specifics.
For Reserve and Guard soldiers, the biggest variable is Basic Allowance for Housing. Reservists on active duty for 30 or fewer days receive BAH at the Reserve Component/Transit rate, a flat non-locality amount that does not adjust for the cost of living at the duty location.5Defense Travel Management Office. Basic Allowance for Housing6Military Compensation and Financial Readiness. Types of BAH Orders exceeding 30 days generally qualify the soldier for the full locality-based BAH rate, which can be significantly higher depending on the duty station. Getting the day count wrong is not just an administrative error; it can cost the soldier real money.
Title status matters too. Soldiers on Title 10 orders receive pay and benefits equivalent to their active component counterparts, including full TRICARE and other active-duty entitlements.3National Guard Bureau. National Guard Duty Statuses Those on Title 32 orders receive federally funded pay and benefits but remain under state command. The duty type block on the form triggers the correct pay and benefits coding, which is why orders offices scrutinize it before publishing.