How to Fill Out DA Form 31: Request and Authority for Leave

To fill out DA Form 31, the Army’s Request and Authority for Leave, enter your identifying information and unit in blocks 2 through 5 and 8, write the address and phone number where you can be reached during leave in block 6, check the leave type in block 7, enter the number of chargeable days in block 9 and the start and end dates in block 10, then sign block 11. Your supervisor recommends action in block 12, your commander approves in block 13, and blocks 14 and 16 are completed when you actually sign out on departure and sign back in on return. Block 1 is left blank; S1 or the system assigns the control number after approval.¹

One thing to check before you start: most units have moved to the Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A), where an electronic absence request replaces the paper form entirely. If your unit is fully migrated, you won’t be filling out a paper DA 31 at all; you’ll be entering the same information into the PAID tile in IPPS-A self-service.² The information required is identical, so the walkthrough below applies either way.

Where to Get the Blank Form

The official blank is available from the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil. Unit S1 offices usually keep paper copies. The header reads “Request and Authority for Leave” and cites AR 600-8-10 as the governing regulation.¹

Filling In Blocks 1 Through 11

The first page has 17 numbered blocks. You, the soldier requesting leave, fill in the first eleven. Here’s what belongs in each.

Block 1 (Control Number). Leave blank. S1 or IPPS-A assigns this after approval.
Block 2 (Name). Last name, first name, middle initial.
Block 3 (SSN). Social Security Number or DoD ID number.
Block 4 (Rank). Current rank and pay grade.
Block 5 (Date). The date you’re filling out the form.
Block 6 (Leave Address). Street, city, state, ZIP, and phone number where you’ll actually be. This is the number the Army uses to reach you during a recall, so a stale address here can cause real problems.
Block 7 (Type of Leave). Check one box: Ordinary, Emergency, Permissive TDY, or Other. If you check Other, name the type in block 17 (Remarks).
Block 8 (Organization, Station, and Phone). Your unit, duty station, and unit phone.
Block 9 (Number of Days Leave). Total chargeable days requested.
Block 10 (Dates). Start date in 10a, end date in 10b.
Block 11 (Signature). Your signature as the requestor.

Blocks the Chain of Command Completes

You don’t touch blocks 12 through 16 yourself. Block 12 is your immediate supervisor’s recommendation and signature. Block 13 is the approving authority, typically your company commander, granting or denying the request. Block 15 is used only if the leave is later extended.

Blocks 14 and 16 are filled in at the moment of departure and return. On the first day of leave, whoever is manning the sign-out desk (often the charge of quarters or staff duty) records the date and time and signs block 14. When you return, the same happens in block 16.¹ Skipping either creates a mismatch between what the system shows and what actually happened, and that mismatch can hit your leave balance and pay.

The reverse side carries Part II for emergency leave transportation and Part III for dependent travel authorization; these are used only when the specific situation applies.

Choosing the Right Leave Type in Block 7

The box you check determines whether the absence is chargeable against your leave balance. Picking the wrong one can cause pay problems, so match the type to your situation.

Ordinary

Standard chargeable leave — vacations, family visits, personal time. Each day taken reduces your leave balance.

Emergency

For urgent personal crises such as the death or serious illness of an immediate family member. Commanders do not need American Red Cross verification to approve it, though they can request Red Cross assistance if they have reason to question the situation.³ Emergency leave is still chargeable. Soldiers stationed outside the continental U.S. may qualify for government-funded transportation; under USAREUR-AF policy, eligible soldiers receive transportation from their overseas duty station to the nearest international airport in the continental U.S., and travel time on government-funded transport is not charged to the leave balance.⁴

Permissive TDY

Permissive TDY (PTDY) covers specific authorized absences that do not count against your leave balance. The most common uses are house hunting before a permanent change of station and transition activities such as job interviews or workshops before separating from service. Because PTDY is non-chargeable, your command will want documentation showing the absence qualifies.

Other

Check Other and specify in the remarks block for absences that don’t fit the first three boxes. Two common examples:

Convalescent leave. Non-chargeable recovery time prescribed by a healthcare provider for illness, injury, or childbirth. A provider must recommend it in writing, and the commander approves it. Birth parents, for example, receive up to six weeks of maternity convalescent leave. Write “Convalescent” in the remarks.⁵
Terminal leave. Soldiers who are separating or retiring use their remaining balance as terminal leave, departing the unit early while still on active duty and drawing pay and allowances until the balance runs out.

Doing the Same Thing in IPPS-A

The electronic request captures the same information as the paper blocks. From IPPS-A self-service, open the Pay-Absence-Incent-Ded (PAID) tile and select Add to create a new absence request.⁶

For ordinary leave, choose Absence Type “01 – Chargeable” and Absence Reason “Annual Absence.” For a non-chargeable absence like house-hunting PTDY, choose “02 – Administrative” and the matching reason. Enter start and end dates, supervisor information, and your leave address, attach any supporting documents your unit requires, and submit. The request routes through your chain electronically, and you can track its status in the same PAID tile.²

What Happens After You Submit

Paper or electronic, the routing is the same. Your immediate supervisor reviews first, checking dates against training, duty rosters, and mission requirements, then recommends approval or disapproval. The request moves to the approving authority, usually the company commander, who has final say and can approve, deny, or modify the dates based on unit readiness.⁷

Once approved, you sign out on your first day of leave (block 14) and sign back in when you return (block 16). Do both. The signatures are what close the loop between your approved dates and what the pay system actually charges.

If Your Dates Change or You Can’t Make It Back

If you need more time after your leave has already been approved, request an extension through block 15 rather than simply not returning. Failing to return by the date and time on the approved form is not an administrative inconvenience; it is a criminal offense. Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice covers absence without leave and applies to any service member who, without authority, fails to appear at the prescribed time or remains absent from the unit.⁸

Punishment scales with the length of absence. A few hours late might mean extra duty or counseling. Multiple days can lead to nonjudicial punishment under Article 15, reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, or restriction. Absences of 30 days or more raise the question of desertion under Article 85, with far harsher penalties including a dishonorable discharge. If a missed flight or a family emergency is going to push you past your return date, call your chain of command and request the extension. The correction always goes better before the return date than after it.

The Governing Regulation

Every rule the form implements — who approves, what counts as chargeable, when extensions apply — traces back to Army Regulation 600-8-10, which governs all Army leave and pass programs.⁷ For unusual situations such as advance leave, excess leave, or leave taken in conjunction with a PCS, check the current version of AR 600-8-10; unit-level policies cannot override it.

1
Army and Air Force Exchange Service. DA Form 31 – Request and Authority for Leave
2
Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army. IPPS-A Soldier’s Guide
3
DVIDS. Red Cross Verification Not Needed for Emergency Leave
4
U.S. Army Europe and Africa. USAREUR-AF Policy on Emergency Leave and Emergency Visitation Travel
5
MyArmyBenefits. Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP)
6
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Submitting Absence Request (Post P.A.I.D. System Update)
7
Joint Base San Antonio. Army Updates Military Leave Policy
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 886 – Art. 86. Absence Without Leave