When Can You Change Your SBP Election After Retirement?

Changing your SBP election after retirement is possible only inside narrow windows the law sets around specific events: marriage, divorce, the death of a beneficiary, a one-time opt-out between the second and third anniversaries of retirement, and a separate withdrawal path for retirees with a total VA disability rating. Each carries its own deadline, its own form, and its own consent requirements. Miss the window and the opportunity is generally gone unless Congress authorizes an open enrollment, which is rare.

Marriage or Remarriage After Retirement

If you were not enrolled in SBP at retirement and later marry or remarry, you have one year from the date of marriage to elect coverage for your new spouse. The election must be in writing and received by the appropriate service Secretary inside that window.¹

If you were already participating and covering a prior spouse, a new marriage changes your beneficiary situation. Notify DFAS promptly with a copy of the marriage certificate so your records reflect the current spouse.²

Once the one-year window closes without action, the opportunity is generally lost. Congress has occasionally authorized limited open enrollment periods tied to specific legislative changes; the most recent ran from November 2015 to November 2016 and targeted a narrow group of retirees whose former-spouse beneficiaries had died. There is no guarantee another will be authorized.

Divorce and Former Spouse Coverage

Divorce creates two paths for changing an election. A retiree already providing spouse coverage may voluntarily elect to cover the former spouse instead, but the written election must reach DFAS within one year of the date the divorce decree becomes final.¹ That election terminates any previous coverage under the plan.

Alternatively, a court order issued as part of a divorce, dissolution, or annulment can require the retiree to provide former spouse SBP coverage.³ Either the retiree or the former spouse must notify DFAS in writing within one year of the divorce and submit DD Form 2656-1 along with the divorce decree and any court orders requiring coverage.²

Deemed Election When a Retiree Won’t Act

If a court order requires former spouse coverage and the retiree refuses or fails to make the election, the former spouse can request a “deemed election” directly from DFAS. The request must be submitted within one year of the court order, along with a copy of that order, the divorce decree, and a completed DD Form 2656-10.⁴ Once DFAS processes it, the retiree’s pay is reduced as if the election had been made voluntarily. Former spouses can submit through the Garnishment askDFAS portal, by mail to the DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate in Cleveland, or by fax.

Death of a Covered Beneficiary

When a covered spouse dies, coverage terminates immediately and premium deductions stop. Any premiums paid beyond the date of death are refunded.² Notify DFAS as soon as possible with the date of death and a certified death certificate. Delayed reporting can produce overpayments that DFAS will later recoup from your retired pay.

Premiums also stop automatically when no eligible beneficiary remains in a premium category, such as all covered children aging out of eligibility.⁵ Coverage can sometimes resume later, for example when a retiree adopts a child after all previous children became ineligible.

The One-Time Opt-Out Between Years Two and Three

Federal law gives every SBP participant a single, permanent chance to leave the plan entirely. The one-year window opens on the second anniversary of the date your retired pay began and closes the day before the third anniversary.⁶ If you retired on June 1, 2024, the window runs from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027.

Married retirees cannot exercise this opt-out alone. Your spouse must provide written concurrence acknowledging that they are permanently giving up the right to a future SBP annuity.⁶ Without that signature, DFAS will reject the request.

Two consequences matter before you file. Premiums you already paid are not refunded, and the choice cannot be reversed after the window closes. Once you opt out, you cannot re-enroll unless a new qualifying life event, such as a future marriage, creates a fresh election opportunity.

Withdrawal Based on a Total VA Disability Rating

Retirees with a total (100 percent) VA disability rating have an ongoing withdrawal right that is not tied to the two-to-three-year window. You qualify if either of the following applies:⁷

You have held a service-connected disability rated as totally disabling by the VA for a continuous period of 10 or more years.
You have held a total VA disability rating for at least five continuous years immediately following your last discharge or release from active duty.

Withdrawal requires written consent from the beneficiary. For spouse coverage, your spouse must sign DFAS-CL Form 1077 on or after the date you sign it. For child-only coverage, any eligible child over 18 who is not incapacitated must also sign. You can change your mind within 30 days of signing by notifying DFAS in writing.

If the VA later reduces your rating below 100 percent, you may request to resume SBP participation within one year of the new rating. This is one of the few situations where re-enrollment is available after a withdrawal.

Forms You’ll Need

Using the wrong form or submitting incomplete paperwork is the fastest way to have a change rejected. The form depends on the event.

DD Form 2656-6 (Survivor Benefit Plan Election Change Certificate): the primary form for most modifications, including adding a new spouse after marriage, removing a deceased beneficiary, or opting out during the two-to-three-year window.⁸
DD Form 2656-1 (Former Spouse Election Certificate): required specifically for establishing or changing former spouse coverage. Do not use DD Form 2656-6 for former spouse elections.²
DD Form 2656-10: used by a former spouse to request a deemed election when the retiree fails to act on a court-ordered SBP requirement.⁴
DFAS-CL Form 1077 (SBP Withdrawal Consent Form): used only for withdrawal based on a qualifying VA disability rating.

Every form must be accompanied by supporting documentation that matches the life event: a certified marriage certificate for a new spouse, a final divorce decree and any court orders for former spouse coverage, or an official death certificate when a beneficiary has died.⁸ Forms must be signed, dated, and witnessed by a notary public or SBP counselor.² Missing signatures and unnotarized forms are common reasons for rejection.

How to File and What to Expect

Completed forms and documents can be submitted in two ways. The askDFAS online upload portal accepts scanned PDFs of signed forms and certificates.⁹ You can also mail the originals to the U.S. Military Retired Pay office at DFAS in Indianapolis. For deemed elections handled by the Garnishment Law Directorate, use the separate Garnishment askDFAS portal or the Cleveland mailing address.

Processing generally takes 30 to 60 days, though complex cases or high-volume periods can run longer.⁹ Check your monthly Retiree Account Statement to confirm the change went through; you should see updated premium deductions and a new beneficiary designation once processing is complete. Keep copies of everything you submit, including any portal receipts. If 60 days pass with no change on your statement, follow up directly with DFAS rather than assume it is still in progress.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1448 – Application of Plan
2
Defense Finance and Accounting Service. SBP Election Changes After Retirement
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1450 – Payment of Annuity Beneficiaries
4
Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Former Spouse SBP Deemed Election
5
Military Compensation and Financial Readiness. Stopping Survivor Benefits Program
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1448a – Election to Discontinue Participation One-Year Opportunity After Second Anniversary of Commencement of Payment of Retired Pay
7
Defense Finance and Accounting Service. SBP Withdrawal Due to VA Disability
8
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 2656-6 – Survivor Benefit Plan Election Change Certificate
9
Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Retired and Annuitant Pay Forms Library