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DD FORM 2656 INSTRUCTIONS, MARCH 2022
PREVIOUS EDITION IS OBSOLETE.
CUI (when filled in)
CUI (when filled in)
ITEM 18. This refers to the whole dollar amounts of total withholding(s)
claimed.
ITEM 19. If you are not a U.S. citizen, provide, on an additional sheet, a list of
all periods of ACTIVE DUTY served in the continental U.S., Alaska, and
Hawaii. Indicate periods of service by year and month only. List only service at
shore activities; do not report service aboard a ship.
For example:
FROM (Year/Month) DUTY STATION TO (Year/Month)
2021/06 NAVSTA, Norfolk, VA 2021/07
NOTE: This information may affect the portion of retired/retainer pay which is
taxable in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code if you maintain a
permanent residence outside the U.S., Alaska, or Hawaii.
ITEM 20. Enter the dollar amount as they relate to claim dependents.
ITEM 21. Enter other income that is not from jobs. This may include interest,
dividends, and retirement income.
ITEM 22. Enter deductions if you expect to claim deductions other than the
standard deduction and want to reduce your withholdings.
ITEM 23. Enter extra withholdings. Enter any additional tax you want withheld
each month. If exempt from Federal taxes, enter ‘EXEMPT’.
SECTION VII - VOLUNTARY STATE TAX WITHHOLDING.
Complete this section only if you want monthly state tax withholding. If you
choose not to have a monthly deduction, you remain liable for state taxes, if
applicable.
ITEM 24. Enter the name of the state for which you desire state tax withheld.
ITEM 25. Enter the dollar amount you want deducted from your monthly
retired/retainer pay. This amount must not be less than $10.00 and in whole
dollars (Example: $50.00, not $50.25).
ITEM 26. Enter only if different from the address in Item 9.
PART II - LUMP SUM ELECTION.
OPTIONAL. Only complete Part II if you are:
• Covered under the Blended Retirement System; AND,
• Want to elect a partial lump sum of retired pay
If you ARE NOT covered under the Blended Retirement System or DO NOT
want to elect a partial lump sum, proceed to PART III of the form.
SECTION VIII - BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM LUMP SUM ELECTION.
ITEM 27. Indicate in Item 27.a. or 27.b. whether you intend to receive a 25
percent or 50 percent lump sum of retired pay.
ITEM 28. If indicating in Item 27.a. or 27.b. that you desire to receive a lump
sum of retired pay, indicate in 28.a. through 28.d. whether you would like that
in one payment or a series of equal, annual installments over 2, 3, or 4 years.
ITEM 29. Before signing in Item 30, you must read the considerations listed in
Item 29. You are highly encouraged to review your options with a financial
professional and compare your estimated retirement benefits with or without a
lump sum using the online calculator located at
https://militarypay.defense.gov/calculators/BRS.
ITEM 30. If you mark Items 27 and Items 28, you must sign Item 30.a., and
indicate the date you are signing in 30.b. The date in 30.b. must be at least 90
days prior to the date of your retirement or the date you transfer to the Fleet
Reserve (shown in Item 4, this is also the same date indicated on your DD 108
request for retirement). If you are a Reserve/National Guard member qualified
to receive retired pay with a non-regular retirement, the date in 27.b. must be
90 days prior to the date upon which you will be eligible to begin receiving
retired pay (shown in Item 4, this is also the same date indicated on your DD
108 request for retirement).
If you are NOT electing a lump sum of retired pay, DO NOT SIGN Item 30.
PART III - SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN.
It is very important that you are counseled and are fully aware of your options
under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). SBP pays your eligible beneficiary or
beneficiaries an inflation-protected annuity, based on your retired pay, in the
event of your death. The cost of SBP is subsidized by the government, but
you will be required to pay a portion of the cost of SBP through deductions
from your retired pay. All retiring active duty members and all members of the
Reserves / National Guard who complete 20 qualifying years of service are
automatically fully covered under the SBP or the Reserve Component SBP
(RC-SBP) unless electing to reduce or decline this coverage. Special
requirements for reducing or declining coverage are provided in Part III.
SECTION IX - DEPENDENCY INFORMATION.
ITEM 31. Provide your spouse's name, SSN, and date of birth. If no current
spouse, enter "N/A" and proceed to Item 34.
ITEMS 32 and 33. Enter the date and location of your marriage to your current
spouse. In Item 32, if marriage occurred outside the United States, include
city, province, and name of country.
ITEM 34. If you do not have dependent children, enter "N/A" in this Item. If you
do have dependent children, provide the requested information. Designate
which children resulted from marriage to a former spouse, if any, by indicating
(FS) after the relationship in Item 34.d.
ITEM 34.e. Enter YES or NO as appropriate. A disabled child is an unmarried
child who meets one of the following conditions: a child who has become
incapable of self-support before the age of 18 or a child who has become
incapable of self-support after the age of 18 but before age 22 while a full-time
student. Substantiation is required. Submit a medical evaluation prepared by
a medical professional showing the disabling condition, the age of onset of the
condition, the past medical history and how the condition precludes the
potential beneficiary from being-self supporting now and in the future. If
answering yes, attach documentation.
SECTION X - SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN (SBP) ELECTION.
In this section, you will be able to indicate your desired SBP election and
designate the beneficiary for SBP in the event of your death. If you make no
election, you will automatically receive maximum coverage for all eligible
family members (spouse and/or children). If you elect to reduce or decline
your coverage, your spouse will have to concur with that decision, with the
exception of a former spouse or former spouse and child election. You may
discontinue your SBP participation within one year after the second
anniversary of the commencement of retired/retainer pay. Termination of SBP
is effective the first of the month after DFAS - Cleveland Center (or the Coast
Guard PPC for non-DOD members) receives the SBP disenrollment request.
There will be no refund of SBP costs paid for the period before the SBP
disenrollment. You are advised to consult with a SBP Counselor or
Retirement Services Officer prior to completing this section.
ITEM 35. RESERVE COMPONENT ONLY. Information to complete this
section can be found on the DD Form 2656-5 or the previous DD Form 1883,
you submitted when you were first notified that you had completed 20 years of
creditable service, known as your “Notification of Eligibility (NOE).” If you
received your NOE prior to January 1, 2001 and did not make an election
within 90 days of your NOE, RC-SBP was declined by default. Reserve or
National Guard members who previously completed 20 qualifying years of
service are automatically covered under the RC-SBP unless electing, within 90
days of receiving their Notification of Eligibility, to decline this coverage.
Indicate in Item 35.a., 35.b., or 35.c. your previous election. If you elected
immediate coverage (Item 35.c., or “Option C”), elected coverage to begin at
age 60 (Item 35.b., or “Option B”) or made no election previously, this remains
your coverage and cannot be changed. However, Reserve/National Guard
members who declined to make an election until reaching the age of eligibility
to receive retired pay (Item 35.a., or “Option A”), or who were unmarried and
had no eligible children at initial RC-SBP election and made no subsequent
RC-SBP election must complete Items 36 and 37 (and Items 38 through 40 if
applicable). If you elected either Immediate (Option C) or Deferred (Option B)
RC-SBP coverage and the elected beneficiary is no longer eligible, provide
supporting documentation with this form.
