DD Form 108 at a glance
What it is: This APPLICATION FOR RETIRED PAY BENEFITS is used by members and former members of the Reserve Components to apply for retired pay at age 60; the application is reviewed to determine eligibility.
A filled-in DD Form 108 example: an Army Reserve sergeant first class applies for retired pay at age 60
How to fill out DD Form 108, box by box
Tap a group of boxes to open it, and a picture to see it full size.
Where you are applying
Addresses of Headquarters of Armed Forces for purpose of forwarding application for retired pay are listed; the application will be addressed to the Armed Force in which you are presently (or were last) a member.
Applicant name, date of birth and date retired pay begin
Enter your name in the order indicated in Box 2, APPLICANT NAME (Last, First, Middle Initial).
Enter correct date of birth (proof of date of birth) in Box 3, DATE OF BIRTH (YYYYMMDD).
Enter the date you desire retired pay to begin (cannot be before age 60) in Box 4, DATE RETIRED PAY BEGIN (YYYYMMDD).
Present home address, home phone number and highest military pay grade held
In 5a, PRESENT HOME ADDRESS, enter your present home address; in 5b, HOME PHONE NUMBER, enter your telephone number; in 6, HIGHEST MILITARY PAY GRADE HELD, enter highest grade or rating held in Armed Forces.
Present assignment, service number and Social Security Number
In 8a., PRESENT ASSIGNMENT, enter the complete designation of your present organization; if you are presently a member of a National Guard organization, give name of state; if not a member of a reserve organization, enter "none".
In 8a, SERVICE NUMBER, enter service (serial) number; if you have been a member of more than one Armed Force, enter the service number of each, i.e. "2 532 430 ARMY" and "603-1-91NAVY"; in b., SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (if applicable), enter your Social Security Number.
Service before 1 July 1949
Under SERVICE BEFORE 1 JULY 1949, in Item 9 enter the Armed Force and component for periods of service covered in Item 11, for example "Army, USAR", "Navy, USNR"; all enlisted service will include organization to which you were assigned; for National Guard service, include name of state.
In Item 10 enter the highest grade or rating held during each period of service shown in Item 11; in Item 11 enter approximate dates of each individual period of service, example: 2 May 1936 to 1 May 1939; 20 Oct 1942 to 15 Nov 1946.
In 12. ACTIVE DUTY, enter inclusive dates of all periods of active duty performed during each individual period of service indicated in Item 11, a. FROM and b. TO.
Service after 30 June 1949
Under SERVICE AFTER 30 JUNE 1949, in 13. RETIREMENT YEAR enter inclusive dates of each individual year of service performed after 30 June 1949, a. FROM and b. TO; example: 15 Sep 1956 to 14 Sep 1957.
Example: if you were a member of a reserve component on 1 July 1949, your retirement year will be from 1 July 1949 to 30 June 1950; your second year will be 1 July 1950 to 30 June 1951, etc.
If you were not a reservist on 1 July 1949 or have had a break in service since that time, your retirement year will begin on the date of acquiring an active status in a reserve component and end one year later.
In 14, ARMED FORCE AND COMPONENT, enter the Armed Force and component in which you served during each year as shown in Item 13; all enlisted service will also include the organization to which you were assigned during the year specified, and, in the case of National Guard service, name of state.
In 15, GRADE OR RATING, enter highest grade or rating held during each year of service shown in Item 13.
In 16, ACTIVE DUTY, enter inclusive dates of all periods of active duty, including active duty for training, performed during the year or years indicated in Item 13, a. FROM and b. TO.
In 17. RETIREMENT, under POINTS EARNED, enter the total retirement points earned for each period shown in Item 13; for Item 18, this total is to include points earned through drills, correspondence courses, active duty, membership, etc.
Sign and date
Sign on the SIGN line and insert in 19, DATE SIGNED (YYYYMMDD), the date application is prepared; the signature appearing therein must coincide with the name shown in Item 4.
More rules for DD Form 108
NOTE: the primary purpose of Items 9 through 17 is to enable the reviewing authority to verify service which may not be record; detailed completion of these items is not required if all service reflects correctly in your statement of service.
If blocks 9-17 are not completed, you must write a statement across the corresponding spaces that you will accept records of service as maintained by the service department from which you are retiring and sign the statement; using this statement does not preclude your right to have records corrected in the future.
Submission of official statements of service is not required.
If all information required is not readily available, prepare the form to the best of your ability.
Common questions about DD Form 108
What is a DD form 108?
This APPLICATION FOR RETIRED PAY BENEFITS is used by members and former members of the Reserve Components to apply for retired pay at age 60; the application is reviewed to determine eligibility.
Sources
[1] DD Form 108 (NOV 2022), Application for Retired Pay Benefits (the Official source link on this page).
