Gray area · paycheck

Apply for Reserve retired pay

Retired pay does not start itself. Submit 9 months to 90 days before age 60 or your reduced-age date. Army: DD 108 + DD 2656 to HRC Gray Area Retirements. Work it with an RSO. Recut from Soldier for Life / HRC. I will not file it.

1. 01

   Know your eligibility date

   Usually age 60. Reduced age is earned in 90-day qualifying active-duty blocks after 28 Jan 2008, floor 50. Drill does not count. The reduced-age tool on this site is a worksheet — HRC is the authority.

2. 02

   Build the packet early

   DD Form 108, DD Form 2656, 20-year letter, DA 5016 / points, promotion and Retired Reserve orders, DD-214s, and mobilization orders if you claim reduced age. Recut from HRC: you can submit up to nine months early; file at least 90 days before the pay date.

3. 03

   Send it through an RSO, then HRC

   Army Reserve: Readiness Division RSO. Guard: state RSO. Soldier for Life lists them. HRC Gray Area Retirements accepts the packet. Other services have their own personnel centers — use theirs, not this Army door.