Family Separation Allowance

Validated May 2026

Family Separation Allowance (FSA) is a flat monthly tax-free allowance paid to service members who are involuntarily separated from their dependents. It compensates for the added expenses — maintaining two households, dependent travel, and related burdens — that arise when the government's orders keep a member away from family.

2026 Rates

FSA is the same rate regardless of pay grade, branch, or CONUS/OCONUS status. Partial months are pro-rated at $10.00 per day.

Note — PDF discrepancy: DoD FMR Vol. 7A, Ch. 27 §2.3.2 still references the October 2002 rate of $250/month. The current DFAS rate page is authoritative and shows $300/month. The daily pro-rate of $10.00/day confirms the $300 figure (300 ÷ 30 = 10.00).

Eligibility

FSA is payable to any member with dependents (including a member married to another service member regardless of other dependents) who meets at least one of the following three conditions:

FSA-Restricted (FSA-R) — PCS/dependent-restricted tour

• Dependents are not authorized government-expense transportation to the permanent duty station (PDS), and dependents do not live in the vicinity of the PDS; or
• Transportation is authorized at government expense but the member elects an unaccompanied tour because a dependent cannot accompany due to certified medical reasons.

FSA-Ship (FSA-S) — Shipboard duty

• Member is on duty aboard a ship that is away from its homeport continuously for more than 30 days; or
• Member is under orders to remain aboard ship while at homeport for a continuous period of more than 30 days.

FSA-T (FSA-T) — TDY/TAD

• Member is on temporary duty (TDY) or temporary additional duty (TAD) away from the PDS continuously for more than 30 days, and dependents do not reside at or near the TDY/TAD station.

Additional conditions for all types:

• Dependents must not reside within 50 miles (one way) of the duty station, and the member must not commute daily to dependents.
• Separation must be enforced by government requirements — voluntary separations do not qualify.
• Members without any qualifying dependent are ineligible.

Pay Limits

• One FSA per member per month maximum. A member who qualifies for FSA-R, FSA-S, and FSA-T simultaneously may still collect only one $300 payment for that month. (37 U.S.C. § 427; DoD FMR Vol. 7A Ch. 27 §2.1)
• Dual military couples — one per couple, one exception. Only one FSA payment is made per married military couple per month (paid to the member whose orders caused the separation). Both spouses may each receive FSA simultaneously only when each is separately assigned to qualifying duty locations and both were residing together with dependents immediately before each member's separation. (07a_27.pdf §2.3.4.2)
• Voluntary PCS orders disqualify. A member who voluntarily accepts reassignment under permissive orders is not in an enforced separation and is not entitled to FSA-R under those orders. (07a_27.pdf §4.1.1.3)
• No FSA without dependents. The allowance is never payable to a member without qualifying dependents.

What This Means for Your Pay

• FSA adds $300/month on top of all other allowances — it does not offset BAH, BAS, or any other entitlement.
• The clock for FSA-S and FSA-T starts only after 31 continuous days away. The entitlement applies retroactively to day one once the threshold is crossed, but DFAS will not pay before day 31.
• You must file DD Form 1561 with your servicing personnel office. FSA is not triggered automatically — missing this form means missing pay.
• Dependents may visit without breaking your entitlement — but only up to 30 days for FSA-S/T or 3 months for FSA-R. Longer visits stop the clock.
• If your dependents move within 50 miles of your duty station, or you begin commuting daily to them, FSA stops immediately.

Common Mistakes

Using the stale $250/month figure. The DoD FMR PDF (§2.3.2) reflects the October 2002 statutory rate of $250. DFAS has since updated the rate to $300/month. Confirm current rates at the DFAS FSA page before calculating.

Counting voluntary separation as qualifying. Moving dependents elsewhere by personal choice — not because orders prohibit their travel or government transportation is unavailable — is not an enforced separation. FSA-R does not apply. (07a_27.pdf §4.1.1.3)

Dual-couple double-dipping assumption. Most dual-military couples may only collect one FSA per month. The exception is narrow: both members must each be on separately qualifying assignments and the couple with dependents must have been living together before both separations. (07a_27.pdf §2.3.4.2)

Forgetting the commuting-distance rule. If you actually commute daily to your dependents — regardless of the formal distance — FSA does not accrue. The 50-mile rule is a guideline, not a floor. (07a_27.pdf §3.3.1)

Waiting for automatic payment. FSA requires DD Form 1561 submitted to your personnel office. It is not auto-triggered by orders or deployment status.

Citation

Authority: 37 U.S.C. § 427
Regulation: DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR) Volume 7A, Chapter 27 — Family Separation Allowance
Official rate table: DFAS — Family Separation Allowance

Rates validated against DFAS May 2026