Family Separation Allowance

Family Separation Allowance (FSA) is a monthly, tax-free payment available to servicemembers with dependents who are involuntarily separated from their families due to military orders. It’s aimed at helping pay for additional costs affecting a servicemember’s family during deployment or orders. 

As of January 1, 2026, the monthly FSA rate is $300. 2026 is the first increase to the FSA in more than 20 years. 

Key Takeaways

• The current FSA rate is $300 for a servicemember
• FSA payments are tax-free, and are aimed at helping military personnel’s families during orders that keep them away from their families due to military orders
• FSA stacks on top of other pay and allowances you already receive, including Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and per diem. 

Qualifications and Eligibility for FSA

You may qualify for FSA if you are an active-duty servicemember with dependents and meet at least one of the qualifying conditions described below. National Guard and Reserve members activated under federal orders may also qualify. Wounded Warriors may continue to receive FSA after their date of injury under the Pay and Allowance Continuation (PAC) Program.

To receive FSA, you must not be performing duty under permissive orders. If your assignment is voluntary and your dependents could travel with you at government expense, you generally will not qualify.

Who counts as a dependent?

For FSA purposes, dependents include your spouse, your children, and, in some cases, a dependent parent. However, you are not considered a member with dependents if:

• Your only dependent is placed in an institution for a year or more
• Your only dependent is a spouse you are legally separated from, or a child in the legal custody of someone else
• You share joint custody of a child, but that child lives with you fewer than 14 days per month
• Your dependent parent does not live in a home you control and maintain

Types of FSA

There are three types of FSA. You may qualify for more than one at the same time, but you can only receive one FSA payment per month.

FSA Restricted (FSA-R)

FSA-R covers situations where your dependents cannot live near your permanent duty station (PDS).

You may qualify for FSA-R if:

• Your dependents do not live near your PDS, and their transportation to your PDS is not authorized at government expense
• You have elected an unaccompanied tour because a dependent cannot travel with you for certified medical reasons

You do not qualify for FSA-R if you chose an unaccompanied tour when an accompanied tour was available to you, unless your branch secretary grants a waiver based on unusual family or operational circumstances.

FSA Ship (FSA-S)

FSA-S applies to sailors and other servicemembers on duty aboard a ship.

You may qualify for FSA-S if:

• Your ship is away from its homeport continuously for more than 30 days, or
• You are under orders to remain on board a ship while it is at homeport, and your total time on board exceeds 30 continuous days

Your dependents do not need to live near the ship’s homeport for you to qualify for FSA-S.

FSA Temporary (FSA-T)

FSA-T covers temporary duty (TDY) or temporary additional duty (TAD) situations.

You may qualify for FSA-T if:

• You are on TDY or TAD away from your PDS continuously for more than 30 days, and
• Your dependents do not live near the TDY or TAD station

FSA-T also applies if you are required to perform TDY before reporting to your initial permanent duty assignment.

If you can commute daily to where your dependents live, or if they live within 50 miles of your duty station or within a 90-minute commute, they are generally considered to live near that station, and you would not qualify based on proximity alone.

FSA Rates

Rate	Amount ($)	Effective Date
Current FSA rate	$300 per month	January 1, 2026
Daily pro-rated rate	$10 per day	January 1, 2026

FSA accrues starting on the day you depart your home station. It ends the day before you return to your permanent duty location. If your separation lasts less than a full month, your payment is prorated at $10 per day.

Dual Military Couples

If you and your spouse are both active duty service members, FSA rules work differently depending on whether you have dependents other than each other.

FSA Rules for Dual Military Couples with Children or Other Dependents

Both of you may receive the full $300 FSA at the same time, for a combined total of $600 per month, as long as you were living together with your dependents immediately before you both received qualifying orders. 

FSA Rule for Dual Military Couples with No Dependents

Only one of you can receive FSA in a given month. FSA goes to the member whose orders caused the separation. If both members receive orders on the same day, FSA goes to the senior member.

Do FSA payments stop when your dependents visit?

FSA does not automatically stop when your dependents visit you. But there are limits, and those limits vary by FSA type.

• FSA-R: Your dependents can visit your permanent duty station for up to three continuous months without affecting your FSA. If the visit extends beyond 30 consecutive days, your FSA pauses and resumes the day they leave. If the visit was clearly intended to exceed three months from the start, FSA stops the day before they arrive.
• FSA-T: Your dependents can visit your TDY or TAD station for up to 30 consecutive days without affecting your FSA. If the visit exceeds 30 days, you lose FSA for that entire period. FSA resumes on the day they leave, as long as your TDY extends beyond 30 days past that date.
• FSA-S: Your dependents can visit any port where your ship is docked for up to 30 consecutive days. If the visit exceeds 30 days, FSA ends the day before they arrive.

In all cases, if one or more dependents visit but not all of them, you may still receive FSA on behalf of the dependents who are not visiting.

If a visit is extended due to illness or another emergency, you may still receive up to 30 days of FSA during that period.

Dependents Evacuated from a Danger Area

If your dependents are evacuated from an overseas danger area, you may be entitled to FSA while they are at an approved safe haven location. A safe haven is any location named in the evacuation order where your dependents are directed to wait while authorities decide whether they return to your duty station or relocate to a designated place.

For an authorized evacuation, FSA is approved retroactively to the date your dependents were evacuated. For an ordered evacuation, FSA does not begin until the 31st day. FSA is not available if the evacuation was caused by misconduct by you or your dependents.

Example: Say your family’s travel to your overseas duty station is disapproved by your commander on July 1 because no government transportation is available. You depart your old station on July 6 and arrive overseas on July 7. Government quarters are not available at your new station. Your family eventually joins you on September 26. In that scenario, you are entitled to FSA from July 6 through September 25, the day before your family arrived.

National Guard and Reserve Members

National Guard and Reserve members activated under federal orders may qualify for FSA under the same general rules as active duty members. Your permanent duty station for FSA purposes is considered the location from which you were ordered to active duty or your place of entry to active duty. You do not qualify if your activation is under permissive orders.

Wounded Warriors

If you are a Wounded Warrior, you may continue to receive FSA after your date of injury under the Pay and Allowance Continuation (PAC) Program. Your FSA continues without interruption even if some of your dependents visit for more than 30 days, as long as not all of them are staying with you beyond the applicable visit limit.

How to Apply for FSA

To start receiving FSA, complete DD Form 1561, “Statement to Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance”. Submit the completed form to your servicing personnel office.

After you submit your form, check your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) to confirm the allowance appears correctly. Delays usually stem from missing documentation or processing errors, not from an eligibility issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FSA taxable income? No. FSA is a tax-free allowance. It does not count toward your gross income for federal tax purposes.

Can I receive FSA and BAH at the same time? Yes. FSA is payable in addition to BAH, per diem, and any other allowances you are entitled to receive.

What is the current FSA monthly rate? The current rate is $300 per month, effective January 1, 2026. For separations of less than a full month, FSA is prorated at $10 per day.

When does FSA start and stop? FSA starts on the day you depart your home station. It ends the day before you return to your permanent duty location or home of record.

I qualify for more than one FSA type. Can I receive both? You can qualify for more than one FSA type at the same time, but you can receive only one FSA payment per month.

What if my dependents visit me during my TDY? It depends on the FSA type and the length of time they stay. For FSA-T, visits up to 30 days do not affect your pay. Visits beyond 30 days suspend your FSA for that period. See the dependent visit rules above for full details by type.

Do I have to reapply for FSA every deployment? You should submit a new DD Form 1561 whenever your duty status changes or you begin a new qualifying assignment. Contact your servicing personnel office to confirm what is required for your specific situation.

I am in the National Guard. Can I receive FSA? Yes, if you are activated under federal orders and assigned to a location where your dependents are not authorized to accompany you, you may qualify. The same general rules that apply to active duty members apply to you.