Family Separation Allowance, or FSA, pays $250 a month to service members who are kept away from their dependents by military orders for more than 30 days in a row. It is meant to cover the extra costs a family faces while one parent is gone, such as childcare and home repairs.
Who qualifies
You generally qualify if you have dependents and one of these applies:
- You are deployed, on temporary duty or aboard a ship away from your home port for more than 30 consecutive days.
- You are on an unaccompanied tour, so the military will not move your family to your new duty station at government cost.
- Your dependents are not allowed to live with you at your current assignment.
Two service members married to each other can both qualify if they are separated by orders, though only one may receive FSA in some situations. Your finance office will apply the rules for your case.
When it starts
FSA is paid from the first day of the separation once the separation lasts more than 30 consecutive days. If you deploy on March 1 and return on May 15, you receive FSA for the whole period, not just from day 31.
A separation of exactly 30 days or less does not qualify.
How partial months are paid
FSA is paid at a daily rate of about $8.33, which is $250 divided by 30. A member who is away 75 days receives 75 days of FSA, about $625.
Is FSA taxed?
No. FSA is a tax-free allowance. If you are also in a combat zone, your basic pay may be tax-free as well, so take-home pay rises sharply during deployment.
Why people miss it
FSA usually needs a request. Most members file DD Form 1561 with their unit or finance office. Many units handle it automatically for whole-unit deployments, but members on individual temporary duty or unaccompanied orders often have to ask. If you were away more than 30 days and do not see FSA on your LES, ask finance about back pay.
What it adds up to
On a six-month deployment of about 180 days, FSA adds about $1,500, tax-free. Combined with other deployment pay, the difference can be large. An enlisted member in a combat zone may also receive $225 a month in imminent danger pay, and all of their basic pay becomes tax-free.
For an E-5 with over 6 years and a family at Fort Bragg, normal monthly pay is $6,392.95 before tax: basic pay, BAH and BAS. During a combat deployment, FSA and imminent danger pay add $475. Federal income tax on basic pay also drops to zero.
Common questions
Do I keep receiving BAH while I’m away? Yes. BAH is based on where your family lives at your permanent duty station, so it continues during deployment.
Does a single parent qualify? Yes, if the children are your dependents and orders separate you from them for more than 30 days.
Does FSA apply to Guard and Reserve members? Yes, when they are on active duty orders that separate them from their dependents for more than 30 days.
Is the $250 going up? FSA has been $250 for years. Changes need an act of Congress, and proposals to raise it come up from time to time.
Use the total pay calculator to see your normal monthly pay, then add FSA for any months away.