Military pay, including active duty pay and allowances and retired pay, stops upon a service member’s death. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is a program through which the Department of Defense provides monthly, cost-of-living-adjusted income to eligible survivors of service members who die on Active Duty in the line of duty, including Reserve Airmen and National Guard Airmen who die on Federal Active Duty in the line of duty and Retired Service members who choose to continue participating in the program after they retire.

Service members who retire due to a service-connected disability incurred while on active duty, whether Regular or Reserve, may participate in SBP.

Reserve and National Guard Airmen may participate in the Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) when they complete 20 years of qualifying service for non-regular retirement.

The following table illustrates which program applies to whom, depending on one's duty status and retirement eligibility:

SBP premiums are deducted from retired pay and since April of 2018, DFAS will deduct SBP premiums from Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) when retired pay is not sufficient to cover the full amount of the premiums. This deduction is due to a change in the law which requires DFAS to deduct SBP premiums from CRSC. Click here for more information.

Survivors of service members who die in the Line of Duty on Active Duty may be eligible to receive SBP benefits. Beneficiaries are established by law. There are five categories of survivors who may receive benefits:

1. Former Spouse - with court ordered Former Spouse SBP

2. Spouse and Child(ren)

3. Spouse Only (No Child(ren)

4. Child(ren) Only (No Spouse)

5. Insurable Interest

Former Spouse: SBP benefits may be payable to the former spouse of a service member who dies on active duty only if a court order ordering the former spouse election was issued before the date of the service member’s death or at the service member’s death a pending court case involving SBP subsequently awards the former spouse the SBP. In this situation, the assignment of SBP benefits to the former spouse would preclude payment of benefits to a service member’s surviving spouse or children. Remarriage of the former spouse before age 55 suspends the former spouse's eligibility to receive SBP benefits. The SBP Former Spouse election remains in force in a suspended status, and eligibility is restored if that marriage ends by death or divorce.

Spouse: If no Former Spouse SBP awarded, the spouse is the beneficiary. For surviving spouses with children, benefits (referred to as an "annuity") are paid to the spouse but by law go to any eligible children if the spouse is no longer eligible for the SBP annuity. SBP annuities for survivors of service members who die on active duty are 55% of what the service member’s retired pay would have been if they had retired on that date with a 100% disability, which is 75% of the service member’s highest 36 months' of base pay (or of final base pay for service members who entered military service before 8 September 1980). Under this category, the surviving spouse is the primary beneficiary, and benefits pass on to eligible children only if the surviving spouse dies or remarries before age 55. If the surviving spouse remarries before age 55, eligibility is "suspended", which means that eligibility is restored if the surviving spouse's marriage ends by death or divorce. Remarriage after age 55 has no effect on a surviving spouse's eligibility to receive SBP benefits.

Integration with Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC): Surviving spouses and minor children of service members or Retired Service members whose deaths are determined to be service-connected by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are entitled to tax-free compensation from the VA. This benefit is called Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The Spouse SBP annuity is no longer impacted by DIC. A spouse eligible for both will receive both in full.

Child(ren) Only: If a service member who dies on active duty has SBP eligible children but is not married, benefits are paid under the "Child(ren) Only" category, and all eligible children divide the SBP annuity equally. If the SBP annuity is divided among multiple children, as each child ages beyond the eligibility limit or marry,whichever comes first, the annuity is reapportioned among the remaining eligible children. Ultimately, one child, usually the youngest child, ends up receiving the entire annuity, which then terminates when that child becomes ineligible due to marriage or they reach the eligibility limit. Eligible children include natural children, adopted children, stepchildren, and foster children who lived with the service member in a parent-child relationship. Children may receive SBP benefits until age 18, or age 22 if enrolled full-time in high school, college, vocational or technical school, or another recognized educational institution as long as they remain unmarried. An exception is that if a child reaches age 22 while in school, and their birthday is before July 1 or after August 31 of a calendar year, eligibility continues until the earlier of the child's cessation of full-time studies or the 1st day of July following that birthday. A child who becomes incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability before age 18, or before age 22 while a full-time student, may receive benefits for life, as long as they remain unmarried. For an incapacitated child, the child’s guardian should research the effect of the SBP income on other benefits to which the incapacitated child may be eligible under state or local welfare or support programs. An irrevocable election to pay the SBP annuity for an incapacitated child to a special needs trust set up for the benefit of the child may be made at any time. The Spouse SBP annuity is no longer impacted by DIC. A spouse eligible for both will receive both in full.

Insurable Interest: If, upon the active duty death of a service member, there is no eligible former spouse, spouse, or children, benefits may be paid to a natural person who was either at the service member’s death a dependent with a military Dependent ID card or would have been authorized a dependent ID card. Benefits are payable for life. The SBP annuity is calculated at 55% of what the service member’s retired pay would have been if the service member had retired with a 100% disability on their date of death after first subtracting from the retired pay base the premium the service member would have paid for coverage if the service member had retired and elected such coverage. That premium is 10% of retired pay, plus an additional 5% for each full 5 years the beneficiary is younger than the service member, up to a maximum of 40%.

Continuing Eligibility: Surviving spouses and former spouses are eligible to receive SBP benefits for life. Eligibility is suspended if a surviving spouse or former spouse remarries before age 55, but eligibility is restored if that marriage ends by death or divorce.

Unmarried surviving children may receive SBP benefits until age 18, or age 22 if enrolled full-time in high school, college, vocational or technical school, or another recognized educational institution as long as they remain unmarried. An exception is that if a child reaches age 22 while in school, and their birthday is before July 1 or after August 31 of a calendar year, eligibility continues until the earlier of the child's cessation of full-time studies or the 1st day of July following that birthday. A child who becomes incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability before age 18, or before age 22 while a full-time student, may receive benefits for life, as long as remain unmarried.

Beneficiaries receiving benefits under the "Insurable Interest" beneficiary category remain eligible for life, regardless of age, marital status, or receipt of any other government benefit.

For more information, please contact Air Force Retiree Services at 800-525-0102 or visit the web page at: 
https://www.retirees.af.mil/Library/SBP/

To obtain a detailed estimate of your survivor benefits, including SBP payments to eligible dependents, visit the MyAirForceBenefits Survivor Calculator (CAC or DS Logon account needed):
https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Calculators/Survivor-Benefits

To obtain a detailed estimate of your retired pay and SBP premium costs visit the MyAirForceBenefits Retirement Calculator (CAC or DS Logon account needed:
https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Calculators/Retirement

Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military Compensation SBP website:
https://militarypay.defense.gov/Benefits/Survivor-Benefit-Program/

Air Force Casualty:
https://www.afpc.af.mil/Airman-and-Family/Casualty-Operations/

DFAS "Manage your SBP Annuity" website:
https://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/survivors/manage.html

DFAS “SBP-DIC Offset Phased Elimination News”:
https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/survivors/SBP-DIC-News/