RI 20-97, Estimated Earnings During Military Service, is a form from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Retirement Operations Center that you send to your branch's military finance center to request your estimated basic pay. The estimate is needed to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for retirement credit. You complete blocks 1 through 11 and attach your discharge papers; the finance center's authorized official furnishes the estimate. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the form is published by OPM and is sent to the military finance center, not to FillingPDF.
Last updated
What is RI 20-97?
RI 20-97, Estimated Earnings During Military Service, is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) form a person sends to the applicable Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) or other military finance center to request the estimated basic pay earned during active military service.
The form states why the figures are needed: the uniformed services must provide Federal employees' estimated basic pay for military service performed after December 31, 1956, and that pay is needed to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for retirement credit.
You complete blocks 1 through 11: your identifying details, branch of service, signature, relationship to the person named, where the information should be sent, and the dates of active service. The authorized official at the finance center completes the earnings section (blocks 12 through 14), then signs and dates the form with a typed name, title and telephone number (blocks 15 through 19).
The form does not cover service before January 1, 1957: it says not to provide estimated earnings for any earlier period. DFAS cannot give an estimate without verification of your active duty service, so the form must go with your DD 214 or its equivalent. Use a separate RI 20-97 for each branch of service. The printed form warns that previous editions are not usable.
Who needs to file RI 20-97?
Use RI 20-97 if you have active military service after December 31, 1956 and need the estimated basic pay for that service in order to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for retirement credit. The form is about Federal employees' military service pay.
The person who asks for the estimate does not have to be the person who served. Block 8 asks for the requester's relationship to the person named, with three choices: the person named is the requester, a survivor, or other (specify). The requester signs in block 7 and gives a name and address in block 10 where the information will be sent.
Exclusions and limits stated on the form:
- Do not request estimated earnings for any period of service before January 1, 1957.
- If you served in more than one branch, use a separate RI 20-97 for each branch.
- Dates of service must be based on the DD 214 or equivalent certification, because DFAS cannot provide estimated earnings without verification of active duty service.
When to file RI 20-97
Send RI 20-97 when you need the estimated basic pay for your military service after December 31, 1956, to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for retirement credit. The form prints no filing deadline or validity period.
Have your DD 214 or equivalent ready before you start, because the dates in block 11 must be based on it and the finance center cannot provide an estimate without verifying your active duty service. If you served in more than one branch, prepare one form per branch at the same time. Use the current edition; the form says previous editions are not usable. The form gives no processing time, but the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps sections of the form note that the Ask DFAS online upload tool expedites processing time.
Documents you need
- Honorable Discharge, DD 214 or its equivalent: the form says to attach it, and the dates of service in block 11 must be based on it or an equivalent certification.
- Any available records of pay or promotions: attach them with the form; DFAS cannot provide estimated earnings without verification of your active duty service.
How to fill out RI 20-97
Enter your name and other names
Block 1: name as last, first, middle. Block 2: any other names used.
Enter Social Security Number and birth date
Block 3: Social Security Number. Block 4: date of birth in mm/dd/yyyy format.
List service numbers and branch
Block 5: all military service numbers. Block 6: branch of service. Use a separate form for each branch in which you served.
Sign, date and state relationship
Block 7: signature of the requester. Block 8: check Person named is requester, Survivor or Other, and specify if Other. Block 9: date.
Give the requester's contact details
Block 10: name and address where the information will be sent, plus telephone number with area code and email address.
Enter active service dates
Block 11: enter the From and To dates in mm/dd/yyyy format for active service after December 31, 1956, based on the DD 214 or equivalent. Do not include periods before January 1, 1957.
Leave blocks 12 through 19 blank
The authorized official at the finance center completes the earnings, service-start date and lost-time entries (blocks 12 through 14) and signs with typed name and title (blocks 15 through 19).
Gather the attachments
Attach your Honorable Discharge, DD 214 or its equivalent and any available records of pay or promotions.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that blocks 1 through 11 are complete and the dates match your DD 214. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, then send it to your branch's finance center as described under How to submit.
How to submit RI 20-97
Send the completed form to the finance center for your branch of service, by mail or, for some branches, by phone, fax, email or online upload, as listed on the reverse of the form. You do not send it to OPM. Attach your Honorable Discharge, DD 214 or its equivalent and any available records of pay or promotions.
- Army: DFAS - Indianapolis Center, Attention: Verifications Section (Estimated Earnings), 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-0865. Phone 1-800-729-3277 (option #4).
- Air Force: DFAS - Indianapolis Center, Attention: Verifications Center (Estimated Earnings), 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-0875. Phone 1-800-729-3277 (option #4).
- Navy and Marine Corps: DFAS - Indianapolis Center - JFVBB, Attention: Verifications Section (Estimated Earnings), 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-0875. Phone 1-800-729-3277 (option #4).
- Online upload (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps): the Ask DFAS tool at https://corpweb1.dfas.mil/askDFAS/ticketInput.action?subCategoryID=23276, which the form says expedites processing time.
- Coast Guard: Commanding Officer (ADV/SV), Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center, 444 Southeast Quincy Street, Topeka, KS 66683-3591. Phone 785-339-2200; email [email protected].
- NOAA: NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 12100, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.
- Public Health Service: U.S. Public Health Service, Division of Commissioned Personnel and Readiness, Commissioned Corps Compensation, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Plaza Level, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20852. Phone 240-276-8799; fax 240-276-8817; email [email protected].
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Requesting estimated earnings for service before January 1, 1957; the form says not to provide estimates for any earlier period.
- Sending the form without the DD 214 or equivalent and any available pay or promotion records; DFAS cannot give an estimate without verification of active duty service.
- Using one RI 20-97 for service in different branches; the form requires a separate form for each branch.
- Basing the service dates in block 11 on memory or other papers instead of the DD 214 or equivalent certification.
- Leaving any of blocks 1 through 11 incomplete; the instructions say you must complete all of them.
- Sending the form to OPM or to the wrong branch's address instead of the military finance center listed on the reverse for your branch.
- Using an older edition of the form; the form states that previous editions are not usable.
- Omitting the signature in block 7 or the relationship in block 8 when a survivor or other person is the requester.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form RI 20-97 used for?
RI 20-97 requests the estimated basic pay you earned during military service after December 31, 1956. The figures are needed to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for retirement credit. The military finance center for your branch provides the estimate.
Where do I send RI 20-97?
Send it to the finance center for your branch, not to OPM. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps requests go to DFAS - Indianapolis Center, 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN. Coast Guard, NOAA and Public Health Service have their own addresses on the reverse of the form.
What documents do I attach to RI 20-97?
Attach your Honorable Discharge, DD 214 or its equivalent, and any available records of pay or promotions. DFAS cannot provide estimated earnings without verification of your active duty service, so the DD 214 or equivalent is essential.
Do I need a separate RI 20-97 for each branch of service?
Yes. The form says to use a separate RI 20-97 if you had military service in a different branch of service. Each form goes to the finance center for that branch.
Can RI 20-97 cover service before 1957?
No. The form says not to provide estimated earnings for any period of service before January 1, 1957. Only active service after December 31, 1956 is entered in block 11.
Can a survivor request the estimate?
Yes. Block 8 lets the requester check Person named is requester, Survivor or Other (specify). The requester signs in block 7 and gives the address in block 10 where the information will be sent.
How can I get a copy of my DD 214?
The form says recently separated veterans may find records through the VA and Department of Defense eBenefits portal. You can also request military service records from the National Archives and Records Administration at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.
Can I fill out RI 20-97 online on FillingPDF?
You can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not send the form to DFAS or any finance center; you submit it through the channels on the reverse of the form.
Ready to fill out RI 20-97?
Fill out RI 20-97 now