Which document is this? DD Form 2560, official title DD Form 2560, Advance Pay Certification/Authorization, March 1990. What does it do? It exists to Advance Pay Certification/Authorization. Everything on this page builds on those two facts.
Does it apply to your branch? Yes. The DD prefix means Department of Defense, not one service, so the same blank serves the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and the Coast Guard under Defense jurisdiction. There is no Army version and no Navy version to search for.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
Which edition should you have? not stated, listed as not stated. A copy dated otherwise is a copy worth replacing.
What the form asks for
- Part 1 - Request. 1. Name (last, first, middle initial).
- 2. Social security number. Do not include dashes.
- 3. Grade.
- 4. I request: Press space bar to mark X in first box if a. one month advance pay, or second box if b. more than 1 month but less than 3 months basic pay less deductions.
- If b., specify amount.
- 5. I request a repayment schedule of: X first box if a. 12 months or less, or second box if b. 13 - 24 months.
- If a., specify number of months.
- If b., specify number of months.
- 6. I request payment of the advance pay: X first box if a. within 30 days of PCS or 60 days after reporting to my next PDS, second box if b. 31 - 90 days before my PCS, or third box if c. 61 - 180 days after arrival at my PDS.
- 8.a. Amount, line 1.
- Amount, line 2.
- Amount, line 3.
- Amount, line 4.
- Amount, line 5.
- Amount, line 6.
- 9. Total expense amount.
- Part 2 - Certification of Expenses. 7. Expense. a. Line 1.
- 7.b. Expense, line 2.
- 7.c. Expense, line 3.
- 7.d. Expense, line 4.
- 7.e. Expense, line 5.
- 7.f. Expense, line 6.
- 10. Explanation of the circumstances where greater-than-normal expenses might be incurred or circumstances requiring an early or late payment of advance pay.
- Part 3 - Justification for more than 12 months payback. 11. Number of dependents.
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 2 pages with roughly 42 fields to complete.
Why will not the xfdl file open? Because it is not a pdf. Xfdl belongs to IBM Lotus Forms, long the Department's electronic form format, and it needs IBM Lotus Forms Viewer or an equivalent reader installed first.
Is there a charge? No — free, all formats. Where should you open the file? In a full pdf application on your own machine. Browser-embedded viewers handle field properties unpredictably.
In what order do you complete it? The printed order, top to bottom. Header data comes before the body, and the body before the signature block. The sequence is not decorative — later entries are keyed to earlier ones.
Why does the edition matter so much here? Because DD forms are revised centrally. When the Department reissues one, it reissues it for all branches simultaneously, and the field layout can shift. Compare the printed date against not stated before you type anything.
Can you leave fields blank? Not safely. A reviewer cannot tell a deliberate omission from a missed question, so mark inapplicable items N/A. And date fields? Match the format shown on the form — conventions differ, and misreading a date is easy.
What does the Privacy Act notice cover? Four things: the legal authority behind the collection, the purpose, the routine uses, and whether disclosure is required. When should you read it? Before entering personal information, while the choice is still open.
Is a typed name enough? No. The signature block takes an actual signature: pen on paper, or a digital signature applied with your Common Access Card where the receiving system accepts one. Add the date beside it before you close the file.
What goes wrong most? The same short list: old edition, empty fields, illegibility, wrong date format, missing signature or date.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
What happens after you finish? It routes to the office specified in not stated or in local guidance. And your own record? Save a duplicate first; nobody regrets having one.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Can you assume a matching number is the same form? No, and this is where downloads go wrong. Read the prefix. Army numbering and Department numbering are independent systems, so the digits alone tell you nothing about which document you need.
Why do editions change at all? Three reasons, mostly: the prescribing directive gets reissued, the information collected changes, or the required notice language is amended. Are you notified when it happens? No. Which is why confirming not stated at the moment you download is worth the few seconds.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2560?
- DD Form 2560, Advance Pay Certification/Authorization, March 1990
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?