Military Benefits After Marriage: Everything You Need to Update
Getting married while serving in the military comes with more than a new last name and a marriage certificate. Your marriage can affect your military records, health insurance, housing allowance, life insurance, emergency contacts, taxes, and other benefits.
The good news: most of these updates are straightforward. The important part is knowing what needs to be changed, and in what order.
This guide walks through the major benefits and records service members should review after getting married. We also included a Newly Married Military Checklist at the bottom of the article to help guide you.
Remember: Benefits and procedures can vary based on your branch, duty status, location, state of residence, and individual circumstances. Always verify current requirements with your personnel office or the appropriate government agency.
1. Get Certified Copies of Your Marriage Certificate
Before updating your military benefits, make sure you have an official or certified copy of your marriage certificate. You can get this from the appropriate state office, usually at city or town hall.
Consider ordering several copies. You may need documentation when updating military records, Social Security information, financial accounts, insurance, or other records.
Do this first: Many of the updates below may require proof of your marriage.
2. Add Your Spouse to DEERS
One of your most important first steps is adding your spouse to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).
DEERS is the Department of Defense database used to establish eligibility for many military benefits. If you do not add your spouse to DEERS, you cannot take advantage of the benefits discussed below.
Adding your spouse to DEERS generally requires an in-person visit to a RAPIDS ID Card Office and supporting documents. Requirements can vary, so check what documents your location requires before your appointment. Generally, be prepared with your marriage certificate, your spouse's birth certificate, social security card, photo ID, and any legal name change documentation (if applicable). Here is the complete list of acceptable forms of ID: List of Acceptable Documents 2025.
Once properly enrolled, your spouse can generally receive a military dependent ID card and become eligible for applicable benefits.
3. Enroll Your Spouse in TRICARE
Adding your spouse to DEERS and enrolling your spouse in a TRICARE health plan are related but not the same thing.
Marriage is generally considered a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event (QLE). This creates a limited period in which you can make eligible changes to your TRICARE coverage.
Depending on your status and location, your spouse may have different TRICARE options available.
After updating DEERS:
Review the TRICARE plans available to your family.
Determine whether your spouse needs to enroll in a plan.
Complete any required enrollment within the applicable QLE window.
Update your spouse's primary care manager if necessary.
Don't put this off. Missing the QLE enrollment window can limit when you can make certain changes.
4. Check Your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
Marriage can change your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) entitlement.
For many service members, getting married changes their dependency status from without dependents to with dependents, which can result in a different BAH rate.
However, getting married does not mean that the military simply adds a fixed "spouse payment" to your paycheck. BAH depends on factors including your duty location, pay grade, and dependency status.
After getting married, make sure your personnel and pay records accurately reflect your new dependency status so you get BAH with dependents.
Check your LES afterward. Don't assume the change was processed correctly just because you submitted the paperwork.
5. Update Your Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
Marriage is a good time to review your Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or other life insurance coverage and beneficiary designation.
Do not assume your spouse automatically becomes your beneficiary simply because you got married.
Review:
Your current SGLI coverage amount
Your primary beneficiary
Any contingent beneficiaries
The percentage assigned to each beneficiary
Service members can generally manage SGLI coverage and beneficiary information through the SGLI Online Enrollment System (SOES).
Even if you want to keep your existing beneficiaries, marriage is a good reason to confirm that your current designation still reflects your wishes.
6. Review Family SGLI Coverage
Eligible spouses and dependent children may also receive coverage through Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI).
Spousal coverage and premiums can depend on the circumstances, including whether the spouse is also a service member.
After marriage, verify:
Whether your spouse has FSGLI coverage
The amount of coverage
Any applicable premiums
Whether you want to make changes
Life insurance is easy to overlook during the excitement of getting married, but this is one of the most important financial protections to review.
7. Update Your Record of Emergency Data
Your military maintains information identifying who should be contacted in an emergency and who may receive certain benefits or notifications.
After marriage, review your Record of Emergency Data, commonly associated with DD Form 93.
Depending on your branch and system, you may be able to make these updates electronically.
Review your:
Emergency contact
Next-of-kin information
Beneficiary information for applicable benefits
Addresses and contact information
This is one record you want to be completely accurate before it is ever needed.
8. Review Your TSP Beneficiary
Your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is separate from your SGLI and other military beneficiary designations.
Marriage is an important time to review who will receive your TSP account if you die.
Beneficiary rules can be complicated, particularly after major life events. Don't assume that changing a beneficiary in one military system changes it everywhere else.
Review your TSP beneficiary designation directly through the TSP.
9. Consider Transferring Your Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits
Marriage may give you another option for your unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits: transferring them to your spouse. But there is an important catch. You cannot wait until after leaving the military and then decide for the first time that you want to transfer your GI Bill. Transfer of Education Benefits is a Department of Defense retention benefit that must be requested while you are serving. You also must meet the applicable eligibility and 4-year service obligation requirements.
If you think you may ever want your spouse to use your GI Bill benefits, investigate the transfer rules while you are still serving. Check out this article to learn how to do it.
You don't necessarily have to decide exactly how your family will use every month of benefits today. But failing to establish transfer eligibility while serving can close off options later.
10. Update Your Federal and State Tax Withholding
Marriage can affect your tax situation. You may need to update your federal income tax withholding by submitting a new IRS Form W-4 through your military pay system.
You should also review your state tax withholding.
Military families can face unusual state tax situations because of:
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves
Legal residence or domicile
A spouse living or working in another state
Military spouse residency protections
Different state treatment of military income
Your military duty station does not necessarily determine your state of legal residence for tax purposes. If you and your spouse have income from multiple states, consider getting professional tax advice.
11. Review Your Legal Residence and Your Spouse's Residency
Marriage can also affect decisions involving state residency, and state tax rates will likely factor into this decision. Federal law provides certain residency protections for military spouses, but the rules are more nuanced than simply saying a military spouse automatically gets the service member's state residency. The bottom line is that the spouse will be subject to a state's income tax laws, the question is where.
Your spouse can choose to be a legal resident of:
1. The service member's state of legal residence,
2. The spouse's state of legal residence, or
3. The state of the service member's permanent duty station.
Your spouse's residency can affect:
State income taxes
Driver's licenses
Vehicle registration
Voting
Professional licensing
Other state-specific benefits and obligations
If you are stationed outside your home state, take some time to understand how military residency protections apply to both of you.
12. Update Your Will, Power of Attorney, and Estate Plan
Getting married is one of the clearest reasons to review your estate planning documents.
Consider updating or creating:
A will
Financial power of attorney
Health care power of attorney or advance directive
Beneficiary designations
Emergency instructions
Military legal assistance offices may provide eligible service members and dependents with estate-planning assistance at no cost. Remember that your will, SGLI beneficiary, TSP beneficiary, and other beneficiary designations are separate legal documents. Updating one does not necessarily update the others.
13. Update Your Military Personnel Records
Review your official military personnel records to make sure your marriage and dependent information are correctly recorded. The specific systems and procedures vary by military branch.
Make sure your records correctly reflect your:
Marital status
Spouse
Current address
Dependency information
Emergency contacts
Other required personnel information
Errors in personnel records can eventually become errors in pay or benefits.
14. Review Dental Coverage for Your Spouse
Health coverage isn't the only medical benefit to consider. Depending on your status, your spouse may be eligible for dental coverage through the applicable military dental program. Dental enrollment may require a separate action and may involve separate premiums. Check your spouse's eligibility and enrollment rather than assuming dental coverage accompanies TRICARE medical enrollment automatically.
15. Review Any Other Benefits Available to Military Spouses
Marriage may make your spouse eligible for additional programs and services.
Depending on your circumstances, these can include:
Military installation privileges
Commissary and exchange access
Military OneSource resources
Spouse employment assistance
Education and career programs
Certain professional licensing protections or reimbursements
MyCAA education assistance for eligible military spouses
Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs
Legal assistance
Family support programs
Eligibility varies significantly by program, so your spouse may qualify for some benefits but not others.
The Bottom Line
Getting married can unlock important military benefits for your spouse, but many of those benefits require action from you.
Start with your marriage certificate, DEERS, and TRICARE. Then verify your pay and BAH before working through insurance, beneficiaries, taxes, estate planning, education benefits, and other military records.
Most importantly, don't assume that updating your marriage in one military system automatically updates every other system.
A few hours spent reviewing everything after your wedding can prevent pay problems, insurance gaps, outdated beneficiaries, and benefits issues later.
Newly Married Military Checklist
After getting married, work through this list:
Obtain certified copies of your marriage certificate
Add your spouse to DEERS
Obtain your spouse's military dependent ID
Review and enroll in appropriate TRICARE coverage
Verify your BAH dependency status
Check your LES after the change
Review your SGLI beneficiary
Review FSGLI coverage
Update your Record of Emergency Data/DD Form 93
Review your TSP beneficiary
Consider Transferring Your Post-9/11 GI Bill
Review federal tax withholding
Review state tax withholding and residency
Update your will and powers of attorney
Update military personnel records
Review dental coverage
Explore military spouse education, employment, and family benefits
Share this article with someone you know that is getting married or just got married so they can use this helpful guide!
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