DD Form 2656-6: Notary or SBP Counselor Requirements for SBP Election Changes

DD Form 2656-6 is titled Survivor Benefit Plan Election Change Certificate. It documents a member's request to change an existing SBP election after the member has enrolled in SBP, subject to DFAS eligibility rules and any applicable waiting periods or life-event windows.

Use the current PDF published on the Executive Services Directorate forms site. The DD Form 2656-6 PDF available there lists OMB control number 0704-0152 with an expiration date of 08/31/2026; verify the live form and instructions before execution.

Do not use DD Form 2656-6 for first-time SBP enrollment at retirement—that path generally uses DD Form 2656 and follows different spouse concurrence and signing-order rules.

DFAS describes DD Form 2656-6 in the context of changing SBP coverage after enrollment—for example when a life event or an eligible election-change window permits a different coverage level, beneficiary configuration, or related SBP adjustment described on the form and on DFAS change-coverage pages.

Eligibility is not open-ended. DFAS materials tie many changes to qualifying events such as marriage, divorce, death of a beneficiary, or other circumstances listed in official SBP guidance, and some elections remain subject to time limits or actuarial reduction rules.

This section does not list every eligible change or calculate whether a request will be approved. Before completing the form, review the current DFAS SBP change guidance and, when available, consult an SBP counselor.

DD Form 2656-6 requires the member to sign and date the certificate. The member's signature must be witnessed by a notary public or an SBP counselor, as stated on the form and in DFAS change-coverage instructions.

The witness cannot be the member's spouse or a beneficiary named on the election being changed. That restriction is separate from any additional spouse or former-spouse concurrence blocks that may apply to a particular requested change.

An SBP counselor witness is an official alternative to a notary public for the member's signature block. Choosing between them is a process question, not a reason to skip witnessing altogether. Do not assume every DD Form 2656-6 packet can be completed without either a notary or counselor merely because the word “notary” appears in a headline.

When a notary public serves as witness, the notary performs the authorized notarial act shown on the form. The notary does not decide whether the SBP change is eligible, explain premium costs, or select coverage options for the member.

Some SBP election changes require spouse or former-spouse concurrence or notification in addition to the member's witnessed signature on DD Form 2656-6. Those requirements depend on the change requested and the member's marital and beneficiary situation—not on every DD Form 2656-6 submission.

When a spouse or former-spouse block applies, follow the current form instructions for that block, including any separate notarization requirement. Do not substitute the member's notary-or-counselor witness for a required spouse concurrence notary block.

For initial retirement enrollment concurrence and DFAS signing-order rules on DD Form 2656, use the DD Form 2656 guide.

Recipient confirmation is required. DFAS change-coverage materials and DD Form 2656-6 establish that the member's signature may be witnessed by a notary public, but they do not establish a blanket DFAS policy accepting remote online notarization for every election-change packet, electronic original, or counselor-alternative workflow.

Remote online notarization is performed under the law of the online notary's commissioning state. Confirm with DFAS or an SBP counselor whether the planned electronic document, notarial certificate, and submission method will be accepted before booking.

If an SBP counselor can witness the member's signature for your eligible change, you may not need a notary at all. If you plan to use a notary public—including a remote online notary—obtain DFAS or counselor confirmation that the format satisfies witnessing requirements for your submission.

This guide does not determine eligibility for a specific SBP change, calculate reductions or costs, replace DFAS instructions, or provide military benefits or legal advice.

A notary verifies identity and completes the authorized notarial act. A notary cannot approve the change, bypass SBP counselor review where required, or promise DFAS will accept a returned form.

For broader retirement-document routing outside military SBP, return to the retirement notary document center.