The Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) program allows eligible active duty servicemembers to transfer some or all of their Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) entitlement to their spouse and/or dependent children. This authority is granted under 38 U.S.C. § 3319 and implemented by DoD at DoD Instruction 1341.13.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides up to 36 months of education benefits, including full tuition, a monthly housing allowance (MHA), and an annual book stipend. At current MHA rates in high-cost cities, 36 months of benefits can be worth well over $100,000 in total education funding. Transferring these benefits is one of the most valuable things a servicemember can do for their family before separating.
To be eligible to transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, a servicemember must meet ALL of the following conditions under 38 U.S.C. § 3319(b):
Guard and Reserve members serving on active duty under Title 10 are eligible. However, members serving under Title 32 (state active duty) are generally not eligible. Check with your unit's education officer to confirm your eligibility status before applying.
The most important — and most misunderstood — aspect of TEB is the service obligation. When you submit a TEB request, you are committing to serve an additional 4 years from the date of the request. This obligation is mandatory under DoD Instruction 1341.13.
If you separate from service before completing the 4-year obligation, the transferred benefits may be revoked. Specifically:
If you're at 6 years of service and plan to do a full 20-year career, transfer your GI Bill now. You'll fulfill the 4-year obligation naturally as you continue serving, and your family gains access to up to 36 months of benefits immediately (subject to eligibility rules). Waiting until year 16 to transfer still requires the full 4-year obligation, pushing your minimum service to 20 years — which you were already planning anyway.
The transfer is completed entirely online through the Defense Manpower Data Center's milConnect portal. Here's the exact process:
Go to milConnect.dmdc.osd.mil and log in using your DS Logon, CAC, or MyLogin credentials. This is the official DoD portal — there is no other way to submit a TEB request.
Select "Benefit Elections" from the menu, then choose "Transfer Education Benefits (TEB)." If you don't see this option, your record may not yet reflect 6 years of service or your dependents may not be enrolled in DEERS.
All recipients must be in DEERS. If your spouse or child is not enrolled, visit a RAPIDS site or call 1-800-538-9552 to enroll them before proceeding with TEB.
Choose which dependents will receive benefits and how many months each will receive. You can allocate up to 36 total months across all dependents in any combination (e.g., 18 months to spouse, 18 months to child). You can adjust allocations later while still on active duty.
You will be presented with the 4-year service obligation agreement. Review it carefully and accept. Your unit commander or education officer must approve the request — this typically takes a few days to a few weeks.
Once approved, you'll receive a confirmation in milConnect. Your dependent can then apply for GI Bill benefits through VA.gov using VA Form 22-1990E (Application for Family Member to Use Transferred Benefits).
Under 38 U.S.C. § 3319(c), transferred benefits can only go to:
You cannot transfer to parents, siblings, or other family members. You also cannot transfer to a spouse you marry after separation — the transfer must be to someone enrolled in DEERS before your separation date.
| Rule | Spouse | Dependent Child |
|---|---|---|
| When can they use benefits? | Immediately after transfer is approved | Must wait until servicemember has 10 years of service |
| Age limit | No age limit | Must use before age 26 |
| Can they use while servicemember is on active duty? | Yes | Yes (if servicemember has 10+ years of service) |
| Enrollment requirement | Must be enrolled in DEERS | Must be enrolled in DEERS; must be a legal dependent |
| MHA eligibility | Yes — receives MHA based on school location | Yes — receives MHA based on school location |
| If servicemember remarries after divorce | New spouse can be added if still on active duty | Not affected by divorce |
Children cannot use transferred benefits until the servicemember has accumulated 10 years of service. If you transfer 18 months to your child when you have 7 years of service, your child cannot start using those benefits until you reach the 10-year mark. Plan your transfer timing accordingly — especially if you plan to separate before 10 years.
You have full flexibility in how you distribute the 36 total months. Common strategies include:
Key rule: You can change the allocation (add or remove months, add new dependents) any time while you are still on active duty. Once you separate, you can reduce months to zero for unused portions, but you cannot increase or add new designees.
After your separation date, you cannot add a new spouse or new children to your TEB. You can only reduce or revoke months for existing designees. If you divorce and remarry after separating, your new spouse cannot receive transferred benefits. This makes early transfer planning critical for servicemembers who plan to start or expand families after ETS.
Dependents using transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits receive the same benefits as if the servicemember were using them directly, calculated based on the dependent's enrollment and school:
Benefits are paid in the dependent's name. The dependent applies directly to VA using VA Form 22-1990E and maintains their own certificate of eligibility.
Under 38 U.S.C. § 3319(h), if a servicemember who has transferred benefits dies before the dependent uses all transferred months, the transferred benefits continue for the designated dependents. The death of the servicemember does not revoke or reduce benefits already transferred.
Additionally, if the servicemember dies in the line of duty, dependents may be eligible for additional Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) on top of any transferred Chapter 33 benefits, though they cannot use both simultaneously for the same enrollment period.
Dependents using transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are fully eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if the school participates. This means VA and the school split the cost of tuition above the GI Bill's standard maximum, potentially covering the full cost of attendance at expensive private universities at zero out-of-pocket cost.
The dependent must apply to the school's financial aid office for Yellow Ribbon consideration and disclose their GI Bill eligibility. Schools with unlimited Yellow Ribbon agreements will cover any remaining tuition gap after the base GI Bill benefit is applied.
Every year, thousands of servicemembers lose the ability to transfer their GI Bill benefits because they wait too long. The most common scenario:
There is no reconsideration, no appeal, and no exception for "I didn't know." Once you separate, the transfer window is permanently closed. VA and DoD have consistently denied transfer requests submitted the day after separation, even when the servicemember had every intention to transfer while still serving.
If you currently have 6 or more years of service and are thinking about separating — even if you haven't decided yet — submit your TEB request now. Here's why:
The worst case: you transfer, then complete your career and use the benefits yourself. The best case: you transfer, separate, and give your family up to $100,000+ in education funding. There is no downside to transferring early.
Use our free GI Bill Calculator to see exactly how much your transferred benefits are worth — and what your family stands to receive at their target school.
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