This guide provides help and advice on a range of topics as you plan for your transition from the armed forces into civilian life.

Leavers’ checklist

The steps below provide an overview of some of the main things to consider.

9 to 6 months before leaving

You should:

• arrange to have a final medical at your current address
• arrange a dental examination if required
• arrange resettlement officer interview
• arrange assignment to discharging unit if needed (Royal Navy only)
• arrange move from MoD accommodation on discharge
• submit AFPS Form 12 for pension forecast
• submit AFPS Pen Form 1 for pension benefits
• plan repayment of service public debt

6 to 3 months before leaving

You should:

• review draft certificate of service and reserve liability
• make sure your JPA record is accurate

3 to 1 month before leaving

You should:

• attend final medical examination
• update post-discharge contact details
• contact the mail office with forwarding address
• record data protection legislation compliance preferences
• claim refund of any resettlement fees
• check medical and dental documents are with your discharging unit
• register with an NHS GP and NHS dentist
• return completed AFPS Pen Form 1 – if not already done
• check exiting process
• get a copy of your testimonial (Army and Royal Air Force only) or valedictory certificate (Royal Air Force and Royal Navy)
• return all appropriate clothing and equipment
• leave MoD accommodation
• for eligible Foreign or Commonwealth personnel: prior to last date of discharge, obtain confirmation indicative letter from Home Office granting 28 days ‘leave to remain’ in the UK if indefinite leave to remain or limited leave to remain has not been granted

Last month before leaving

You should:

• take terminal leave
• return your armed forces ID card
• return service stores and record books (if you have no reserve liability)

Medical considerations

Your last medical examination

A full medical examination is required before you leave. This should be carried out around 3 months before your last day of service.

If you do not attend this examination, your discharge date may be delayed. You may be given documentation to pass to your NHS surgery, and you should make sure you have a copy of any repeat prescriptions to pass on.

To receive a last dental inspection and course of routine treatment while still serving, arrange an appointment at your unit dental centre at least 6 months before your expected leaving date.

If you are leaving the armed forces through a personnel recovery unit or unit command (under wounded, injured or sick protocols), additional support for your continuity of care will be put into place.

Finding a GP

Register with a GP wherever you settle after you leave. Do not leave this until you urgently need to see a doctor. If you have a family, it’s important they register with a GP too.

• Find a GP practice in England
• Find a GP practice in Wales
• Find a GP practice in Scotland
• Find a GP practice in Northern Ireland

Remember to:

1. Tell your GP you’ve served in the armed forces. It doesn’t matter how long you served or when you left the armed forces.

2. Ask for the term ‘military veteran’ to be recorded in your patient record. This will help your GP to better understand any military-related health conditions you may have and ensure you are referred, where appropriate, to dedicated health and well-being services for veterans.

3. Give your GP paperwork and medical records from your military medical centre. This helps to ensure your military health record transfers to your NHS record.

Finding a dentist

Register with an NHS dental practice to be able to access NHS dental care once you have left. Your service dental records will be archived centrally after this and will not be passed on to your chosen practice.

• Find a dental practice in England
• Find a dental practice in Wales
• Find a dental practice in Scotland
• Find a dental practice in Northern Ireland

If you’re managing illness or injury

See Managing illness or injury as a veteran.

If you’re struggling with your mental health

See Managing your mental health as a veteran.

Your records and paperwork

Update your JPA

Remember to keep your JPA record up to date.

Update your permanent home address. This is important as your P45 and all other post-discharge paperwork will be sent here. Ask your unit HR admin to record this as your ‘primary address’.

Update your data protection preferences.

You can access your statement of earnings through the Defence Gateway site.

Your unit HR admin can help you with any questions about updating your JPA.

What you’ll be given when you leave

After your discharge date, you’ll be given:

• a service leavers’ pack containing your certificate of service
• your armed forces veteran card
• your veterans badge
• your returned will form (if held)

If the service leavers’ pack is returned to Defence Business Services and not claimed within 6 months, the veteran card will be destroyed and you will need to Apply for an HM armed forces veteran card or Apply for or replace a medal or veterans badge. For a replacement certificate of service, contact the Joint Personnel Administration Centre:

Your will, if held by DBS, will be returned to storage.

The certificate of service contains all relevant information for your period of engagement and includes details from all assignments. It is intended as a personal record and a summary document to pass to future employers.

A draft certificate will be produced by your unit 3 to 6 months before your discharge date. It’s your responsibility to review the information and identify any errors. Some information, such as reserve liability, will not appear on the draft certificate. This is because the information is not entered onto JPA until closer to your discharge date.

Amendments to changes of circumstances will not be made after discharge unless there is a DBS error.

Your initial veteran card will be produced automatically as part of the discharge process using your latest JPA contact details and ID card photo.

Start using your private email address

You should use your private email address on your JPA. This email address may be used to provide information after your exit, in accordance with your contact preferences. You should record your data protection legislation compliance preferences by self-service or by submitting a JS Form JPA N003 (Data Protection Legislation Compliance Update by Proxy).

Give your forwarding address

Remember to give your discharging unit’s mail office a forwarding address.

If you live in service family accommodation (SFA), you should use the Post Office redirect service. For more information, visit any Post Office or Royal Mail: mail redirection.

Getting a personal reference

Ask your line manager for a personal reference if you would like one. You must arrange this yourself, so allow plenty of time. There is no obligation for your line manager to provide a reference.

Returning your service clothing and equipment

Return your service clothing and equipment before you start your terminal leave. You will retain some items if you have a reserve liability.

Leaving MoD accommodation

If you live in single living accommodation (SLA), you should make arrangements to leave.

If you live in service family accommodation (SFA), your accommodation charges may go up if you do not move out. Make sure you notify the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) of your discharge date. You can contact the DIO’s Loss of Entitlement Team on:

If you are vulnerable to homelessness, the MoD has a duty to refer you to the local authority of your choice (with your approval).

Terminal leave

If you have completed your training and served over 6 months, you will be entitled to terminal leave. You will get one day for each completed month of reckonable service up to a maximum of 20 days. Terminal leave is the same as any other leave, but you are free to accept paid civilian employment during this time.

If you’re admitted to hospital during your terminal leave, make sure that your family, friends or the hospital staff contact your unit to let them know:

• the nature of your illness or injury
• the length of time you expect to be in hospital

Your last day of service may be extended to cover the period you were an in-patient.

Your obligations under the Armed Forces Act 2006

You are subject to the Armed Forces Act 2006 until your discharge date. Once you have left the service, you can still be charged with any offence committed against the Act while you were still serving, provided this takes place within 6 months of your discharge date. For the purposes of any disciplinary action, you will be treated as an ex-regular and will be tried by Court Martial.

Re-joining after your discharge date

If you want to re-join the services after your discharge date, you should apply to a National Recruitment Centre. Re-joining will depend on your past record, an interview and current vacancies. If you re-join soon after leaving, you may be able to do so in the same rate or rank held on exit. Your previous regular reckonable service may count towards seniority, pay and pension.

Check the impact on any pension, early departure payments or benefits before re-joining.

More information can be found in the AFPS MMP116 Re-employment booklet.

Travel entitlements on discharge

If you discharge at your own request, travel expenses to your civilian address will not be paid unless you have more than 4 years’ service.

The amount you can claim will depend on your country of attestation and where you are serving at discharge. Once you know your discharge date, and where you will be travelling to, your discharging unit HR admin will be able to give you more information.

Applications for travel should normally be arranged through your unit HR admin and unit travel office. They must give approval before any arrangements are made.

Claims for motor mileage allowance, actual public transport costs or additional fees should be made on JPA or through completion of a JPA Form F016.

You should make sure you submit all claims using JPA if you have access. If not, complete JPA Form F016 and submit manually to your unit HR staff before going on terminal leave.

Payments will be made through JPA direct to your bank account. JPA Form F016 can be obtained from your HR staff or downloaded from the JPA portal if you are unable to log onto JPA.

Security considerations if you’re travelling abroad

Check any travel plans with your security staff. This applies for 2 years from your discharge date. If you have DV clearance, it applies for 5 years.

Resettling and finding a job

You are responsible for your resettlement arrangements.

All personnel are entitled to resettlement support, consisting of time, financial support, training/upskilling and career advice. Contact your service resettlement adviser for more information.

There are 3 lines of resettlement:

1. Your unit resettlement information staff, who offer you advice on your entitlement and the administrative process to access it.

2. Your service resettlement adviser, who will give advice and guidance on the resettlement package that will best suit you.

3. The Career Transition Partnership (CTP)(CTP), a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence and ReedRight inManagement Partnership,Ltd, awho publicare servicesglobal providercareer whodevelopment specialiseand inoutplacement helpingspecialists transformand peoplepart andof theirthe communities.ManpowerGroup. The CTP provides an integrated service to leavers of the armed forces regardless of length of service. This includes advice, guidance, training and support to those leaving the military, and also incorporates RFEA - The Forces Employment Charity, which provides lifelong job-finding support to service leavers.

The amount of support available depends on your length of service and your reasons for discharge.

If you have less than 4 years’ service

All early service leavers that have completed less than 4 years’ service will be referred to the CTP Future Horizons team.

Employment support is provided for up to 2 years. If you choose to go into education, apprenticeships or training, support will be provided in helping you achieve your educational goals.

If you have 4 to 6 years’ service

You can access the Employment Support Programme for up to one year prior to your discharge. The programme includes a one-day job skills workshop to help with CVs, interview techniques and more.

A client service adviser is available to discuss plans, and you can access a wide range of employment events, vocational training courses and online support.

Support continues for 2 years after discharge.

If you have 6 or more years’ service or have been medically discharged

You can access the Core Resettlement Programme for 2 years prior to discharge and up to 2 years after discharge. Most people start with a 3-day career transition workshop, but there are also self-employment and pre-retirement workshops, as well as a refresher workshop to prepare for interviews.

The programme also provides a dedicated career consultant for the duration of resettlement.

You can gain online access to regularly updated information on careers, jobs and regional trends, plus tools to help with CV preparation, planning and self-marketing.

A large range of vocational training courses are on offer to fill any gaps between military and civilian qualifications, or for you to retrain for a new career. You can attend a number of employment events, including 9 large employment fairs around the UK.

Workshops and briefings

The Career Transition Workshop enables service leavers to identify and evaluate skills and qualities gained during service.

This 3-day course gives attendees the time and opportunity to concentrate on their future and plan an effective use of their resettlement time. There is an opportunity to meet a career consultant, who will be there to help create a personalised resettlement plan to help meet your individual needs, and who will continue to support right up to discharge and for 2 years after discharge if required.

Other workshops available include:

• ‘New Horizons – Moving Towards Retirement’, which looks at the many options for full or partial retirement
• ‘Self-Employment Awareness’, which considers some of the actions necessary to run a successful business
• ‘Final Approach’ workshop, which acts as a refresher on the topics covered during the CTW but with more emphasis on interview practice
• ‘Financial Aspects of Resettlement’ planning

Events

CTP runs a full programme of events introducing service leavers to a range of employers, from 9 large regional employment fairs with between 80 to 100 employers to ‘live chats’ with a specific employer. These offer an opportunity to research, network and gain insight into different careers as well as being able to apply for jobs.

Online support

Many service leavers are happy to manage their own resettlement, and a personalised CTP web area in myPlan allows them to do this.

In myPlan, you can complete career assessment activities, compile a personal plan and checklist and track your progress, as well as accessing an interview simulator alongside a range of video guides.

Training courses

CTP’s training programme is designed with the needs of service leavers in mind. CTP career consultants are available to provide advice and guidance on choosing the right training for you and your career aspirations.

Resettlement training is split into 2 categories: contract funded and non-contract funded training.

Contract funded

Training is pre-paid by the MoD and costs the equivalent of £26.70 per day from the IRTC grant for every day attended. No money changes hands as the grant is reduced at source. The IRTC grant of £534 ‘buys’ up to 20 days of training and is the best way for you to use your resettlement allowance, as courses are heavily subsidised.

Non-contract funded

Training is paid for by the individual, either using your resettlement grants, ELCs or by self-funding.

Local service resettlement advisers will advise on funding and entitlement. See CTP Resettlement Training Courses.

Finding a job

TheRightJob is the CTP’s online job finding service that lists thousands of live vacancies for service leavers. You can:

• browse and search for available jobs by industry, location or company name
• receive job notifications and alerts by email
• submit job applications directly to employers

Registration is done during the Career Transition Workshop.Workshop.

The CTP will aim to establish the type of job you are looking for, your salary expectations and where you wish to work. This will be fed into the CTP job-matching database.

Some of the key companies engaged with CTP and seeking to employ service leavers can be found on the CTP jobsjob portaldirectory.

CTP Enquiries

Regional Resettlement Centres

The Regional Resettlement Centres are:

Finding a home

If you wish to find a civilian home

The Defence Transition Services (DTS) team is the MoD’s focal point for providing service personnel and their dependants with civilian housing information.

DTS can provide advice on:

• housing queries, including the online civilian housing options brief
• the MoD Referral Scheme

For more information or to book a place on a civilian housing brief, see information and guidance on civilian housing.

You can contact DTS by email at:
DBSVets-DTS-Central@mod.gov.uk

If you’re at risk of homelessness

See Getting homelessness support as a veteran.

Your pay

Your pay entitlement

You will be paid up to and including your date of discharge. Before the beginning of the month in which you are due to exit, or the start of your terminal leave, you must contact your unit HR admin staff to make sure your allowance entitlements are stopped on the correct dates.

Any overpayments or other service debts will be deducted from your final pay and/or terminal benefits where possible. If there are insufficient funds in the final pay and/or terminal benefits, you will be contacted after your discharge regarding repayment of the monies owed. Any overpayments identified after your final pay and/or terminal benefits that have been processed will also be recovered.

Where a pay award announcement is delayed and a decision taken to backdate to 1 April, Defence Business Services will delay the final processing of accounts for service leavers to a point beyond the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) award implementation date. This ensures all records are recalculated and appropriate payments made to all personnel following the AFPRB announcement.

It is important that you ensure DBS continues to hold your correct bank details so that any final payments made after the end of your service can reach you without further delay.

Your address and bank account information

All monies will be paid into the account used for your monthly pay unless you change the details on JPA. Where bank account allotments are in use, or more than one bank account is entered on JPA, you will need to ensure that priorities and payment instructions are correctly set up to receive the payment as intended. Any future correspondence will be sent to your nominated address.

You can change your address and/or account details on JPA online if you have access. Otherwise your unit HR admin can make the changes for you.

If your service ends from an overseas unit and you want to be paid into an overseas account, you must have your CO’s approval, before emigrating to an overseas non-EU country and accept liability for all bank charges and potential adverse currency conversion rates.

Payment of final balance

Your final pay will be forwarded on the payday of the month of discharge once any outstanding debts or overpayments have been recovered.

If you have any questions about your final pay and allowances, please contact:

Telephone: 0800 085 3600

Questions about income tax payments should be directed to your local revenue enquiry office.

Your pension

For information about your pension, see Armed forces pensions.

Your Strategicreserve Reserveliability, liabilityresponsibilities and responsibilitiesopportunities

Your training liability

A member of the regular reserve forces can be required to train for up to 16 days in aggregate in any one year or for such other periods as may be prescribed, none of which shall exceed 36 hours at any one time without your consent. You may also volunteer to train or take part in exercises.

Informing your Service Personnel Centre of a change of circumstances

Members of the army regular/recall reserve will receive an annual reporting letter that will be sent on the anniversary of their discharge from the regular army. Reservists should complete the enclosure to confirm their contact details and status and return it to the APC. For members of the regular reserve, both officers and soldiers, the successful completion and return of the enclosure will result in the payment of an annual reporting grant of £50.00. This grant is payable only for the first 5 years of any liability.

Failure to respond to a notice of call-out or recall

Failure to respond to a call-out or recall notice without leave lawfully granted or reasonable excuse is an offence under the Reserve Forces Act 1996, which may be dealt with by the civil courts or by court-martial.

Reserve Forces opportunities and benefits:

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The Maritime Reserves (Royal Naval Reserves and Royal Marine Reserves), Army Reserve, and Royal Auxiliary Air Force commitment is from 19 days if you have specialist skills (Army), up to 27 days a year.  Training is mostly conducted in the evenings and at weekends, with potential to mobilise on operations or takemilitary partprovost inguard majorservice). Other overseas exercises with UK and NATO allies.

For more information visit:

• Royal Navy Reserves
• Royal Marine Reserves
• The Army Reserve
• Royal Air Force Regular and Reserve

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Details of FTRS and PTVR roles that are currently available can be found on:

• SERVE – Service for Experienced, Re-joiner and Volunteer Engagements

SERVE is the MoD’s free digital service that offers an easy way to discover reserve, rejoinder and wider opportunities in the armed forces and to stay connected with defence.

Opportunities are advertised on the Find Forces Jobs tool.

How to use SERVE

Benefits

PTVRReserves benefits- includefurther competitive daily rates of pay, a non-contributory pension (AFPS15) for days served, a tax-free annual bounty, and subsidised travel and food.

information

YouFor will also continue to have access to sporting facilities, adventurous training, military discounts for you and your family, online educational resources, grants and more. You can find more detailsinformation on the Discover My Benefits platform.visit:

Cadet

• Royal forcesNavy opportunitiesReserves
• Royal forMarine adult volunteers

Reserves

The cadetArmy forcesReserve

Royal areAir notForce partRegular of the armed forces, but they are directly supported by the MoD as voluntary youth organisations offering uniformed activities and skillsReserve

Army development for young people. Adults who volunteer to help with the cadets also receive useful training, gain recognised qualifications and are eligible to receive recognition for their work through the honours and awards system.

For information about opportunities for adult volunteering under the Cadet Expansion Programme see Adult volunteers with the cadet forcesForce.

If you are subject to immigration control

You should seek guidance to ensure that applications for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) in the UK are made at least 18 weeks before your discharge date, to enable access to public funds, housing assistance and eligibility to work upon discharge. This includes the following citizen statuses:

• British Overseas Territory
• British Overseas
• British National (Overseas)
• Commonwealth
• Gurkhas and Nepalese citizens who have transferred out of the Brigade of Gurkhas to serve in the wider armed forces

Settlement fee waiver

From 6 April 2022, providing all other Home Office requirements are met, regular non-UK personnel or those serving in the Brigade of Gurkhas who apply to remain in the UK will not have to pay the fee if they:

• have served at least 6 years at their point of discharge from service, or,

• are discharged on medical grounds with a condition attributable to service irrespective of their length of service, or

• are a veteran who has served for at least 6 years, or was discharged on medical grounds with a condition attributable to service, and is currently living in the UK and not yet regularised their immigration status

Non-UK personnel applying by themselves, unlike their civilian counterparts, are:

• not required to meet an income or assets threshold (the minimum income threshold)
• do not need to be sponsored by an employer
• do not need to meet any requirements regarding their skills, knowledge of the English language or knowledge of life in the UK

For non-UK service leavers subject to immigration control

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has the responsibility to notify the Home Office UK Visa and Immigration of non-UK personnel who are discharged, or about to be discharged from service. At least 18 weeks prior to discharge, it is the service leaver’s responsibility to regularise their immigration status.

Accompanying family members of non-UK personnel in the UK on 5-year visas issued after 2013 are on their own route to settlement in the UK. They need to remain on their visa until 28 days before it expires. They do not apply for settlement on discharge with the service person.

For more information, see Apply to settle in the UK - HM Forces category.

For general immigration enquiries, Contact UK Visas and Immigration:

Compensation for injury or illness as a result of service

There are 2 compensation schemes for those suffering illness or injury as a result of service. The relevant scheme depends on when the injury occurred.

If your injury or illness occurred as a result of service on or after 6 April 2005

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) applies if you have an injury or illness that has been sustained or made worse as a result of service, which occurred on or after 6 April 2005

If your injury or illness occurred as a result of service before 5 April 2005

The War Pension Scheme (WPS) applies if you are no longer serving in the armed forces and you have a condition that was caused or made worse by your service before 6 April 2005.

If you needhaven’t helpbeen able to find a job

ThereIf isyou do not qualify for the full resettlement package or haven’t been able to find a widejob, rangeyou can still get help and advice from a number of organisations, including:

Jobcentre Plus

Your local Jobcentre Plus office can:

• discuss your circumstances and support you with next steps
• help you with your job search
• check what benefits you can get
• help you find training to support you
• signpost to money guidance, such as advice on debt and budgeting

See Benefits or Find a Jobcentre Plus.

Each Jobcentre Plus district has an armed forces champion. If other Jobcentre Plus staff are unable to help, ask to speak to their district armed forces champion for veteransfurther advice.

Forces Employment Charity

The Forces Employment Charity provides life-long, life-changing support, job opportunities, and training to service leavers, veterans, reservists and their familiesfamilies, providedregardless byof manycircumstances, rank, length of service or reason for leaving.

Further help

The service charity sector provides a strong national network of welfare workers. Although several charities provide welfare staff, the largest networks belong to SSAFA, The Royal British Legion, Poppyscotland, and The Poppy Factory. Any of these major organisations acrosswill be able to help or direct you to another appropriate source of help, either among state providers or other charities

SSAFA the UK.Armed Forces Charity

SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity provides lifelong support to regulars and reserves, who are serving or have ever served in the British Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force and their families.