DD-214 Codes
Read your DD Form 214 code by code: grade, specialty, character of service, separation authority, SPD separation code, and reentry code, decoded against official sources. Field labels and block numbers below follow the printed title you choose.
Nothing is uploaded and there is no document scan. You type only the short codes; this page never asks for names, Social Security numbers, or dates, and what you type does not leave your browser. The one exception is the explicit open-the-public-page link beside a decoded code: when you follow it, that public code becomes part of the destination address and your browser history, like any other link. Not every copy of the form prints every block; a code missing from your copy may print only on another copy.
Start with your form
Field labels and block numbers on this page depend on which printing of the DD Form 214 you have. The title you pick never changes what a code means, and your answer stays on this page.
Pick the title printed on your form to line this page up with its block numbers. No layout is chosen for you.
DD Form 214-1, Certificate of Uniformed Service, Reserve Component Addendum
If your separation packet also includes a DD Form 214-1, keep it with the DD Form 214. It is the Reserve Component Addendum, issued with a DD Form 214, never on its own, and never in place of it. This decoder reads only the DD Form 214; DD Form 214-1 fields are not decoded here.
Grade or rate and pay grade
Printed at blocks 5a and 5b on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); blocks 4a and 4b on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
Enter the pay grade, for example E-5 or O-3, to see the matching rank title in each service.
Primary specialty
Printed at block 12 on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); block 11 on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
The specialty code and title, for example 11B or 0311. One printed specialty field can list more than one code with its dates and durations, so decode each printed code separately; selecting a match adds it to the list below and links into the directory, including retired legacy codes.
Character of service
Printed at block 26 on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); block 24 on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
The characterization printed on the form, from honorable through punitive discharges.
Separation authority
Printed at block 27 on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); block 25 on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
Separation code (SPD)
Printed at block 28 on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); block 26 on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
The three-letter Separation Program Designator, for example JBK or KFS. Meanings differ by the issuing service and, for some codes, by era, so every grounded candidate appears below with none picked as the answer.
Reentry code
Printed at block 29 on the current form (Certificate of Uniformed Service); block 27 on the supported older Army layout (AR 635-8).
The RE code, for example RE-1, RE-3P, or the Air Force style 2C. Meanings differ by the issuing service and, on older forms, by period, so every grounded candidate appears below with none picked as the answer.
Where these meanings come from
Every decoded meaning on this page carries its citation: current service regulations for reentry codes and separation authorities, DoDI 1332.14 and the Manual for Courts-Martial for characterizations, and the DoD rank insignia reference for pay grades. DoD does not release the consolidated SPD code list publicly, so SPD meanings are grounded in public official records, chiefly decisions of the services' own Discharge Review Boards and Boards for Correction of Military Records. Form titles, field labels, and block numbers follow DoDI 1336.01 (effective February 17, 2022) for the current Certificate of Uniformed Service, and Army Regulation 635-8 for the single supported older layout identified by its printed landmark.
This page decodes documents; it does not give benefits, legal, or reenlistment advice. For benefits, start at the Department of Veterans Affairs. To request your own records, use the National Archives veterans service.