DD-214 help
Look up a field, review a current form, or find the official records process.
Independent public reference, not a DoD system of record and not authorized to receive CUI or personal records. Do not enter names, IDs, dates, or document text.
Which field do you need help with?
Choose the field printed on your form.
- Grade or pay gradeTranslate E, W, and O pay grades into service rank titles.
- Military specialtyFind a current or retired military occupation.
- Character of serviceRead the characterization printed on the form.
- Separation authorityLook up the regulation, chapter, or paragraph citation.
- Separation code (SPD)Compare a three-letter SPD code by service and period.
- Reentry code (RE)Compare an RE code by issuing service and period.
Match block numbers to my form (optional)
Field labels and block numbers depend on the printing you have. The title 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.
Not every copy of the form prints every block; a code missing from your copy may print only on another copy.
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.
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.